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Have nothing to do with irreverent, silly myths. Rather train yourself for godliness…
1 Timothy 4:7
Reflect
I have two posters on the wall of my classroom, both picturing boxing champion Muhammad Ali, that I use to try to inspire my students. The first shows the famous photo of Ali standing over Sonny Liston in the first round of their second fight, seemingly daring Liston to get back up so Ali could hit him again. The second shows Ali in a gym, hitting a punching bag.
Ali was a lot of things. Athletic. Verbose. Muslim. Sometimes arrogant. But one thing about him that impresses me more than anything is the work ethic he used to become a champion. Ali won the title from Liston and had it stripped because he refused to fight in Vietnam as a conscientious objector. He won and lost the title two more times before he finally hung up his gloves in 1981. By the time he retired, Ali had won 56 fights and lost only five.
What was the key to his success? That second poster on my wall holds the key with this quote:
“I hated every minute of training, but I said, ‘Don’t quit. Suffer now and live the rest of your life as a champion.'”
Ali reveals a truth that is related to virtually every part of our life — including our faith. So many Christians never really develop or grow in their walk with Christ because they don’t spend much time on the spiritual punching bag or lifting spiritual weights. Sure, they might go to church on Sunday and even listen to a little Christian radio during the week. But when you’re in a prize fight with a formidable opponent — and that applies to each of us — you have to outwork your enemy to ensure victory.
So many Christians see this part of our faith as too hard. “I don’t have time to read the Bible, and I pray when I can.” But the Apostle Paul acknowledged the need for hard work when he wrote, “For to this end we toil and strive, because we have our hope set on the living God, who is the Savior of all people, especially of those who believe.” (1 Timothy 4:10) In other words, the reward at the end is worth the hard work, and we’ll never get that reward without the hard work.
Today, I hope that you spend a little time in God’s word and in prayer. Lift your hands and voice in worship to the Lord (unless you’re driving — then just let it be your voice). Hit the bag. Lift the weights. There’s really not much suffering involved, but if you invest the time in training, you can live life — and eternity — as a champion for the Lord.
Reflection copyright © 2021 Doug DeBolt.
