MORE ON TRAINING VERSUS TRYING

In 1 Corinthians 9:25 (GN) Paul makes an important statement, "Every athlete in training submits to strict discipline, in order to be crowned with a wreath that will not last; but we do it for one that will last forever."

Athletic competition was one of Paul’s favorite metaphors. If Paul had lived in 2009, I think he would have been a huge fan of ESPN's Sports Center. The guy drew on this metaphor several times in his letters to first century churches.

Athletic competition was popular in the first century. Corinth was the site of the Isthmian Games, which was second only to the Olympic Games. A person who wanted to compete in the Isthmian or Olympic games had to go into “strict training.” In fact, every athlete who entered the games was required to undergo ten months of strict training and could be disqualified for failing to complete the training!

Paul draws on this example in 1 Corinthians 9 and says, "Athletes train really hard because they want to win a race, win the fight or accomplish a goal... But we're doing something that has eternal significance... Train hard!"

Okay, here's the "bad word" we don't like when it comes to training - DISCIPLINES.

Football and Basketball coaches major on one thing. They call them “the fundamentals.” They drill their team in the basics of the game so that their team eventually develops an unconscious inclination that they defer to when the pressure's on and their in the game.

I love this definition for discipline: it's "any activity I can do by direct effort that will help me do what I can't do by direct effort."

Historically, believers have implemented a few core "spiritual disciplines" that anyone can do by "direct effort" that will help them do what they can't do by "direct effort."

For instance, spiritual disciplines like WORSHIP, PRAYER, SOLITUDE, BIBLE STUDY, FELLOWSHIP, etc. are spiritual disciplines anyone can do by DIRECT EFFORT that will help them do what they can't do by DIRECT EFFORT - TRANSFORM / GROW / CHANGE.

Training involves integrating disciplines like these into your life. Over time, training pays off. Change occurs. Transformation happens. We become more like Jesus.

The goal of training? The goal of spirituality is a growing a ability to love God and other people.

What to grow? Want to change? Want personal transformation to become a reality?

Why not try implementing some of these classic spiritual disciplines into your life? A couple of great books I've found especially helpful on the subject are as follows:

Celebration of Discipline
Richard Foster

The Life You've Always Wanted
John Ortberg

A Contrarian's Guide To Knowing God: Spirituality for the Rest of Us
Larry Osborne

Why not stop trying? Let's start training... Ready, set, GROW!