Many churches throughout the world use a Bible reading schedule called a "lectionary." It's just a fancy word meaning "selected readings." Posts like this reflect on the readings for an upcoming Sunday or other Church holiday, as found in the historic one-year lectionary.
Our Epistle reading this week, from 1 Corinthians 9:24-10:5, has a fairly abrupt theme change in the middle. 9:24-27 is largely about the discipline we use when running the race for Christ. 10:1-5 speaks of how God preserved his people, Israel, through the wilderness. At first glance, the ideas seem unrelated. However, just as one winner and maybe a few other leaders emerge in a race, so in the people of Israel, only a few who began the journey from Egypt actually arrived in Canaan.
Those who run the race of life trusting in Jesus though they may not end up at the front of the contenders, will all make it to the end of the race. Jesus will bring His people through. They will not be disqualified because they have been trusting Jesus.
This race of life, we almost cannot help but notice, includes being baptized into Moses, passing through the water, and eating and drinking from Christ who follows his people. This is a sacramental message for us. God in Christ baptizes us and uses us to show the eternal life we also pursue. In Christ, then, we run the life, chasing victory, led by our Savior.
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