Good Day Passionate Youth Reaching Out, today is Thursday May 19. My name is Grant and this is Start Up, helping you start your day with an upward focus.

Today’s scripture is 1 Corinthians 9:24–27 (HCSB)

24 Don’t you know that the runners in a stadium all race, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way to win the prize. 25 Now everyone who competes exercises self-control in everything. However, they do it to receive a crown that will fade away, but we a crown that will never fade away. 26 Therefore I do not run like one who runs aimlessly or box like one beating the air. 27 Instead, I discipline my body and bring it under strict control, so that after preaching to others, I myself will not be disqualified.

This metaphor is very self explanatory. We are told of a race in a huge stadium, we could imagine an olympic event. All of the athletes who are a part of that race have trained with extreme self control and perseverance to make themselves as fast as possible. Now the day of the race has come and they are going to do everything that they can to win a medal.

The correct way to use this metaphor is to place yourself in the position of one of these athletes. But instead of competing for an olympic medal, your are running towards God and his purposes. Your goal is to see God’s light and love shine brightly through you to a world in need of his help and saving power. Your goal is to finish the race as a holy and righteous child of God.

When you think about the athletes in the olympics and their training regiment, you think about the rights and freedoms that they lay down in their lives in order to become a more successful athlete. There are certain foods that by law they are allowed to eat, but for the sake of the prize the discipline themselves not to eat. The same goes for us as Christians, there are many rights and freedoms that we willingly lay down for the sake of the prize that we are running towards.

You won’t finish the race by accident, or by some stroke of luck. The race is finished by the person who has put time into self control and training, using their time and resources purposefully with the end goal in mind. This must be done with the help of others, Pastors, Parents, Christian friends, who all of that same goal in mind for us, We want to see God’s light and love shine brightly through you to a world in need of God’s help and saving power.

The Challenge for this week is to Examine your heart. What are the things that your heart is drawn to? Would you say that your heart is pure? More importantly, would God say that your heart is pure. I challenge you to examine your heart, and to also pray and ask God to examine your heart. See if there are any sinful ways in you, and then in those areas repent and ask for forgiveness.

There is no Friday youth event because of the May Long Weekend. I invite everyone to come to our Church services at 9:30 or 11:00 this Sunday at Hawkwood Baptist Church.

If you want to find out more about our youth group, you can find us online at hbcyouth.ca. We are also on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, just search for Hawkwood Youth.

https://www.facebook.com/HawkwoodYouthPYRO/

https://twitter.com/HawkwoodYouth

https://www.instagram.com/hawkwoodyouth/