Together - Daily DevotionalSample

Spiritual Athletes

Reading: 1 Cor.9:24-27

Key Verse: “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 for a crown that will last forever.” verse 25

It is said that, “practice makes perfect”. That may not be entirely true but regular practice certainly makes better! The great South African golfer Gary Player once said, “The more I practice, the luckier I get.” 

As I became older, my strength and stamina definitely declined so I decided to jog around the local streets. One day I was running past some shops in the dark and noticed another jogger on the other side of the road. I waved at him and he waved back but he looked overweight, exhausted and red in the face. I thought, “if I looked like him I wouldn’t dare run in public”. I then realised the other jogger was a reflection of myself in a shop window!

Yet I noticed that as I continued to exercise, my fitness levels gradually improved and I could do things which were previously impossible! In the Passion Translation yesterday’s key verse 1 Tim.4:8 reads, “athletic training only benefits you for a short season, but righteousness brings lasting benefit.” Spiritual fitness is likened to athletic training. Athletes in the games trained daily to achieve peak fitness. As we regularly take time and trouble to keep ourselves spiritually fit we will do things previously impossible!

Prayer: Lord, I ask for You to coach me to spiritual fitness