Daily Reflection
September 11, 2026

Today’s readings are a gift to me. So many themes and golden nuggets, and the one that caught my attention was “I myself should be disqualified.”

How can Paul write that? And since he did write that, what chance do I have? That’s how I started out.

I can’t tell you the number of times I have taken part in something that has made me feel great, like eating well, exercising for several days, living without caffeine, waiting till after 2pm to eat the first meal of the day. At the peak of the experience, I know I’ll forget. I’ll drift back into my old ways.

I have an unshakable belief that we are a use-it-or-lose-it creature. Sit on the couch and lose the ability to run. Greedily refuse to share and lose generosity. Take the easy road and become soft. The brain literally rewires to become what we choose. I chose to stop using German. I spent a long, difficult year trying to learn German while in the Air Force. I did achieve a minimum amount of fluency, and today I can barely order a drink. I didn’t make a plan to walk away from the language. The problem was I didn’t make a plan to practice and keep the language. At the time, I was busy. I was strained trying to pay rent, build a career, and have some fun. I pursued comfort and ease.

I don’t have a plan to walk away from salvation. But do I have a plan to “drive my body and train it.” The english is too gentle. Maybe a better translation could be:

“I give my body a black eye and enslave it, so that under no circumstances will I—after calling others to the starting line—be tested by fire and found to be a counterfeit.”

I’ve learned that Paul is talking to people who think they have it made after being baptized. He’s using their love of sporting events as his metaphor. Paul’s preaching is the same as the role of one announcing the rules of the game and then participating in the game. Even after telling everyone how to run, he is wise to be diligent should he violate the rules and be disqualified.

Am I to be anxious and afraid? No. Am I to be a realist and remember how I can drift? Do I believe I have free will, and I can choose to drift to comfort and ease in a world without God? Even at the peak of my relationship with God, I am aware of what can happen over time.

Lest I forget. Grace is free to all and sufficient. I have no reason to be afraid or anxious, but I also know this isn’t a game. My life is on the line, not just my eternity. With God’s help, I must run so as to win.