"Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it. And everyone who competes for the prize is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an imperishable crown." ~I Corinth 9:24-25~
Temperate...this word was on my heart this morning.
This word is also found in I Tim 3:2 listing the qualifications of church leaders: "A bishop must be blameless, the husband of one wife, temperate, sober-minded, of good behavior, hospitable, able to teach."
What does it mean to be temperate? How does that word relate to runners / athletes, church leaders & us in our Christian walk?
Webster defines temperate as:
1 : marked by moderation: keeping or held within limits : not extreme or excessive : mild : moderate in indulgence of appetite or desire : moderate in the use of alcoholic beverages : marked by an absence or avoidance of extravagance, violence, or extreme partisanship
So, as we run this race of life, we are to be focused on the eternal prize of living for Jesus, and leading others to Him. That is the eternal prize. We are to be trained, disciplined, held within limits...not by laws for the sake of perfection but by grace for the sake of love. We are to train ourselves in prayer, discipline ourselves in The Living Word, and limit how we act...keeping our hands wide open for His love and blessings to flow through our hands and be poured out on everyone around us.
Can you see the prize of being His beloved? Can you feel that crown as He places a jewel for every life you touch for His name? That crown we will lay at His feet one day, knowing every jewel we have obtained was His to begin with. He just let us share His treasures of life, love, family, friends, ministry. Keep your eye on the prize. Don't waste today's treasure.
