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 a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize. – 1 Corinthians 9:24-27 (NIV)
A man went into a shoe repair store in his hometown that he had not been in for almost twenty years. He found everything just the way he remembered it. He went up to the counter and asked the man about a pair of shoes that he had left there for heel repair almost 20 years ago. “One minute, I’ll check.” replied the man. A few minutes later, the repair man came back. “Well?” asked the man. The reply came. “They’ll be ready Tuesday.”
Lazy, right?? This is in contrast to a life lived for God. The victorious life God wants for you will require commitment, more commitment , and then recommitment. Maybe because we live in a culture that regularly tries to “sell us” on the fact that if we buy their product, use their diet plan, or join their club, we think our problems will be over and we will have a wonderful life. I know scores of diet plans that work… I just don’t want to work them! It is not the plan or the product that is magic. It is the determined spirit that commits to victory, and one that has to recommit regularly. Seeing God win victories in our lives and families will require us to regularly to recommit to His ways. You don’t just do it one time. Like reading the Bible, praying, being a part of a local congregation, or serving. These are things that we commit to do and we must keep committing to doing them. It is like taking a bath, you do it over and over again…..”Oh yeah, I read my Bible and prayed a couple of months ago.” “Sure, I was at church at Easter.” Man, you need a bath!
The apostle Paul was a man who knew and practiced recommitment.
Rejoice always; pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. – 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 (NASB95)
If we want the victorious life that Jesus promised, there are things we will have to ALWAYS do, things we will have to do WITHOUT CEASING. These are things we will have to do not just occasionally, but IN EVERYTHING and ALL THE TIME.
In our grandparents’ day, quitting was considered disgraceful, but today it is often praised. I hate it.
A recent billboard advertisement for the law firm Fetman, Garland & Associates targeted young, wealthy, married couples of Chicago’s Gold Coast neighborhood. Its message was simple: “Life’s short. Get a divorce.” On either side of the words were sexually-charged images of a man and a woman.
A city alderman had the billboard removed after just one week, citing a technical reason—the firm had not filed the proper paperwork with the city.
With its many bars, restaurants, and dance clubs, the Gold Coast is a popular party spot, making it a prime location for the law firm to broadcast its services. In an interview, Corri Fetman said the sign “was supposed to be lighthearted … thought provoking … not boring like law firm advertising is.” She insisted it was not created to trivialize marriage. In her mind, the ad was “no different than any motivational book that says live your best life.” The firm is already using the advertisement elsewhere in other unconventional ways (posting it on the sides of trucks paid to trawl the neighborhoods).
Some agreed with the philosophy of the sign. On an ABCNEWS.com message board, one reader wrote: “I love it. Kudos to the firm and the marketing idea! As an attorney, I am not at all offended by this billboard. Frankly, I find it refreshingly honest and insightful. Hey, it’s true—if people are unhappy, there are plenty of options out there—get a divorce and get on with your life.”
Another ABCNEWS.com reader had an entirely different view: “For those that [think] this is clever or humorous, how about placing a 5-year-old girl and an 8-year-old boy in the background, clutching daddy as he is leaving the house?” [Associated Press, “‘Life’s Short, Get a Divorce’ Law Firm Ad Causes a Stir in Chicago Neighborhood,” FoxNews.com (5-4-07) and Jim Avila & Chris Francescani, “Billboard Jungle: Chicago Divorce Ad Comes Down]
Jesus said we Christians, are to be the light of the world… a city set on a hill. As Christians we must learn to crash through quitting places, to practice the art of recommitment-whether we feel like it or not. The victorious life we know God has for us does come with a price, but it is worth it.