Apostle Paul at the Olympics
Are you watching the Olympics? I am watching with my family. But did you know that the Apostle Paul writes about seeing competitions like the Olympics over 2000 years ago?
The Apostle Paul talks about track events and boxing. He talks about the strict training that athletes endure so they can win.
These are the gold, silver and bronze medals from the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing.
They are cool and anyone who gets one has worked really hard and did a great job when it really counts.
Their training, hard work and dedication pays off.
Have you ever noticed that the athletes don’t even look like they are nervous or thinking too hard about what they are doing? The only way they get that good is by practicing for hours every day, over and over for years and years. Most of them started training when they were just kids.
They do the hard work and make the sacrifices because, to them, it is worth the time and effort to win the prize. The medal is the prize but really the prize is proving that they are the BEST in the world.
Look at this guy. He has just won a medal and is wearing the victory crown. That is a wreath made out of olive branches.
Now, you may be wondering what any of this has to do with the Apostle Paul. Did you know that the Olympic Games were started in Greece a long time before the Apostle Paul was even born.
Besides the Olympics there were a lot of games that took place in lots of cities. People back then loved sports like people today love football, soccer, baseball or cricket.
The Apostle Paul must have been to a lot of sporting events. He talks about training, boxing and running. He knows what he is talking about.
You Can Go for the Gold
Whenever I watch the Olympics it makes me wish I could do something that cool and get a prize that great.
Did you know that you can? In fact, you can get an even better prize.
After a while the fun of winning fades. People get where they can’t compete anymore. Things change.
But we can train and race and fight for a prize that will last longer than any Olympic medal and a prize that is better.
We do that by living a Christian life like the Apostle Paul did. We can train hard so that when it comes time to make a decision about doing right or wrong we won’t even have to stop to think; we will do what is right. If we train in God’s word and practice living for Him we can meet any challenge without having to stop and think (just like the Olympic athletes do in their sports).
So, as you watch the Olympics think about how you can train hard and win the crown!
Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air.
I Corinthians 9:25-26 (NIV)
Similarly, if anyone competes as an athlete, he does not receive the victor’s crown unless he competes according to the rules.
II Timothy 2:5 (NIV)
