Good Morning, My Dear Friends,
I’ve read that the popular Isthmian games of the ancient Greek world were similar to the famed Olympics, though they took place every two years and while the Olympics were held in Olympia, the Isthmian games took place in another key site: the city of Corinth. I’ve often wondered if the games inspired the apostle Paul, in his first letter to the Corinthians, to write, “Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize?” (1 Corinthians 9:24).
I once read a sermon on this passage of Scripture from the late Methodist preacher, Dr. J. Wallace Hamilton. Reflecting on this text, he was certain that the race of life is never casual. He said that life has its disciplines, and that the business of life is to discover what the rules really are. In his sermon, he included this interesting sentence. “There are three important rules for life: Never be self-righteous in goodness, self-centered in happiness, or selfish in success.” I’ve always tried to remember his wise counsel.
Never be self-righteous in goodness. Have you noticed that self-righteous people are usually miserable? It’s likely because their lives are masquerades. Personal virtues require no trumpets, as the good traits of character are always self-evident. No one needs to make a pretense of goodness, as goodness always reveals itself. People who spend their lives pretending never really gain the prize of life.
Never be selfish in success. Albert Einstein often said he stood on the shoulders of other people. Imagine someone with such great intellect confessing his dependence on others. Maybe this is a reminder that there are no self-made people, for no one stands alone.
Never be self-centered in happiness. Some politicians and business leaders these days assert that the way to success is by self-assertion, by looking out for number one. That thesis isn’t new, and no one has ever made it work. Self-centeredness and happiness are incompatible. Jesus once said, “Whoever wants to be great among you must become the servant of all” (Matthew 20:26).
The way to win the prize as outlined by Dr. Wallace Hamilton is time-tested. If we desire to receive life’s prize, we must remember to be ourselves, cultivate a grateful heart, and discover interests beyond our own little worlds. Those who do these things find life wonderfully different. They are the real winners in life’s race.
May we all learn the rules for the race,
Bruce Jones, Pastor
Imagine Church
