Run in Such a Way to Get the Prize

​When I coached T-Ball we did not keep score. Not officially, at least. The closest we came to keeping track was limiting the number of runs allowed: each inning both teams batted until they made three outs or scored seven times. The point of not keeping score was to give the young players an opportunity to learn the basics of the game. However, there does come a time when we are ready to start keeping score and collecting stats. It is the same way in business and in life. We need to make a habit of keeping score in certain areas and keeping track of where we are in order to get to where we want to be. It is why we check our bank balances during the month, and it is why, if we are smart, we evaluate our progress in the less tangible areas of life. No one stumbles into holiness accidentally.
 
No Christian experiences sustained growth without an effort to measure progress and chart results. Without the grace of God and the blood of Christ we have no eternal hope of heaven. And yet, Paul tells us to run our race in such a way as to win the prize (1 Corinthians 9:24). He is talking about being the best we can be for the sake of the gospel.

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Clark Tatum