The
recently completed Winter Olympics provided inspiration from athletes who had
overcome great obstacles and adversities. Our hearts warmed to see competitors
from around the world, representing diverse cultures and speaking unfamiliar
languages, united in a spirit of sportsmanship. But most of all, we reveled in
victory, the successes of men and women who proved to be the very best at what
they do, whether it was skiing, figure skating, speed skating, halfpipe,
hockey, bobsledding, ski jumping or curling.
I
even conceived a new motto: “You win some, you luge some.” Every victory
demonstrated what we could call “the 3 D’s of Success: Diligence,
Determination, and Discipline.”
Top
athletes start with inherent assets – speed, size, “fast-twitch” muscles,
natural ability. Things you can’t teach. But lots of people have those, yet
never excel. What separates the winners from the losers – and the “never-even-tried”
– are the three D’s.
They
weren’t “weekend warriors,” engaging in their sport once a week. They were
diligent to work, train and practice every day, often as many hours (or more)
as we spend at work. They set goals, ultimately Olympic gold, and were
determined not to let anything deter them for achieving them. And they were
disciplined, forgoing many things that could sidetrack them from their mission,
following rigorous, daily regimens to prepare them for competing with the world’s
best.
Most
of us will never be Olympians. But wouldn’t it be great if we could become “gold
medal winners” as followers of Jesus Christ and His ambassadors? Those same
three D’s can play an important role in fulfilling that desire, as the
Scriptures tell us.
Followers
of Jesus also have a built-in asset: the indwelling Holy Spirit. Colossians
1:27 says each of us has, “Christ in you,
the hope of glory.” We’re also told, “…it is no longer I who live,
but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by
faith in the Son of God” (Galatians 2:20). We’re not called to live the
so-called Christian life in our own strength. We have the power of Jesus Christ
in us.
But
this doesn’t release us from the responsibility of pursuing spiritual growth
and maturity, to become true, fruitful disciples of Jesus. We should cultivate the
same three D’s of diligence, determination and discipline that serve
championship athletes so well. We see these traits emphasized throughout the
Scriptures; here are a few examples we can draw from the apostle Paul:
Writing
to Timothy, his young protégé, Paul urged him to dedicate himself to mastering
the Word of God: “Be
diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to
be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15). Paul also instructed Timothy to focus on developing his spiritual
gifts: “Be diligent in these matters;
give yourself wholly to them, so that everyone may see your progress” (1
Timothy 4:15).
Elsewhere, Paul expressed the
singular focus he embraced for his own life: “For my determined purpose is that I may know (Jesus Christ) – that I
may progressively become more deeply and intimately acquainted with Him,
perceiving and recognizing and understanding [the wonders of His person] more
strongly and more clearly…” (Philippians 3:10, Amplified).
Speaking of his resolve to
finish well in his life and service to God, Paul told believers in the city of
Corinth, “I
discipline my body like an athlete,
training it to do what it should. Otherwise,
I fear that after preaching to others I myself might be disqualified”
(1 Corinthians 9:27).
Paul summed it up when he
exhorted Timothy, “…discipline yourself
for the purpose of godliness; for
bodily discipline is only of little profit, but godliness is profitable for all
things, since it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come” (1 Timothy 4:7-8). Nothing wrong with striving for physical
fitness and excellence, but spiritual excellence is far better.
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