Living On Purpose

(by guest blogger: David Cady)

(Read 1 Corinthians 9:24-27)

Last week, I bought a six-pack at the grocery store. Now that I have your attention, let me clarify—it was a six-pack of yogurt! After bringing it home, I placed the yogurt containers inside the refrigerator. The next day, my wife, Amy, asked me why all six of the yogurt containers were opened—not eaten, just opened. Immediately, I thought of our six year-old son, Clay. No doubt he had been searching for a specific flavor and opened them all until he found the one he wanted. In my investigative questioning of my son he denied any wrong doing. I believed him.      MORE

I moved on to my eleven year-old son, Luke, and asked him if he had done this. Sheepishly, he admitted that he had indeed peeled back the lids of all six yogurts. He then explained that the cardboard container which held the yogurts indicated that their might possibly be a $5 prize underneath one of the lids, so he proceeded to open them all in order to find the prize! Luke did not find the prize, but he did provide me with a great illustration for today’s reading.

In 1 Corinthians 9:24-27, the Apostle Paul compares our faith journey with the ancient Isthmian Games held in Corinth. Competitors would train for the Games and the winners of various competitions received leafy wreaths which they wore as crowns. Likewise, Paul says that Christ-followers live in such a way as to gain a crown that will last forever—our salvation. In verse 26, we are challenged to live with a specific aim in mind—to get the prize. We are called to live on purpose—with specificity and intentionality—not “running aimlessly.”

You and I do not have to blindly “peel back the lids” of our faith hoping to win the prize. We don’t have to wander without direction—wondering if God really does love us and have a plan for our lives. Christ-followers don’t have to speculate if there is a path for us to follow. By making Christ the Redeemer and Leader of lives, we can live on purpose. Because Christ is the Path we follow, we can discover a depth of intentionality in our lives. We can know that each step we take in following Christ leads us closer to the prize. Will you “run aimlessly” today or will you live on purpose?