Press On

By Susan Barnes, an Australian pastor’s wife

“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”. 1 Corinthians 9:25

I enjoy watching Grand Slam Tennis Tournaments on television, which is rather surprising since I’ve never played tennis. Yet I love to watch the determination of the players. They keep going when they aren’t playing well, when it is unbearably humid and even when they are injured. Time and time again I’ve watched players staring defeat in the face and yet they never give up. Sometimes they still lose the match, but sometimes their sheer persistence and determination wears down their opponent.

In this I see that these players were created in the image of the One who “set His face like flint” (Isaiah 50:7). In spite of the misunderstanding of his family, the misguided advice of his friends and the menace of his enemies, Jesus was determined to fulfill the purpose God had for His life.

While I feel inspired by watching the tennis, I also feel amazed that they put so much effort into something so temporal. Since we have the opportunity to put our efforts into things of eternal value how much more should we “press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me” (Philippians 3:12).

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