January 17 2019 (Thursday)
The annual tournament of winning football teams will narrow itself down to two teams this weekend, as two remaining teams from each conference will compete for the title of “Conference Champion.” Each conference champion will then compete in the Super Bowl from which only one team will emerge as NFL champion.
There are 32 teams in the NFL. The “playoffs” begin each year with 12 teams, each one hoping to become the winner of the Super Bowl. As teams are defeated, they head for home and the making of plans for next year. What started out as 12 teams is now 4. At the end of the game to be played on February 3, only one team will still be standing.
This scenario reminds me very much of 1 Corinthians 9:24, which says, “You know that in a race all the runners run but only one wins the prize, don’t you? You must run in such a way that you may be victorious” (International Standard Version).
The difference between the Christian race and the NFL Playoffs is that the Christian race produces many winners. Paul’s analogy of only one winning the prize is based on an ordinary race in a stadium, but is a metaphor that reveals how hard the runner tries and how much he is willing to give of himself in order to be victorious. The idea is that the Christian is running a race that requires total commitment to gain the “crown of righteousness” that the Lord gives to those who give their all in divine service. He says, “So run, that you may obtain..”
Life experience teaches us that, although a crown of victory will be rewarded to the faithful servants of the Lord, there is much to be gained here and now as we give ourselves to the Lord and become a blessing to others. Knowing that we have done our best for Him is reward in the here and now, and is directly related to the “abundant life” that Jesus promised His followers.
