One of the ten unshakeable truths of the prayer covenant is Commitment. Paul’s passage found in I Corinthians 9:24 provides a great analogy. It reads, Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. 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 someone running aimlessly; I do not fight like a boxer beating the air. No, I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.
The Race Described by Paul
Paul was referring to something called the Isthmian Games from ancient Greece. Greeks, in honor of the sea god, Poseidon, would hold athletic competitions every two years in the Spring on the Isthmus of Corinth. The winners would receive a wreath to wear on their head.
Paul’s analogy helps readers understand the focus, determination and discipline needed to run well and win the most important prize of all, one that Jesus will one day reward to those who are committed to faithfully following Him.
The Example of Eric Liddell
Another great example we find in Eric Liddell, a missionary and an Olympic Gold medal runner in Scotland in the 1920s. He was born in China where his parents were missionaries. He received his education in England and also lived in Scotland, where he played rugby when attending Edinburgh University. It was there he trained to run in the Olympics. Eric’s life was an example of unwavering commitment to Jesus. Everything he did, he did for the glory of God—even his running. His inspiring story was captured in 1981 in the movie Chariots of Fire. The film won four Academy Awards including Best Picture. Eric’s famous quote still inspires many today, “God made me fast. And when I run, I feel his pleasure.”
He authored The Disciplines of the Christian Life while in a Japanese prison camp in China. He had later returned to China to minister and remained there even after the British government warned that British nationals should consider returning to England for safety reasons. Although his wife and daughters left, Eric remained with his brother during the Japanese invasion and died in the prison camp in 1945.
Eric Liddell understood commitment at all costs. He followed Jesus in life and in death. He wrote, “As Christians, I challenge you. Have a great aim—have a high standard—make Jesus your ideal…make Him an ideal not merely to be admired but also to be followed.”
