In these verses about running a race for the Lord, Paul lets it be known that he does not live his Christian life to practice. He consistently makes every step count.

He was serious about living for the Lord and he did it every day. His life was not lived haphazardly or carelessly. He intended to win his race and be his best for Christ. He faithfully held “forth the word of life; that I may rejoice in the day of Christ, that I have not run in vain, neither laboured in vain” (Philippians 2:16).

In order to run faithfully every day, he needed to discipline his body. He determined that his body would not tell him what to do, but his mind would – guided by the Holy Spirit and the Word. An Olympic runner does the same. Getting careless with self-discipline could cost you the prize. It could cost you the crown you would like to have in glory. We must bring our bodies into subjection – and our thoughts – with His help.

In II Timothy 4:7,8, Paul declares near the end of his life – under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, that he won the prize. He says: “I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.”

If rewards for faithful service are to be won, Christian, you need to be busy doing His will now. There is no time to lose. We need to run our race for the Lord, and with His help – today. Remember that rewards for past service can be lost and given to someone more faithful: “Look to yourselves, that we lose not those things which we have wrought, but that we receive a full reward” (II John 8).

It would be a shame to lose what rewards were already gained by growing lax in our love and service for Christ as we get nearer to His coming. Will you be counted faithful when He comes to take us home to be with Him?

In these two verses, Paul compares the Christian life to a race. In a race, he says, everyone runs, but only one is going to receive the prize.

This fact makes the competition more interesting. If you are going to run, it is not worth it unless you are serious about trying to win. As Christians, we know that there are rewards in Heaven that will be given for faithfulness and doing our best. Potential winners have no time for being lazy or daydreaming. Instead, they need to be focused on the goal and putting forth a lot of effort to achieve it.

Paul urges every believer to run like you mean it – like you really want to win the prize from the Lord. After all, we are not running for a crown that only lasts for a little while, which was the case of Olympic runners in Paul’s day. The believer’s crown is incorruptible and eternal.

Runners who want to go for the prize will also pay a price to do it. They seek to be “temperate in all things.” It means that their running becomes the most important thing to them. They restrict their diet, get a good night’s sleep, and practice most every day.

This brings us to the question of how well are you running (serving) the Lord? Could you be doing better? or more? Are you doing the will of God for your life?