1 Corinthians 9:24-27

Paul ran the race well 1 Corinthians 9:24-27: Paul understood that there was a race to run or a fight to win. In this section of scripture he gave a second reason for practicing self-restraint. The first reason had to do with the saving of the other person. This reason has to do with the saving of ourselves. If we misuse our spiritual rights we could end up "disqualified." Paul pictured life as a race where we each need to learn self discipline. People run races on earth to win a perishable prize. Christians run to obtain an imperishable one, a prize that endures for eternity. The desire of Paul was to run in such a way as to be pleasing to God. He was always ready to give up his freedoms if they interfered with him being able to do what was best for the cause of Christ.

Paul did not want to become a "cast away." He knew that it was possible to be disqualified. This is what motivated him to press on in his work and it also motivated him to sacrifice his rights to save others. Our aim like him should always be to see how much of our life we can give over to God. Paul gave up his liberty in Christ in order to help others and to avoid disqualification. It is much better for a strong Christian to limit his liberty than to cause his weak brother to stumble. There are times when it might be wrong to do what is right. You can not hurt another person spiritually by doing something that is right within itself, like eating meat offered to idols. "Winning the spiritual race doesn't depend upon how fast you run. It is determined by HOW you run."