Daily Devotion May 9

May 9: 1 Corinthians 9:24-27

KJV Key Verse: 1 Corinthians 9:24
24 Know ye not that they which run in a race run all *, but one receiveth the prize? So run , that ye may obtain .

Devotion:
How many times have you expected to gain a prize without actually entering a competition? It is not a normal practice to gain prizes without first entering into competitions or buying tickets to raffles or whatever. So why should we expect God to give us all manner of things if we are not willing to first enter into the race set before us? It may not be fair to compare our relationship with Christ as a race because we are not trying to beat other people to Heaven but the fact that we have to enter a race before we can hope for a prize is worth thinking about!

Most of us are more than willing to spend a little money to gain some reward or to do some work to gain a reward – after all that is going to be a big part of our lives, working for a living. Any gain we get from working or any other competition will fade and disappear at some stage in our lives and we accept that; but it does not make us stop trying or reject the race before we even start. So if we are willing to do so much just to gain a reward that will fade and die, then how much more should we be willing to do to gain a reward from God that will never fade and die?

The gain we obtain from God is not uncertain like the potential gain from a race – we know the reward from God is certain and sure. So we do not have to gamble anything we have in order to gain a reward that may or may not be bigger than the stake we gamble with. That is not how God works. He has already given up the ultimate prize that will never fade, we just have to make the move to get into the right race and finish before time runs out!

We are not in this race to try and beat our neighbours or any other people, we simply have to enter the race before the starter’s gun goes off and leaves us out of the race! We do not know when the starter will pull the trigger to start the race, but we do know that it will be too late once the gun has gone bang! Get in the race and secure your reward!

Points to Ponder:
Are you trying to compete against others for God?

Do you not know the certainty of Christ’s living water?