This past weekend, I watched the UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship) 121 event at Applebee's with some friends. I do this from time to time, as it is considerably more fun to watch fights at a restaurant than at the house (not to mention cheaper- pay-per-view prices are ridiculous!). It was a great card of fights, topped off with a brawl for the heavyweight championship.
Leading up to this title fight, there was all kinds of footage of the two fighters training. They lifted weights, ran miles and miles, and then lifted weights again. They sparred in the ring, grappled on the mats, and then lifted weights again. So much work went into this fight- months and months!
This was all for four minutes, as Cain Velasquez (who I was rooting for) emerged the victor only four minutes into the fight. When he strapped the belt on, he was officially the baddest dude on the planet. How much tougher can you be than the world's best heavyweight cagefighter? The correct answer is...not a lot.
Yet, this title as champion, and the gold belt that goes with it, means little. Let's look at what Paul says in 1 Corinthians 9:24-27.
24 Do you not know that the runners in a stadium all race, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win. 25 Now everyone who competes exercises self-control in everything. However, they do it to receive a perishable crown, but we an imperishable one. 26 Therefore I do not run like one who runs aimlessly, or box like one who beats the air. 27 Instead, I discipline my body and bring it under strict control, so that after preaching to others, I myself will not be disqualified.
You see, it doesn't matter how hard you train and how many trophies you win- all that matters is God. Cain Velasquez has a very pretty belt, but it will someday tarnish. It will someday rot. Someday, that belt will be thrown away. Yet, we as Christians have an imperishable crown. We have eternal life through Jesus Christ. We still train and get ready for the fight, just as Velasquez did, but our fight is much deeper than two dudes slugging it out in a cage. We don't lift weights or spar for our fight; we dig into the Word, for our fight is a spiritual war. Satan is out there, antagonizing us, tellign us we aren't really champs. I tell you, that by believing in Jesus Christ as our Savior and repenting of our sins, we have doen just that. We have won a title.
Are you training hard for your title defense against Satan? Are you ready? The Devil hits hard, so make sure you have put in the effort to hit harder.
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