Trail Life Troop
NC-613
Devotional – Winning
Opening
- We learned today about sports and sportsmanship, now let’s see what the Bible says about competing.
- Read, or someone read the Teaching verse. FYI: The memory verse is further down
1 Corinthians 9:24 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.
Devotional
Big picture To win in life you need self-discipline.
- Q: Do you have a favorite sports team or sports player? Who is it? (Name yours as e.g.)
- Q: This year, how many teams in the NFL will win the Super Bowl? (Just one, repeat using any sports)
- The point is, it is hard to win. It’s hard be the best. Only a few people win in sports or win big in the world. Extreme effort can be required.
- The teaching verse is making a similar point. We need to focus hard work on being better Christians.
- Every day is an opportunity to love people a little better, to have a little more patience, or to be kinder.
- The apostle Paul in the teaching verse is saying to win in your pursuit of Godly living you need self-discipline just like what it takes to win in any sport. You must work hard to be better at anything you want to do well.
- Q: There is a prize every Christian is after. Do you know what that prize is? It’s for Jesus to tell you when you get to heaven, “Well done good and faithful servant!” That’s the prize every Christian is after. To hear Jesus tell you those words.
- It means that you lived your life here on earth to the best of your God-given ability. You lived your life like Jesus did. You served Him faithfully. You ran a good race, the race of life.
- Everyone is running their own race of life. Everyone’s life looks different.
- But the sad thing is, though everyone is running, few ever win the prize. Meaning, few people will ever hear Jesus praise them for how they chose to live their life.
- That’s very sad, isn’t it? All of us Christians striving to live our lives but not receiving the prize we could.
- The apostle Paul says, run your race of life so that you DO get the prize. Don’t miss out on winning the greatest prize you could ever imagine, knowing Jesus as a close friend.
- But it is hard to win the prize. Being a good Christian is hard. It takes lots of self-discipline. But it is so worth it. Your eternal home in Heaven depends on how you live your life here on earth.
- So, work hard, run your race well, live your life with self-discipline to get your prize.
- It’s your life. It’s your choice. Run well!
Memory Verse #2
Ask if anybody knows it yet and can say it? Read it together 2X Consider having a memory verse pamphlet for kids take home.
Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Topical Questions
- Jesus is our example of running the race God set before Him. How well did He run His race?
Look around you. Every single one of you is running your own race God has given you to run.
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What does it mean to run your own race of life?
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The Bible says Jesus heard God say to Him, “I AM well pleased with You!” Is this something you want too?
Closing Prayer
Dear Father God, give us strength and courage to work hard and be self-disciplined in how we run the race You have marked out for each of us. We thank You that You are a loving God who will certainly give us a prize at the end or our life's race if we just do what You ask us to do. The prize is certain. Your love is certain. It's up to us if we will choose to live our life to get Your prize. In Jesus’s name we pray. Amen!
