Professional athletes are inspiring aren’t they. Focused, determined, and enduring under pressure, they keep their eyes fixed firmly on the goal. When life’s hurdles knock them down they quickly get back on their feet and look towards the finishing line. This year we’ve seen a few athletes around the world cheating with their use of power-enhancing drugs. They may appear to be joyfully winning for a time, enjoying the attention of past heroes, without putting in the hard grind, but we have seen what happens in the end: the sin of the disgraced athlete is eventually exposed, and the athlete is often stripped of their title. They lose everything for the sake of self-gratification.
Are you prepared to persevere as an athlete in the Kingdom of God, with your eyes firmly fixed on Christ, despite life’s many trials? Or, will you sin in secret in the hope that you can “have your cake and eat it too.” Which athlete do you think God blesses and which athlete will He discipline?
