Now that we are within days of the start of the 2008 Summer Olympic Games, these verses should conjure up important pictures in the minds of all believers.

Paul uses what would have been to him, and to his readers, a familiar image—one equally familiar to us as we await the beginning of the games.

Young people from all over the world have spent years training for the Olympics. For some of them the dream of participating, of standing on the podium, of sporting a medal around their necks, has been with them for a lifetime. Everything they are and have has been poured into these few brief days. Life has revolved around winning, and no sacrifice has been too great. Everything looks gold.

What Paul describes in these verses is his definition of "going for gold." Paul was willing to make any and every sacrifice to know Christ, to identify with Him, to serve Him, to be like Him. Like any serious Olympic hopeful, he was willing to punish his body, to train with every fibre of his being totally given over to the ultimate goal. 

What was the disqualification that he feared? There was no question about losing his salvation—his writings are clear on that issue. No one knew the depth of God's forgiveness as did this former persecutor of the church. With no hope of ever repaying God for the forgiveness that had been so abundantly given, Paul simply wanted to give back all that he had as an expression of his gratitude to God. He feared losing his focus and not finishing the race well.

The author of the book of Hebrews urges us to run the race as Christ did: "with perseverance … let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame … consider him … so that you will not grow weary and lose heart" (Hebrews 12:2, 3). 

Jesus finished His race well for the joy of pleasing His Father and for the purpose of providing a way home for us. Paul's desire was to imitate His Lord, please the Father, and do all that was within his power to extend the kingdom and complete the mission for which he had been called.

That was his medal performance. He couldn't hope to get the gold—Jesus had already won that prize. But he could hope for silver and so can we—if we are willing, like Paul, to put everything that holds us back aside and focus everything that we are and have on pursuing Christ.