Benchmark
Elite athletes benchmark against metrics to become world class. We as Christians have difficulty sometimes accepting concepts and language that has been created in the business or sporting world. But the Apostle Paul seemed to be looking to the sporting world when writing to the church at Corinth. “Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it. Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air. But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.” Let’s benchmark ourselves against an early church that invited people to take a closer look at Christ and his church, despite floggings, beatings, ridicule, rejection and martyrdom.
