1 Corinthians 9:24-27 (NLT) 9:24 Don’t you realize that in a race everyone runs, but only one person gets the prize? So run to win! 25 All athletes are disciplined in their training. They do it to win a prize that will fade away, but we do it for an eternal prize. 26 So I run with purpose in every step. I am not just shadowboxing. 27 I discipline my body like an athlete, training it to do what it should. Otherwise, I fear that after preaching to others I myself might be disqualified.

As a kid our house was backed up against a mountain. Whereas some kids had a small yard to play in – we had the whole mountain. It was interesting, during the spring of every year – the local High School track team would bring the team in the afternoons to practice running up and down the mountain. My brother and myself, although smaller and younger would run with them for the fun of it. What really struck me though was what they did in training every day – they would tie weights on their ankles to give them more resistance in running, the idea being that this discipline would enable them to run faster when competing against other schools.
This passage teaches us about the disciplines of the Christian life. We are to be like an athlete in training every day for the sake of Christ. There are too many people being disqualified out there in the Christian race. As an athlete trains and disciplines his body, we must do the same thing spiritually. It is too easy to become lax about these disciplines and later find out that we are not fit for the race. We must train in order to win. We must keep the prize and goal in mind and not give up because of the obstacles that come our way. The reward is a great reward to those who continue in the race on a daily basis.