The prize before our eyes - All The Good Seed Daily Devotionals for 2025

And everyone who competes for the prize is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an imperishable crown.
1 Corinthians 9:25

The prize before our eyes
Justin is different from his schoolmates. On the school trip, he goes to bed early. In the morning, he gets up an hour before the others. To do what? To walk several kilometres through the forest. Alcohol and cigarettes are not an issue for him. He also does without many other things voluntarily.

Justin is a competitive athlete. He has a goal in mind. He wants to get better and better as an athlete, to win competitions and maybe win a major championship title one day. Sport is his life. Everything is geared towards it: his diet, his schedule, his habits – his whole life.

People like Justin place all these constraints upon themselves – for a fleeting medal, for a moment of triumph that is quickly over and forgotten again. And no one knows whether this moment will come at all.

The Apostle Paul draws a comparison with the Christian life. The question is whether we also have our goal as clearly before our eyes. What is our daily routine? What habits do we have? Do we take time to read the Bible and pray? Do we renounce things that are harmful to our life of faith? Do we work single-mindedly for the kingdom of God? Are our priorities crystal clear?

For us as Christians, it is about a reward that the Lord Jesus will give us in heaven. This prize is worth infinitely more than a victory in sport – this prize is everlasting.

Today’s reading: Ezekiel 40:1-27 · Psalms 140:1-14