v24: In a race where everyone competes only one person receives the prize. In this verse Paul encourages us to serve Messiah in this way, to the highest standard, that we will be the ones eligible to receive that prize.
· Run: Another NT commandment.
v25: Temperate in all things: Those who compete for the prize guard themselves. They train themselves to keep their bodies under control. Trained athletes work hard. They make sacrifices and deny themselves in order to win a perishable prize. How much more so should we for an imperishable one (for Kingdom reward)?
v26: Not with uncertainty: Paul had a perfect certainty of what he needed to do, how he needed to run the race that G-d had called him to.
· Not as one who beats the air: Paul also knew that he was in a spiritual battle. He understood what the enemy was trying to do. Paul didn’t haphazardly try to defeat the enemy (throwing punches into the air) but he knew with certainty how to behave under even these circumstances of attack.
v27: Bring it into subjection: Paul disciplined himself and made himself submissive to the will and purposes of G-d for his life.
· Disqualified: Everyone who competes in a contest does so by playing by the rules. If they don’t stick to the rules, then they are disqualified and do not receive that prize at the end. Paul was following the rules. He was obedient to the plans and purposes of G-d. Because Paul was submissive, G-d was able to use him mightily.