Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it. Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air. But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified (1 Cor. 9:24-27).

In the film Overcomer, Hannah Scott is a cross-country athlete who transfers to a Christian school. There are a few problems, though. Firstly, the school has no cross-country team. Secondly, Hannah has asthma.

Asthma, you say? Yes, asthma. Due to some circumstances, the school starts a cross-country team–with Hannah as the only member. She trains and trains, and finally it’s time for the state championship. During the race, she gives her all, with the help of the voice of her dad in her ear (a pre-recorded message) coaching her through the course. She collapses as she crosses the finish line, but wins by a matter of inches. That story has much to say to us, but in this post, we’ll focus on the truths of the passage above, illustrated in the story.

We Are All Running the Race

All of us are running a race, both believers and unbelievers. It’s called the race of life. We are all striving for something. Some strive for fame, money, success, ministry, or a legacy. These wreaths or crowns are what Paul calls perhishable. At the end of life, these crowns will be gone. One cannot take them into eternity.

For the believer, however, our race is different. We strive for an imperishable crown. The crown that is awarded to the believer at the end of his life will last for eternity. Near the end of his life, Paul tells Timothy,

I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing (2 Tim. 4:7-8).

This is the crown that all believers will be given at the end of life. It is a crown based solely on God’s grace and the work of Christ.

The Rewards of the Believer

For the believer, there are more rewards that they will be given at the Judgment Seat of Christ. Paul tells us,

Let each one take care how he builds upon it. For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw— each one’s work will become manifest, for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done. If the work that anyone has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward. If anyone’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire (1 Cor. 3:10-15).

Notice here that we are all building. Some are building with precious things (those things that will last and pass the test), and some are building with cheap material (and that material will be consumed in the fire of testing). We should take care, then, how we build.

What does it mean to build with the things that will last? It means that we are building His kingdom, engaging in activities that will have an eternal impact. What is the one thing that will have an eternal impact? Making disciples. That is the command of every believer. We are to preach the gospel, and then call those that believe to a life of discipleship.

Giving Our All

Like Hannah Scott in the film, we are called to give our all for the race we run. Everything we do should be focused toward making disciples, accumulating those rewards that will stand the test of fire. And like Hannah Scott, we do not run alone. The Father has given the Holy Spirit to us to journey alongside us, encouraging, exhorting, and keeping us on the course. At the end, though we receive those crowns, they are not ours. Like the elders of Revelation 4, we too will cast our crowns at the feet of Him who loves us, saves us, and gave His life for us. He gave His all for us; may we give our all for Him.