Top 7 Bible Verses For Olympians To Remember

Here are 7 great Bible verses for Olympians to remember during training and during their events.

First Corinthians 9:24 “Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it.”

Paul was well acquainted with the Greek games and so he naturally used the analogy of being in an athletic competition to that of running for the prize of eternal life. Not that we are saved by self-effort but we are called to discipline our lives according to biblical standards. Our goal is not a crown that will fade with time but the crown of life given to all who have repented and believed in Christ.

Philippians 4:13 “I can do all things through him who strengthens me.”

If you read this verse that says we can do all things through Christ (Him) who strengthens us then the opposite must be necessarily true; we can do nothing without Him, which is just what Jesus said, “apart from me you can do nothing” (John 15:5b) so we can do all things through Christ’s strengthening us but we can do nothing from our own strength. It’s as simple as that!

Second Timothy 2:5 “An athlete is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules.”

Profession athletes and Olympians know that they must compete according to the rules for it to be fair. If there were no rules or rules were made to be broken, then the competition would be less than fair. It would be every man and woman for themselves; survival of the fittest. No, the only way an athlete is crowned is if they play by the rules, just like Christians who must live in obedience to godly principles in the Bible.

First Corinthians 9:27 “But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.”

It takes self-control and discipline to walk with Christ. We have to keep resisting the flesh, the world, and the enemy. We strive to keep our body under control as an athlete must do. If not, they won’t even qualify for the competition and that is what athletes live and die for. For the believer it is just as Jesu said, “For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few” (Matt 7:14).

Colossians 3:23-24 “Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ.”

We work for God and not really for a human employer because even they are under the sovereignty of God; whether they know it or not doesn’t really matter, so our first obligation to work as hard as we can is to God and that should obviously benefit our employer. Essentially, we are serving the Lord Jesus Christ and so Solomon’s admonition is a good one; “Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might, for in the realm of the dead, where you are going, there is neither working nor planning nor knowledge nor wisdom” (Eccl 9:10).

First Timothy 4:7-8 “Have nothing to do with irreverent, silly myths. Rather train yourself for godliness; for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come.”

The best training of all is training in godliness for this has value in this life and in the next. It holds us accountable for the way in which we live today but we will be training ourselves in the meantime for a future where we’ll finally be sinless. Bodily training is beneficial but training in righteousness is better because as Paul wrote “as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come.”

First Corinthians 9:25-26 “Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air.”

I think that I could demonstrate better self-discipline than I do at times. I have a lot of room for improvement to be sure. Today’s Olympians are disciplining their bodies for training that is only for a temporary crown (or medal today). This crown will pass away in time and it won’t matter in the age to come but the imperishable crown is the one that we strive for and that one will never pass away.

Conclusion

I could have added an eighth one too as in Hebrews 12:1-2 “Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.” It’s not so much as running for a prize as it is pursuing a Person and that of course is Jesus Christ and seeking Him first above all things and people (Matt 6:33).

Article by Jack Wellman

Jack Wellman is Pastor of the Mulvane Brethren church in Mulvane Kansas. Jack is also the Senior Writer at What Christians Want To Know whose mission is to equip, encourage, and energize Christians and to address questions about the believer’s daily walk with God and the Bible. You can follow Jack on Google Plus or check out his book Teaching Children the Gospel available on Amazon.