TO THE WINNER GOES THE REWARDS

2 Timothy 2: 5 And also if anyone competes in athletics, he is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules.

There is hardly a day that goes by we are not hearing about athletes who have been caught using drugs, or not behaving in a manner that the league they are in approves of. Most of us remember Pete Rose getting ousted for placing bets on his own players. All of us have heard of wrestlers and other players using steroids. Recently dogfights, and animal abuse have come to light.

They were not playing according to the rules and everything they had accomplished is thrown out. Now they are remembered not for the goals they made, the awards and records they set, they are known for the mistakes they made.

When we serve Christ, we have to play by His rules. There are no acceptations; there is forgiveness when we make a mistake. But we cannot change the rules to suit ourselves. The two that come to mind when I think of something like this is abortion and homosexuals.

You can say a woman’s body is her own business. Well that is a lie, when we give our life’s to Christ we become a part of Him. He said No to killing. You can say it is not a real person. That is a lie; the Bible tells us that God knew us before we were in the womb. God will forgive you, and I will tell you something else, there will be many babies in heaven, because all those children are there. But if you take the stand that it is okay, you are not playing by the rules.

Homosexuality is wrong, it is a sin. The Bible says it is wrong for men to turn after their own, and the same applies to women. Will God forgive you, yes He will. But if you take the stand that each to his own, and it is okay, then you are not playing by the rules.

God put those rules into affect for a reason. He created every one of us, and He knew that we needed rules, not just to please Him. No those rules were put in place to keep us safe, to protect us from harm, to guide us and strengthen us.

And if you don’t play by the rules, you do not get a crown. There are some things that coming into the family of Christ I had to pray about, things that I did not see a problem with. But as I grew closer to Him, I begin to see His reason behind the rules.

I would rather agree with God then agree with the world. Where do you stand? Are you playing by the rules? Will you get your crown, or will you not even be a memory.

God Bless,
rECj/LJG

SCRIPTURE FOR TODAY
1 Cr 9:25 And everyone who competes for the prize is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an imperishable crown.