“Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain. 25 And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible. 26 I therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beateth the air” (I Corinthians 9:24-26).

Paul just noted (vs.25c) that Christians run in order to obtain an incorruptible crown – rewards given by the Lord Jesus at the Judgment Seat of Christ at the finish line of this race called the Christian life. Therefore, Paul ran in such a way as to obtain a crown for himself. And he ran faithfully throughout his whole life. At the end of his days, he knew that the Lord had a crown for him (II Tim. 4:7-8). He finished his course. He ran well. He seeks to teach us how to run well so that we too might obtain an incorruptible crown. We don’t have to be smart, or talented, or strong. In fact in this race it’s not a good idea to lean on our own understanding or to rely on our own strength. The arm of flesh will fail you. All God wants us to do is run… and remain focused on Him. How simple!

Here Paul states that as he runs the race (the Christian life), he does NOT run uncertainly. “Uncertainly” is defined as aimlessly wandering, as one without a fixed goal. As Paul runs the race, he isn’t just wandering aimlessly through life. He wasn’t running down dead end roads and endless rabbit trails. He knew exactly where he was headed. There was no uncertainty in his mind at all. He was not going to allow anything to cause him to swerve away from his goal… and life does throw a lot of curve balls at us! His eyes were on the prize and nothing was going to disturb his focus on that prize. That is the main gist of I Cor.9:26.

Some days when I take a leisurely jog, I’m not sure which route I’m going to take. That’s ok if you’re out on a leisurely jog, but Paul is not talking about that. He has a RACE in mind – the Isthmian Games. The Christian life is not like a leisurely jog. It is like a road race… in which the runners are not wandering aimlessly, but are focused on the prize and nothing else.

There was no uncertainty in his mind. He knew the rules of the race. He knew the boundary lines. When he came to a fork in the road he didn’t have to stop for several minutes, take out a map, and decide which way to go… while the other runners passed him up. Marathon runners often take a trial run of the route before they run the race, so that they become acquainted with it. A wrong turn could throw them off course and they would lose ground and waste time. Paul knew the route ahead of time. It was crystal clear in his head. He could almost visualize it in his head. The Word of God is our rule book. The better we know the rule book, the better equipped we are to run the race. We should be certain about what God says. The more certain we are in our head about the rules and the boundary lines, the more focused we can be on running the race.

Paul was also certain about finishing the race. He didn’t look at each obstacle along the way and have an internal debate: “Do I really want to finish this race? Should I just call it day and go home to rest? Boy, that park bench looks mighty comfortable!” He was not uncertain about how grueling the race would be. He was a realist. His good training taught him to EXPECT pain. He knew that there would be points in the race when he would feel like quitting – when he would hit the wall. But because he was so focused on finishing the race, he ran right through that wall. Nothing was going to stop him from reaching the goal. Quitting was not an option for Paul as he ran the race. He determined ahead of time that he would run through the pain and not let the pain or obstacles sideline him. Paul was resolved, determined, and resolute. He knew where he was going. There was no uncertainty in Paul’s mind as he ran the race. The apostle Paul was FOCUSED on one thing: winning the prize. Therefore, he did not run as uncertainly.

“So Fight I, Not as One That Beateth the Air”

Paul mixes his metaphors here. He switches from the running to a boxing metaphor… but the point is the same. Here he states that when he boxes, he does not “beat the air”. Paul was not shadow boxing… or pretending. He was dead serious about his contest. It wasn’t a game to him. He wasn’t just beating the air. In other words, when Paul swings his fist, he wants it to hit the target, not miss and beat the “air.” He is certain and sure when he runs; he is certain and sure when he boxes. He is dead serious about running and boxing. With every ounce of energy he exerts, he strives to be on course and on target. In his athletic program there was to be no wasted time, no wasted steps, and no wasted swings.

As a runner he is focused on winning the prize; as a boxer he is focused on his target. The two illustrations (running and boxing) make the same point. Focus is everything. Consider the three following helpful hints on running with focus from a recent runner’s magazine.

• Imagery: Because running can be so challenging, often what separates the good from the great runners is mental conditioning. Runners can choose to focus on anything from imagining running in their favorite place to crossing the finish line in first place. You should try to make your images as clear as possible, incorporating all senses, and rehearse your image even when you are not training.
• Dissociation: Focus on something other than running during their workouts. (in other words, don’t think about the run itself; the struggle of the hills; the obstacles; the pain; etc.)
• Control: Take control of your thoughts. Don’t let your mind wander; focus on what you’re doing. If random thoughts occur, gently shift your attention back to where it should be.

The advice running coaches give to their runners concerning the importance of focus is applicable to running the spiritual race: the Christian life.