In Homer's Iliad, there is a scene where Achilles, hero of the Greeks, faces Hector, the Trojan general, in battle. Hector loses his nerve and makes a run for it so that the two warriors end up staging a three-lap footrace around the walls of Troy.
Describing the scene, the blind poet writes, "good was the man that fled, but far better was he that followed after, and swiftly indeed did they run, for the prize was no mere beast fro sacrifice or bullock's hide, as it might be for a common footrace, but they ran for the life of Hector."
That particular line reminds me of Paul's words to the Corinthians in I Corinthians 9:24, 25. Using the image of the Greek games the Apostle Paul makes a couple of statements that parallel the scene from the Iliad.
First of all, a race can only have one winner. Either Achilles will slice Hector's head off, or Hector will disappear into the city gates, out of danger. In the Christian life, we either gain the prize or we leave the field to the enemy, Satan.
Secondly, the prize motivates the effort. Hector ran harder than he might have under other circumstances; Paul realizes that an athlete might be able to live without a crown of laurel leaves. However, we run for an imperishable crown for the glory of God!
So the Christian is highly motivated in both directions. Negatively, the price of defeat looms large, while the positive prize drives us forward. A final thought: Hector loses in the end because the wily goddess Minerva tricks him into stopping when he should have continued to run. How blessed we are to know that we serve the true God (Titus 1:2; Heb. 6:18) who never leads us astray; who gives us strength to continue rather than an excuse for quitting (Isa. 40:31).
So, lace up your shoes and run to win. Refuse to slacken your pace until the gates of that glorious eternal city close about you!
Don't Walk With The Devil - Run For God,
Pastor David Blevins
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