Soon seasoned athletes will compete in another World Olympics.  They’ve been training for this moment for years and are ready.  They’ve prepared in advance for what lies ahead.  They are motivated, driven, competitive, anxious, hopeful and even a little scared.

As Christians we need to prepare ourselves as well.  We could conform to this world of ours and become tolerant of everything, lose our identity and trash our entire belief system because of it, cave to the maddening crowds and just give up, but this isn’t what God wants from us.

God demands perfection from His children.  He wants us to be set apart from the evil of this world and make ourselves spiritually ready to meet Him face to face one day.  Will we be prepared?  We will if we allow our maker to train us for the road ahead.

Our diet should consist a steady flow of the spiritual milk of the Bible.  Our activities and exercise should be dedicated to service rather than being pampered by others.  Our minds need the constant reminder that Jesus has taken away our guilt and given us the victory over death.  There will be bumps along the way.  We will struggle, be in pain, face difficult decisions, but in the end we will win the race.

Do not be fooled by the lure of the world.   It gives no prize to those who don’t deserve it, but in God’s world, even the greatest of sinners will receive the adoption into God’s royal kingdom.  What a victory.  What a prize and it’s a free gift.