Olympic Training

  Now that the Olympics are upon us we are inspired by the Olympians' dedication to training and competing in their chosen sport.  They train and compete for years in preparation for World Championships and Olympic gold.  They maintain a proper diet, a tough mindset and practice, practice, practice.

  Perhaps St. Paul was something of an athlete too because he used many sports metaphors in his letters.  He wanted to encourage people to keep going on, moving forward, never giving up.  Paul said, "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" (1 Corinthians 9:24-25).

  What type of training do God's people need in order to keep living the Christian life?  Studying his word (the proper diet), praying (a tough mindset), and practice, practice, practice.

  For reflection:  Today let us feast on a word that leads to a proper mindset and takes a lot of practice.  "Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable - if anything is excellent or praiseworthy - think about such things" (Philippians 4:8).

  Let us pray.  For our prayer today, find in a quiet place, a comfortable position, and soak in the love of God.

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