completion — Blog — KEN D. MILLER

24 Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it. 25 Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. 26 So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air. 27 But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified. – 1 Corinthians 9:24-27 ESV

The Christian life is not a competition. It does not pit one believer against another in some kind of race for spiritual supremacy or religious recognition. Christians are not to compare themselves with one another to prove that they are somehow more spiritually superior or further along in their faith. So, Paul’s words in these closing verses of chapter nine are not intended to encourage a spirit of competition between brothers and sisters in Christ. Instead, he is calling believers to strive in the “race” of life. But his emphasis is on completion, not competition.

Paul wants the Corinthians to live their lives with purpose, keeping the ultimate goal of their salvation in mind. It was the way he lived his own life and the reason he told Timothy, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing” (2 Timothy 4:7-8 ESV).

Paul knew there was more to existence than his earthly, temporal life. He had a strong sense of the eternal and lived with the constant awareness that his days on earth were numbered. The older he got, the more he realized the end of his earthly existence was drawing closer. He even told Timothy, “The time of my departure has come” (2 Timothy 4:6 ESV). He knew that he would die one day and be called to stand before God, where his efforts at running the race on this earth would be judged and rewarded. So as long as he drew breath, he ran with purpose, with his eyes on the ultimate goal. He wanted to finish the race well and was unconcerned about whether he came in first or last place. He simply wanted to give his all for the cause of Christ.

When Paul talks about “the prize”, he is referring to the award given to the victor who participated in the Greek games. It was typically a crown of garlands, but Paul is using the word metaphorically to refer to our heavenly prize: eternal life. It is the same word he used when writing to the Philippian believers.

But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. –Philippians 3:13-14 ESV

The goal of our existence is eternal in nature and is not about earthly superiority, comfort, convenience, pleasure, recognition, or temporal rewards. Our reward doesn’t come in this life; it is reserved for the life to come. We may experience God’s blessings here, but the best is yet to come. So, Paul tells us to run with our eyes fixed on the prize, keeping the proper goal in mind.

This requires self-discipline and a determination not to let yourself be distracted or deterred from your goal. It requires training and persistent practice. Again, Paul encouraged his young protégé, Timothy, to remain committed to the cause of Christ.

Endure suffering along with me, as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. Soldiers don’t get tied up in the affairs of civilian life, for then they cannot please the officer who enlisted them. And athletes cannot win the prize unless they follow the rules. – 2 Timothy 2:3-5 NLT

We have to stay focused because distractions are a constant threat to those of us who are running the race of life as believers. The world would have us pursue other goals and tempt us with different finish lines. We could easily make our lives all about success or significance. We could spend all our time pursuing pleasure and prosperity. We could be driven to win the prize of temporal happiness rather than eternal joy. So Paul tells us to run purposefully, not aimlessly. He encourages us to remain committed to crossing the finish line that God has set for us. The author of Hebrews gives us similar words of encouragement.

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. – Hebrews 12:1 NLT

Competitive runners have every right to eat what they want. After all, they expend far more calories than the average person. And because they put so much stress and strain on their bodies, they have the right to sleep in and take it easy. But the most dedicated and determined runners don’t do those things. Instead, they discipline their bodies and forego their rights so that they may gain the prize. To achieve victory, they give up their temporal desires, and that is how it should be with us as believers. We should never let our earthly rights and privileges get in the way of the pursuit of our eternal reward. And because our life on this earth is to be done in the context of community, we are to run the race collectively, not independently.

Paul wanted all the Corinthians to finish strong. He was their coach and cheerleader, running alongside them, urging them on, and keeping them focused on the prize. We are to do the same for one another.

This mindset was demonstrated at the 2016 Summer Olympic Games in Brazil. During one of the longer races in the track and field competition, two young ladies were inadvertently tripped up as all the competitors jockeyed for position. They both fell to the track, ending their hopes of advancing to the next round of competition. But then, in a demonstration of sportsmanship, one of the runners got up and reached down to help her fallen competitor get to her feet. Together, they made their way slowly and painfully around the track until they were able to cross the finish line together.

That is the picture that comes into my mind when I read these words from Paul. At some point, we have to focus our attention on completing rather than competing. We have to make it our aim to finish the race, whatever the cost, because the reward that awaits us is well worth the effort. But along the way, we need to care for those who are running at our side. We should desire to see them make it to the end as well.

Paul would have us run with endurance the race God has set before us, but never to run while ignoring all those who run beside us. Our obsession with crossing the finish line should never be at the expense of other believers who might need our encouragement and assistance along the way.

Father, sometimes we become so focused on the prize that we forget that we need to run the race to receive it. We know that our eternal salvation has been paid for by Christ and is guaranteed by God the Father. But that assurance of salvation can lead to apathy and spiritual laziness in this life. I think that is why Paul stresses the idea of running the race. It is not that I have to earn or win my salvation; that was taken care of by Christ. But I can’t afford to rest on my laurels and live as if there is nothing more for me to do. Paul is calling me to a life marked by determination and a commitment to honor Christ in all that I do. Eternity is the prize and it awaits me at the end of my life. But I want to live like the prize matters. I want it to motivate and determine my actions and attitudes. Help me to run hard and finish well. But never let me ignore all those who are running alongside me in the race of life. Amen

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

She

1 On my bed by night
I sought him whom my soul loves;
    I sought him, but found him not.
2 I will rise now and go about the city,
    in the streets and in the squares;
I will seek him whom my soul loves.
    I sought him, but found him not.
3 The watchmen found me
    as they went about in the city.
“Have you seen him whom my soul loves?”
4 Scarcely had I passed them
    when I found him whom my soul loves.
I held him, and would not let him go
    until I had brought him into my mother’s house,
    and into the chamber of her who conceived me.
5 I adjure you, O daughters of Jerusalem,
    by the gazelles or the does of the field,
that you not stir up or awaken love
    until it pleases.” – Song of Solomon 3:1-5 ESV

As stated earlier, the language of this poem sometimes makes it difficult to discern a timeline or logical sequential order in the dialogue. The opening verses of chapter three have the maiden disclosing the content of a recent dream that had turned into a nightmare. Even in her subconscious state, she can’t get the image of her lover out of her mind. But in her dream, she found herself searching everywhere for the love of her life but to no avail. She even imagined getting out of bed and wandering the streets of the city in the middle of the night. One can almost see this young maiden, still dressed in her nightgown, oil lamp in hand, searching through the darkened alleyways of her hometown in a desperate attempt to locate the one whom her soul loves.

In her dream, she had waited with eager anticipation, hoping that her lover would show up but the hours passed and he remained a no-show. It was his failure to appear that prompted her desperate nocturnal search-and-rescue mission. She looked high and low but to no avail; he was nowhere to be found. At one point, she imagined herself coming across the nightwatchmen as they made their rounds. These men, surprised to find a young maiden out by herself in the middle of the night, must have questioned her sanity and intentions, but she is more interested in whether they solve the riddle of her missing lover.

A Freudian psychologist would have a field day with this dream. They would probably assess that this woman has a pathological attachment to this young man that is producing an unhealthy co-dependence. She can’t live without him and she can’t get him out of her mind. Their diagnosis might include some form of obsessive-compulsive behavior.

But the truth is, she is simply deeply in love and can’t imagine life without this young man. She desperately wants to be married and can’t wait until the day when he pops the question, they set the date, and the long-awaited day arrives. In her dream, she compresses the timeline and takes matters into her own hands, by locating her long-lost lover, taking him by the hand, and leading him to the nearest bed, which just happens to be the one on which she was conceived. This young virgin shares the intimate details of her dream, as she describes taking her lover to bed.

The bluntness of her language makes us a bit uncomfortable and could leave us with the impression that this young lady has a lust problem. But the content of her dream only illustrates the longing of her heart. Her relationship with Solomon has moved well beyond puppy love. These are not two adolescents experiencing their first high school crush; they are soul mates who have determined their lives have been inextricably linked together for life. They have been divinely destined to be “one flesh” (Mark 10:8). The graphic and somewhat lurid content of the dream does not suggest that this couple had been intimately and immorally involved with one another, but it does make it clear that consummating their relationship was on her mind. She wanted to experience everything that marriage had to offer, and her honest admission that she dreamed of sexual intimacy with her lover should not be taken as a moral indiscretion but as a barometer of the depth of her love. She was more than ready and willing to give herself to her lover but would hold those passions in check until their wedding night.

She even caps the recounting of her dream with its steamy conclusion by encouraging her fellow maidens to keep their physical desires under control and “not to awaken love until the time is right” (Song of Solomon 3:5 NLT). Her dream revealed her heart’s desire but she was not going to let her passions get the best of her. She couldn’t control her sub-conscious dreams but, in real life, she was committed to maintaining her purity and protecting the sanctity of the marriage bed. While she lived long before the Book of Hebrews was written, she would have agreed wholeheartedly with its warning.

Let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the marriage bed be undefiled, for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterous. – Hebrews 13:4 ESV

One must not forget that this is a book of poetry that chronicles the love between a man and a woman. It is meant to be intimate and uncomfortably revealing. There is a certain sense in which the reader is meant to feel a bit awkward as if they are intruding on the private conversations of two lovers. But the intent of the poem is not to embarrass or produce guilt but to showcase the amazing nature of the God-ordained love between a man and a woman.

It’s interesting to note that Solomon, long after penning the content of this book, wrote another book entitled Ecclesiastes. It was written very late in his life after he had amassed great wealth, world renown, and all the comforts that can come with life. He was wise and incredibly well-off, but he lacked any sense of joy, peace, or contentment. He had spent his entire adult life searching for significance and satisfaction but could only conclude, “I have seen everything that is done under the sun, and behold, all is vanity and a striving after wind” (Ecclesiastes 1:14 ESV). By this point in his life, he had accumulated all kinds of treasures, including 700 wives and 300 concubines, but nothing brought him satisfaction. Sex had long ago replaced love as a driving factor in his life. He sadly confessed, “whatever my eyes desired I did not keep from them. I kept my heart from no pleasure” (Ecclesiastes 2:10 ESV).

Later in this same book, Solomon seems to reminisce about the days when he found satisfaction and significance in the arms of his young maiden. Those had been simpler days when two was more than enough.

Two people are better off than one, for they can help each other succeed. If one person falls, the other can reach out and help. But someone who falls alone is in real trouble. Likewise, two people lying close together can keep each other warm. But how can one be warm alone? A person standing alone can be attacked and defeated, but two can stand back-to-back and conquer. – Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 NLT

All the treasures of the world cannot replace or replicate the God-ordained love between a man and a woman. Marriage was God’s idea from the beginning. In the garden, God declared His intentions for the indissoluble union between a man and a woman.

“Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.” – Genesis 2:24 ESV

The young maiden dreamed of the day when she and Solomon could consummate their love and solidify their union. She knew she had to wait and do things according to God’s divine will but that did not remove the desire or diminish her longings for all that God had in store for them. The marriage was a gift from God and she couldn’t wait to open it.

Completion, Not Competition, Is the Goal

Well Worth the Wait