Paul declares further what is needed to be a “living sacrifice.” It requires being different from the world from which we have been redeemed.

The world has many habits, practices, sins, customs, lusts, and more that the believer in Christ should avoid. The life God wants us to live is found in His Word.

The secret to being “transformed” so that acceptable service can be performed is through the “renewing of the mind.” This takes place by spending much time in the Word and prayer, and fellowshipping with other godly believers. It is the Holy Spirit Who works through the Bible.

The blessing of such a transformation is that as it takes place, the believer will see that His will for you is truly “good, and acceptable, and perfect.” In other words – it is the best life that you could possibly have, and it is one without regrets.

An abundance of rewards also await those who are His servants. They will be given out after the Rapture – which could take place any day now.

Will you live for yourself, or seek to be the “transformed” “living sacrifice” God can use for His glory?

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?