In 1 Corinthians 9:25 (NRSV) the apostle Paul calls for us to train ourselves like athletes do. He writes, “Athletes exercise self-control in all things; they do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable one.”
What might that “self-control in all things” look like for us as Christians? I want to suggest that it is to bring yourself back each morning and throughout the day to the one all-important purpose or goal you have for your whole life. And just as an athlete stays focused on his or her goal to stay motivated and on tract, so with us. We must see to it that our life’s purpose increasingly governs our every decision and sheds light on what is worthy of our thoughts and time or not.
But if you are not increasingly discerning and fine-tuning what your all-important goal in life is, it seems to me that is like a ship out at sea without a rudder.
