Rev. Reed Lee Pedersen's
I have been running a lot lately which had my mind wonder to this passage from Paul’s 1st letter to the Corinthians: “ Do you not know that in a race the runners all compete, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win it. Athletes exercise self-control in all things; they do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable one. So I do not run aimlessly, nor do I box as though beating the air; but I punish my body and enslave it, so that after proclaiming to others I myself should not be disqualified.” (1 Cor. 9:24-27) Now this kind of passage could lead someone right down a hole where we “earn” God’s grace. Instead, I feel this text has a theme of keeping your eyes on the prize. What is the prize? In the Christian arena the imperishable prize we receive freely from God is Jesus Christ who died for us so that we may be forgiven and have eternal life. That is the prize that enlightens, uplifts, and shows us the truth that we are a forgiven people because of what God did for us. So what do I mean when I say keep your eyes on the prize? Keep your eyes on that grace of God (prize) which has been bestowed upon every human being. It is that prize which drives us to share it and share in it. That means we spread this message of grace through word and deed by praising God and loving those God uplifts (the poor, orphan, alien, stranger, widow). When you keep your eyes on the prize you may find people in your life both far and near who need help. That help is an opportunity for you to share God’s love with another human being. Paul also wrote this to the Philippians: “I press on toward the goal for the prize of the heavenly call of God in Christ Jesus.” (Phil. 3:14) Our primary and imperishable prize is Jesus Christ. When we do not take our eye off that prize we might stumble upon another secondary prize: an opportunity to help someone. God’s love is real and it is very easy to share. My plea this week is that all of us KEEP OUR EYES ON THE PRIZE! Points to ponder:
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AuthorPastor Reed is a first call pastor at Augustana Lutheran Church in Andover, Illinois. Archives
July 2019
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