Personal Olympics — Part 2 Today's Three-minute Bible Study Print, Study and Apply Title: Personal Olympics — Part 2-------------------------------- Date: 9/19/2000 Keywords: "commitment" "gold" "motivation"   "prize" Welcome to eXXit, the web site designed to help you stand strong in the face of sexual temptation. Passage: 1 Corinthians 9:24-27* 24. Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win. 25. And everyone who competes in the games exercises self-control in all things. They then do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. 26. Therefore I run in such a way, as not without aim; I box in such a way, as not beating the air; 27. but I buffet my body and make it my slave, lest possibly, after I have preached to others, I myself should be disqualified. Question Do you ever feel like you lack the discipline and commitment needed to resist porn?   Practical help If you tune in to any of the Olympic coverage you're bound to hear a story or two about the incredible commitment a world class athlete makes to get a crack at Olympic competition. In fact, the incredible commitment stories are so blasé that they have to find an athlete who demonstrated that commitment under extraordinarily difficult circumstances. You hear these stories and think "What gives them that depth of commitment?" The Apostle Paul gives some clues in today's passage. He compares the motivation of a disciplined athlete with what motivates a believer. Updating it a little, the world class athlete makes that incredible commitment to attain a little gold plated disc you can hang on the wall. The medal itself is not particularly valuable, but what it symbolizes is priceless to the athlete. Yet, like the athlete's own body, that achievement is mortal, probably to be outshined by another athlete in four years or so. Then Paul moves to the believer. If athletes are committed to something perishable, can you imagine the level of commitment believers can muster when, as Christians, they are guaranteed an imperishable prize? If you're not sure you've received that imperishable prize, click here. Why not face that next temptation to surf to a porn site with a new sense of commitment? You can know that your ability to resist is based on a victory that's already been won. And that victory is more precious than gold. eXXit homepage Index of three-minute studies Copyright 2000 by eXXit *"Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®, © Copyright The Lockman Foundation 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995. Used by permission."