Get Truth Get Life

KEY TEXT: 1 Corinthians 9:24-25 (KJV) – “²⁴ Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain. ²⁵ And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible.”

“Paul presents the contrast between the chaplet of fading laurel received by the victor in the foot races, and the crown of immortal glory that will be given to him who runs with triumph the Christian race. “They do it,” he declares, “to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible.” To win a perishable prize, the Grecian runners spared themselves no toil or discipline. We are striving for a prize infinitely more valuable, even the crown of everlasting life. How much more careful should be our striving, how much more willing our sacrifice and self-denial!” – The Acts of the Apostles, Page 311.3, Ellen G. White.

1 Corinthians 9:24 tells us that we should not run aimlessly. Instead, we should run to attain a goal. That means we should have a goal. When we have a goal, we shall have more focus compared to when we do not have a goal. The people who compete in sports such as running are focused because they want to get the prize that is ahead of them.

There is a big difference between those who compete (as part of their career) and those who play sports for fun. Those who play sports for fun can wake up at any time of the day and play. They can choose to play or not. That is not the same case for those who play to obtain a prize. Those who play to obtain a prize wake up at a specific time that they naturally do not desire to wake up. They wake up very early and go through rigorous training. Since they have undergone rigorous training, the main competition is often too easy for them, and they are able to perform well in it.

1 Corinthians 9:25 says that the one who strives for the mastery is temperate in all things. The New King James Version says, “Anyone who competes for the prize is temperate in all things.” This clearly shows that self-control is a crucial and essential ingredient in becoming a master. If you are competing for the prize, you must make self-control your best friend. If you are competing for the prize and you want to achieve mastery, you cannot sleep for fifteen hours a day. You cannot eat or drink carelessly.

Athletes and sportspeople control their diet. Even as a student, you often end up sleeping in class when you eat too much. Therefore, you end up not understanding whatever the teacher is teaching. When you eat a lot, you may lose your desire to work as your digestive system becomes overburdened and you begin feeling dizzy. Many people sleep in church because of overeating. People fail to concentrate and comprehend things clearly because of overconsumption of food and drinks and consuming the wrong diet.

In Genesis 1:28, after God made man, He gave him a command and told him to be fruitful, multiply, replenish the earth, subdue it, and have dominion. In Luke 19:13, Jesus Christ said something similar when He said, “Occupy till I come.” We should note that after God made man, He gave him a command to do great things. This command was made before sin. It was made before man could gain the knowledge of good and evil. God told people to be fruitful. How much should they be fruitful? God set no limit for fruitfulness. Human beings are supposed to be as fruitful as possible.

In what areas are we supposed to be fruitful? Some people say that people are supposed to be fruitful in having many children. However, God did not specify. This lack of specification was intentional; it was not accidental. This means that people ought to be fruitful in every righteous thing that they do. God told people to multiply. Still, in His wisdom, He did not specify how much they were supposed to multiply. We ought to multiply as much as possible.

God told us to replenish the earth and subdue it. We ought to influence the entire earth, not leaving any area untouched. Sometimes, your life might end without you having achieved that goal. That is totally fine as long as you lived your entire life doing your best in every righteous act that you engaged in (Ecclesiastes 9:10). As the salt of the earth (Matthew 5:13) and as the light of the world (Matthew 5:14), we ought to have a righteous influence on as many people as we can on this earth.

God gifted each person with unique gifts, skills, talents, abilities, passions, and resources. One reason He did this was so that people may have a unique influence using what He has given them. While telling us to be fruitful, multiply, and replenish the earth, God also told us to subdue it. The original Hebrew word for “subdue” is kābash, which means to subdue, to bring into bondage, to bring under control, to conquer or make subject, to press down, or to tread upon. In other words, God called us to be leaders. God made us all unique so that we can all be leaders in our assignments. Everyone is born a leader. God made us to have dominion. We should be faithful stewards of everything He has bestowed on us.

After God gave Adam and Eve the command in Genesis 1:28, He proceeded to give them these commands:

Genesis 1:29 (KJV) –  ^“And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat.”

Genesis 2:16-17 (KJV) – “¹⁶ And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: ¹⁷ But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.”

Both commands were about diet. Both of them addressed what to eat. However, the command in Genesis 2:16–17 touched on self-control in diet. To make this explanation clearer, the command emphasized self-control in eating the right things. We can clearly see that the diet appointed to human beings before sin was a vegan (plant-based) diet. However, even within that vegan diet, God told man to avoid eating from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

The fruits of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil were not flesh foods; they were vegan, but God restricted Adam and Eve from eating them. The tree of life was next to the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, as both of them were in the middle of the garden. No physical border restricted the Eden couple from accessing the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. They were supposed to set boundaries around it in accordance with God’s command. In other words, they were supposed to exercise self-control.

No matter how good the fruits from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil looked, they were not supposed to eat them or touch them. They were not supposed to eat even a single fruit from that tree. They fell by eating only one fruit and brought the world into the mess that it is in right now, many years later. Engaging in even one iota of sin, no matter how small you think it is, can put you in a mess that you cannot imagine.

“In the epistle to the Hebrews is pointed out the single-hearted purpose that should characterize the Christian’s race for eternal life: “Let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith.” Hebrews 12:1, 2. Envy, malice, evil thinking, evilspeaking, covetousness—these are weights that the Christian must lay aside if he would run successfully the race for immortality. Every habit or practice that leads into sin and brings dishonor upon Christ must be put away, whatever the sacrifice. The blessing of heaven cannot attend any man in violating the eternal principles of right. One sin cherished is sufficient to work degradation of character and to mislead others.” – The Acts of the Apostles, Page 312.1, Ellen G. White.

God made this command easier because He gave them many other trees to eat from. To make matters better, the tree of life was next to the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. By giving Adam and Eve the commands concerning diet after giving them the command in Genesis 1:28, He was essentially telling them that, in order to fulfill the command in Genesis 1:28, they must be sure to keep the commands in Genesis 1:29 and Genesis 2:16–17. Diet is very important. Self-control is very important as well.

Before Jesus began His ministry, He fasted for forty days and forty nights in the wilderness. The first test He encountered after He had fasted that long was a test of diet and self-control. Jesus’ test was very difficult. He was very hungry (Matthew 4:2). He had not eaten anything for forty days and nights. He was tested by Satan himself and not by one of his messengers.

The three temptations of Jesus are detailed in Matthew 4:1–11 and Luke 4:1–13. In these two accounts, the order in which the second and third temptations appear is interchanged. We should note that the first temptation remains the same in both accounts. This should automatically tell us how significant that first temptation was and how highly important it was for Jesus Christ to resist it.

Deuteronomy 19:15 (KJ21) – “One witness shall not rise up against a man for any iniquity or for any sin, in any sin that he sinneth; at the mouth of two witnesses, or at the mouth of three witnesses, shall the matter be established.”

Matthew 18:16 (KJ21) – “But if he will not hear thee, then take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.”

2 Corinthians 13:1 (KJ21) – “This is the third time I am coming to you. In the mouth of two or three witnesses shall every word be established.”

Having these three verses in mind (Deuteronomy 19:15, Matthew 18:16, and 2 Corinthians 13:1), if both accounts of the three subsequent temptations of Jesus Christ after His forty days and nights of fasting (Matthew 4:1–11; Luke 4:1–13) have the first temptation listed first, it shows that the first temptation is more established in terms of order (as being the first). It also shows that the lesson of self-control is extremely vital.

It was a lack of self-control that caused Satan to be brought down from heaven. He could not control himself and was not satisfied with his high-ranking God-given position. It was a lack of self-control that caused Adam and Eve to sin and to be driven out of their abundant garden in Eden. Jesus had to buy back the human race, which had fallen as a result of a lack of self-control, by exercising self-control.

Mark 9:33-35 (KJV) – “³³ And he came to Capernaum: and being in the house he asked them, What was it that ye disputed among yourselves by the way? ³⁴ But they held their peace: for by the way they had disputed among themselves, who should be the greatest. ³⁵ And he sat down, and called the twelve, and saith unto them, If any man desire to be first, the same shall be last of all, and servant of all.”

When the disciples of Jesus Christ argued over who was going to be the greatest, Jesus Christ told them that the one who was going to be the greatest was the one who was a servant to all and the least among all. Servanthood requires a lot of sacrifice. As a simple example, when you are serving people food, you need to wait until everyone else has eaten and is satisfied before you serve yourself.

Simon Sinek says, “Leaders eat last.” When serving people food, you should be aware that you may serve others and end up getting the bottom layer of the food (the lowest-quality food). Sometimes you may serve them and end up missing the food altogether. As a leader, you should be prepared to miss out on the good things that may come as a result of serving others. Such sacrifice requires a high level of self-control.

Romans 12:1 (KJV) – “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.”

For you to present your body as a living sacrifice, you must have self-control instilled in you by the Holy Spirit. It is only when you give sacrificially throughout the six days of the week that you are truly able to rest on the Sabbath.

Run, then—run with purpose burning in your bones and eternity set before your eyes.
Run not as one chasing fading applause, but as one drawn by an unfading crown.
Let discipline be your companion, self-control your shield, and obedience your steady breath.

For the race is not won in moments of glory, but in hidden hours of surrender.
In every choice restrained, in every desire mastered, in every act of faithful service—
You draw nearer to the prize that does not perish.

“As the winner reached the goal, the applause of the vast multitude of onlookers rent the air and awoke the echoes of the surrounding hills and mountains. In full view of the spectators, the judge presented him with the emblems of victory—a laurel crown and a palm branch to carry in his right hand. His praise was sung throughout the land; his parents received their share of honor; and even the city in which he lived was held in high esteem for having produced so great an athlete.” – The Acts of the Apostles, Page 310.3, Ellen G. White.

“In referring to these races as a figure of the Christian warfare, Paul emphasized the preparation necessary to the success of the contestants in the race—the preliminary discipline, the abstemious diet, the necessity for temperance. “Every man that striveth for the mastery,” he declared, “is temperate in all things.” The runners put aside every indulgence that would tend to weaken the physical powers, and by severe and continuous discipline trained their muscles to strength and endurance, that when the day of the contest should arrive, they might put the heaviest tax upon their powers. How much more important that the Christian, whose eternal interests are at stake, bring appetite and passion under subjection to reason and the will of God! Never must he allow his attention to be diverted by amusements, luxuries, or ease. All his habits and passions must be brought under the strictest discipline. Reason, enlightened by the teachings of God’s Word and guided by His Spirit, must hold the reins of control.” – The Acts of the Apostles, Page 311.1, Ellen G. White.

So offer your life as the runner offers his strength—fully, willingly, relentlessly.
Be fruitful without measure, faithful without weariness, steadfast without retreat.
And when the course is finished and the dust of striving settles,
May it be said that you did not merely run—

You ran to obtain… and laid hold of the incorruptible.

GOD BLESS YOU!

Prayer

Heavenly Father, teach me to run with purpose and not aimlessly. Help me to fix my eyes on the incorruptible crown and to strive with discipline and self-control. Strengthen me through Your Holy Spirit to lay aside every weight and every sin that hinders my race. Make me faithful in the hidden hours, temperate in all things, and willing to sacrifice for Your glory. May my life be a living sacrifice, and may I run in this race of life in such a way that I obtain. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Activity

Step 1: Identify the Prize
Write down one spiritual goal you want to pursue seriously (e.g., consistent prayer life, controlling appetite, overcoming a specific habit, being more servant-hearted).

Step 2: Remove One Weight
Identify one “weight” (Hebrews 12:1) that slows you down — this could be overeating, excessive screen time, laziness, negative thinking, or lack of discipline.
Commit to intentionally restraining it for 7 days.

Step 3: Practice Temperance Daily
Each day this week:

• Exercise self-control in one area of appetite (food, sleep, media, speech).
• Perform one act of servant leadership where you put someone else first.
• Spend at least 10 focused minutes in prayer or Scripture meditation.

Step 4: Reflect on Day 7
Ask yourself:

• Did discipline make me spiritually sharper?
• Did self-control increase my focus?
• Did I feel stronger in my “race”?

Write a short reflection on what you learned about running to obtain.

Author: Mark Alex   

BUY MY EBOOK: A FAITH FUELED LIFE: I RUN ON FAITH AND I’M NEVER RUNNING LOW

A FAITH FUELED LIFE: I RUN ON FAITH AND I’M NEVER RUNNING LOW (Amazon): https://amzn.to/4atSjuO

A FAITH FUELED LIFE: I RUN ON FAITH AND I’M NEVER RUNNING LOW (Google Play): https://bit.ly/4i9fXQp

Email: gettruthgetlife@gmail.com 

Phone Number: +254710633247   

My LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-alex-0b87a9109/

PayPal: gettruthgetlife@gmail.com  

Revolut: revolut.me/markalex92