Not everyone is a sports fan. I recognize that. There are some of us who cannot even understand the almost pathological appeal that sports have for some people. One man was annoyed by his wife's constant sniffling as she watched a weepy soap opera. He said, "For Pete's sake, why is it you cry about the imaginary woes of people you've never met?"

She answered angrily, "For the same reason you yell and scream when a man you don't know hits a home run."

Different strokes for different folks. That's what makes life interesting. Still, sports are an important phenomenon in our culture. No one here will argue that. St. Paul was a sports fan. That's right. The Apostle Paul, whose letters or epistles constitute half the books in the New Testament, was an avid sports fan. He was fascinated with the Olympics--and especially with the running events. Images drawn from foot racing turn up again and again in his writings.

For example, in his first letter to the Corinthians, he asked: "Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize?" And then he advises his readers, "Run in such a way as to get the prize" (9:24).

Paul's point is straightforward: If you are going to compete in the race of life, run to win.

We are all winners if we have the savior in our heart and live for his glory.

Ron Newhouse