The six o'clock service is a bit shorter but we still read two passages. Tonight we read from 1 Corinthians 9:24-27 in the New Testament. The apostle Paul ( one of Jesus' followers) is the author of this section which are essentially letters that he wrote to the Corinthians a people who lived in Corinth. a thriving city a dominant commercial center ( like New York) as early as the 8th Century B.C. Paul was concerned about the problems that the church was having here and wrote these letters to help sort things out.
In Corinthians 9:24-27, as Andrew Mullins pointed out to me Paul draws a parallel between the preparations that a professional athlete must endure, both physically and mentally to secure a "material prize" and the spiritual preparations required to secure one's faith. I love the part that says ,"So I do not run aimlessly, not do I box as though bearing the air; but I punish my body and enslave it, so that after proclaiming to other I myself should not be disqualified".
Paul is talking about the self discipline that is required as part of one's faith and that really struck me. I didn't just knell and pray and attend services. I joined bible class, I applied myself, I thought about the relationship I wanted with God and I think I'll forever continue to do so. Faith for me was something I had to work at and I think this is what Paul is getting at. Believing is one thing but being an active participant in faith is quite another.
How can you participate in your faith this week?
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