Beware of Being Disqualified

For my devotions this morning I was reading from 1 Corinthians 9:24-27 where the Apostle Paul writes these words: "Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize?  Run in such a way as to get the prize.  Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training.  They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever.  Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air.  No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize." 

Disqualification is one of those hated terms in the field of sports.  "Runners, take your mark...Ready, Set..." and your body lunges forward just milliseconds before the firing of the starter's pistol.  You are disqualified from the race.  You are the anchor in a relay race and you grab the baton from your running mate just inches outside of the passing zone.  You are disqualified from the race.  Yes, you trained as diligently as did those with whom you competed.  Yes, you sacrificed just as much, perhaps even more than did they.  Yet it was just a little err that caused you to become disqualified and prevented you from finishing the race successfully. 

The Apostle Paul, an avid sports fan himself, I believe, probably had seen races where a runner had been disqualified and so failed to finish successfully.  As he watched Paul saw a profound spiritual principle: Beware of the little things that can cause a disqualification in ministry.  I remember attending a Moody Bible Institute Pastors' Conference early in my ministry many years ago.  I was one of those eager young men who believed that the world could be conquered through diligent seven-day-a-week involvement in the church.  So, I prided myself on the fact that I would often go weeks at a time without taking time off for my family.  At that conference I heard one of the best-known preachers in America at that time, pastoring one of the largest evangelical churches in America, stand before us and with tears streaming down his face, almost with sobs that at times seemed uncontrollable, say to us, "Men, I was so busy trying to reach every one's children, that I lost my own."  And then he said words that God emblazoned upon my heart: "Men, if you lose your own family, you forfeit your ministry." 

Family neglect - a cause for disqualification.  Being overly committed to the Church - a cause for disqualification.  An emotional involvement with a member of the opposite sex - a cause for disqualification.  A lust for power and the need to have one's own way - a cause for disqualification.  Friends, the Apostle Paul is declaring that he wants nothing to cause him to fail to complete the race for Jesus Christ successfully.  So, yes, he will preach powerfully.  So, yes, he will become all things to all people that he might reach some for Christ.  But he will also guard his steps so that Satan will not be able to use the little things to cause him to lose his ministry.  Friends, God reminded me this morning that I need to be careful of the little things in my life that can lead to a disqualification of being successful for Jesus Christ.

Now, some of you might be saying, "Well, Max, doesn't God forgive us our sins?"  Of course He does, not because He has to, but because by His grace He is free to do so.  And there is something so wonderful about knowing God's forgiveness.  But, this is the lesson we tend to forget, yet its truth graces nearly every page of Scripture: While God forgives our sins, the consequences for those sins is not removed.  God forgave Adam and Eve, but they still were driven out of the Garden of Eden.  God forgave Israel, but they still had to march in the wilderness for 40 years.  God forgave Moses for striking the rock when he should have spoken to it, but Moses still could not enter into the Promised Land.  God forgave David, but he still had problems with his family that plagued him the remaining years of his life. 

Let's apply this to what Paul has been saying.  When a runner is disqualified, one of the first things that he/she does is to apologize to his/her teammates for letting them down.  Usually those teammates are quick to forgive, as they should be.  But forgiveness does not remove the disqualification.  Forgiveness does not remove the consequences.  So, let's be careful lest we become disqualified in that ministry God has entrusted to us - whether it is to your church or to your family. 

Lots going on in the world today.  Senator McCain's brief weekend visit with rebel leaders inside Syria - was it merely symbolic or will President Obama now arm the rebels?  Russia announced that it was sending sophisticated anti-aircraft missiles to the Assad regime in Syria, sparking a response by Israeli leaders that they would not allow that to happen.  The Middle East continues to sit on a powder keg with the uncertainty in Syria growing more intense by the day.  And, have you noticed what is happening in Iraq?  Suicide bombings have taken dozens of lives.  It appears that Al-Qaeda has been resurrected.  Will the government hold?  And the scandals in Washington continue to grow leaving the unanswered question: who knew what and when?  And yet, through all this, God is at work bringing people to a knowledge of who He is so that they might discover a relationship with Him through Jesus Christ.  These are exciting days.  Don't become disqualified.  May God see us safely and successfully to the finish line for His honor and glory.