With the Olympic Games currently dominating the television and talk of medals and podium positions in the air, I was reminded of this verse from 1 Corinthians 9:24-25: 

[24] Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. [25] Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever.

In the Olympic Games, athletes compete for medals and world titles that may then be reclaimed at the next games. They succeed for a time but eventually they are surpassed by new athletes with new skills.

Of course, this is not to say that a Gold medal at the Olympics is not an incredible achievement but it is nothing compared to the prize those who follow Jesus will receive in Heaven.

As such, surely we should be as dedicated as – if not more than – Olympic athletes attempting to get a gold medal in our pursuit of our reward in Heaven. This means dedicating time every day to improving our relationship with God, practicing prayer on a regular basis, and focusing all our efforts in whatever we are doing to be for the glory of God.

According to a study for the London 2012 Olympics, athletes dedicate 10,000 hours to preparing for the Olympic Games.

Unlike a runner training for an Olympic race, though, we do not need to spend all day every day solely preparing for our

reward from God. We can still go about our daily lives, with work or family life or studies, and use these seemingly unrelated things to prepare ourselves. We can be thankful to God, gracious to others and loving to all, in whatever it is we are doing.

1 Corinthians 10:31 tells us: So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.

If we use all our actions to glorify God, then we can achieve this Olympic level of commitment and dedication to running this race for God.