T H E O P H I L U S

24 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. 25 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. 26 Therefore I do not run like someone running aimlessly; I do not fight like a boxer beating the air. 27 No, I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.

1 corinthians 9:24-27

The misconception of spiritual fervour in this day and age has been surprisingly much more mystical than scientific than the bible actually directs us. Many of us go to church, listen to sermons, read the bible and pray in a way that comes with the expectation of some sort of out of body experience, or some sort of spiritual epiphany of some unknown truth. Though this does happen, the Christian journey is so much more than the experience factor of mystically spiritual events. The Christian journey also begins with practicality as well. But do not mistake the Christian journey’s practicality with normality. It is in every sense challenging and unconventional.

Christian spirituality calls on us to live beyond what is conventional thinking. It requires of us to develop a discipline that goes against the grain of our sinful and broken habits of life. It is both acceptance of one’s identity as a child of God but a struggle in the rejection of one’s own broken lust, desire, and passions. But how do we practice this discipline of acceptance of holiness and rejection of Sin? It begins with preaching to ourselves daily. It begins with swallowing the truth and revealing and ridding ourselves of all the lies to myself and to others. It is painful to do so, but so is training to become healthy and fit for a race.

Today, we must begin by preaching to ourselves as we also walk in sharing the gospel with others. To preach to ourselves and being set free daily of our sinful nature of the greatest sermon one could ever preach to anyone in this world – not by words, but by our very nature and actions which the Holy Spirit has been working out within us.