By Not Known
The auspicious date is upon us and the Beijing Olympics will soon begin. We can
only imagine the flurry of last-minute preparations as organisers, venue staff,
coaches, athletes and a myriad of associated workers rushing to have everything
ready.
An Olympic medal is quite a prize. But for every winner there will be many more
that miss out. Again, we can expect that Olympic and world records will be
shattered in various sports. But, those records will be broken. The heroes of these
games are soon relegated to the museum of sport’ memorabilia.
The Apostle Paul was familiar with the ancient Greek games. He uses them as an
illustration of the Christian faith. There’s much for us to ponder here as we slump
in front of the TV and watch the grand events in Beijing:
- Our prize is not a medal that tarnishes but Christ himself and eternal life
(1 Cor 9:25; Phil 4: 14; 1 Tim 4:8 ; 2 Tim 4:8 ). - Only one gets the gold medal in each Beijing contest, but the prize of
Christ is there for all who finish (2 Tim 4:8). - Many Olympic events are won by shortest times, what matters with God is
that we finish the race of faith, not how long we take to get there (1 Tim 4:7). - While all games and races require disciplined determination, the Christian
presses on with spiritual disciplines leading to godliness (1 Tim 4:8). - As in a physical race, our past laps are relatively unimportant. What
matters is the next one. Thus the Christian stretches and strains ahead,
rather than pauses in self-congratulations (Phil 4:13).
Back to Beijing, What happens after the Games? Many Christian groups in China
report having to ‘put their heads down‘ during the Games. Let’s be prayerful that
these days soon end and that God’s people in China are even more free to speak of
Jesus who is the only Saviour for the Chinese and for all peoples (1 Tim 4: 10).
Let the Games begin – and let us all run God’s race well.