Have you been watching any of the Olympics? It’s exciting to watch because you never know when you’re going to witness something truly amazing or shockingly disappointing. We’ve already encountered some of both dynamics, but we tend to talk about the “amazing.”
We’ve had an 800m swimmer close a huge gap to win gold. There’s the first sprinter from Italy to win Gold in the 100m Dash. Did you see the 1500m runner fall with one lap to go who got up and went from worst to first just at the Finish Line? There are many more I could share.
What makes moments like this even possible?
They were prepared. They had given hundreds of hours to improving the skills needed for their success. The key is in the preparation, not the moment.
As Christians, we too are called to be prepared to win. Paul encourages us to, “…always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect.” (1 Peter 3:15) And just like these athletes who have workout plans and strategies, we have a “plan” to follow for our personal success, no matter where we “compete.” Paul specifically uses a race to challenge us in our Christian race… Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. (1 Corinthians 9:24)
How do we prepare? In its purest form, we make the Bible a priority in our lives, not a resource. I saw a sign recently that read: “The Bible should be our daily bread, not occasional cake.”
Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. (Joshua 1:9)
This is why following the Rooted Bible Reading Plan is so valuable. We can only compete at the level for which we are prepared. The person who takes a 30-minute jog every morning isn’t prepared for the Olympic Marathon. The person who jumps of the backyard diving board isn’t quite ready for 10 Meter Platform Diving. You get the picture. As followers of Jesus Christ, we are compelled to prepare to live life in such a manner that our lives are ready for the highest level of faith and opportunity.
Last week, we read 2 Corinthians 6:6.
We prove ourselves by our purity, our understanding, our patience, our kindness, by the Holy Spirit within us, and by our sincere love.
These are areas where we can “prepare” in order to grow our faith and put them on display to a watching world. And when we are adequately prepared, we can “win the race set before us” no matter the challenges we might face.