Three Spiritual Lessons to Keep You in the Race

CURRENT TEACHING SERIES Daring Faith

Three Spiritual Lessons to Keep You in the Race By Rick Warren — Jan 13, 2016 “In a race everyone runs, but only one person gets first prize. So run your race to win. To win the contest you must deny yourselves many things that would keep you from doing your best. An athlete goes to all this trouble just to win a blue ribbon or a silver cup, but we do it for a heavenly reward that never disappears. So I run straight to the goal with purpose in every step. I fight to win.” (1 Corinthians 9:24-26 TLB) Did you know that you’re in a race? The Bible says in 1 Corinthians 9:24-26, “In a race everyone runs, but only one person gets first prize. So run your race to win. To win the contest you must deny yourselves many things that would keep you from doing your best. An athlete goes to all this trouble just to win a blue ribbon or a silver cup, but we do it for a heavenly reward that never disappears. So I run straight to the goal with purpose in every step. I fight to win” (TLB). While you’re running your race, I don’t want you to get sidelined. I don’t want you to get run off into a ditch. I want you to make it to the finish line and win the prize. Just like the soldier, the athlete has three things to teach us about being the best we can be. You must intend to win. This is the difference in being a casual Christian and a committed Christian. Is there a difference between a competitive golfer and a casual golfer? Oh yeah. The committed golfer takes it seriously. He’s playing to win. The casual golfer is just having fun during his time off. The difference is the degree of seriousness. If you’re going to win in life, it’s got to be intentional. It’s not going to happen by accident or without effort. How serious are you about being who God made you to be? You must discipline yourself. No athlete becomes a pro athlete without training. You don’t become great by doing whatever you feel like doing. There are no shortcuts to maturity. There are no shortcuts to greatness. What are some things you can do without so you can spend more time with God, give more to God, serve more, and be more of what God wants you to be? You must stay focused on the reward. You can handle enormous pain and discipline in your life if you realize there’s a purpose for it and that there’s going to be a payoff at the end. The Bible says in Hebrews 12:2, “Keep your eyes on Jesus, who both began and finished this race we’re in. Study how he did it. Because he never lost sight of where he was headed — that exhilarating finish in and with God — he could put up with anything along the way: Cross, shame, whatever. And now he’s there, in the place of honor, right alongside God” (MSG). PLAY today’s audio teaching from Pastor Rick >> Talk It Over Would the people you work with call you a committed or casual Christian? Why? In what areas of your life do you need to become more disciplined? What are some practical ways you can “keep your eyes on Jesus?” Our Gift: Daring Faith Study Kit Do you want God to do miracles in your life? In this series, Pastor Rick shares why faith is the key to miracles and challenges you to grow and be stretched in your faith so that you can experience God’s blessing, spiritual maturity, answered prayers, and even miracles. LEARN MORE Complete Audio Series (Purchase) Includes all complete sermons from the Rick Warren Daring Faith teaching series. LEARN MORE Series Summary Message 1: What Happens When You Have Faith Message 2: ​​​​​How to Get Ready for a Miracle Message 3: Daring to Believe Message 4: Daring to Imagine Message 5: Daring to Give God My Best Message 6: Daring to Plant in Faith Message 7: Daring to Commit Message 8: Daring to Be Generous Message 9: Daring to Wait on God Message 10: Daring to Go In Faith PLAY TODAY'S BROADCAST

Pastor Rick Warren

Enjoy today's Devotional? Listen instantly to the full radio message at Daily Hope Radio. Did someone forward this devotional to you? Subscribe to Pastor Rick Warren's Daily Devotional. This devotional is based on the current Daily Hope radio series at rickwarren.org. Rick Warren has helped people live with hope and on purpose for more than 40 years. He’s the founding pastor of Saddleback Church in Southern California and author of several books, including "The Purpose Driven Church" and "The Purpose Driven Life," read by more than 100 million people in 137 languages. He created the PEACE Plan (plant churches of reconciliation, equip servant leaders, assist the poor, care for the sick, educate the next generation), which is used by churches in 196 countries. His radio teaching and daily devotional, Daily Hope, is offered across America. This devotional © 2015 by Rick Warren. All rights reserved. Used by permission. You can unsubscribe at any time by changing your e-mail preferences. Update your preferences  |  Unsubscribe