Today wraps up the Olympics in Paris. And if you've been keeping track, there've been some amazing feats and athletes and accomplishments that have been happening over the past couple of weeks. And it's been exciting seeing these amazing athletes and the things that they've been doing and accomplishing. And one athlete that really stood out to me this past week was Gabby Thomas, the American who won the women's 200 meters. Did you watch that race this past week? I mean, she just owned it and she rocked it. And if you have listened to Gabby's story, it is truly fascinating, because here is a woman who said, I am going to set my sights on some goals that I want to go after. Not only is she an Olympic gold medalist, but in the process of training, she also became a graduate of Harvard. I mean, can you imagine all the hard work and effort I that she put onto this? And I don't know about you, but when the Olympics rolls around, we get all caught up with the glitz and the glamour when the crowd arrives to see these athletes and their feats, and we think, boy, if I could do that. That's so amazing. And I love, right after she won the gold medal, Gabby was asked, you know, what did it take to get you here? Like, what was it? And she said, you know, it was all the hard work behind the scenes, all the disciplines, when nobody's working. I thought, wow, that's so true. Because we all seek out and chase greatness in our lives in different ways, in different endeavors, but we all think, boy, I'm just going to show up. And there it is. But in the reality, to get there, we don't even see all the hard work, all the sleepless nights, all the times when you felt like, I just can't do this, you know, become a champion. It's about what you do behind the scenes that determines what happens when the crowd arrives. It seems with the prizes we chase in life, all we're concerned about is when the crowd comes. But the reality is, what's more important is what happens when nobody's looking. The person that you are, what you commit to, how you live out your life, the disciplines you developed. We get so caught up with the glitz and the glamour of the crowd moments, we overlook the importance of the disciplines that happens behind the scenes. And, my friends, I'm here to encourage you if you want to become a champion in life, what matters most is the disciplines. When nobody else is working looking at you, I mean, when nobody else sees you. The apostle Paul writes about this in one corinthians 924, when he says these words, do you not know that in a race, all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? So run in such a way as to get the prize. It seems like, okay, it's such a basic, easy verse, but there's so much behind this. You're like the Olympics. There's hundreds and hundreds of athletes that show up to compete, yet only a select few get to stand on that podium. Only a select few get to experience what it's like to be a champion. And Paul says, there's a lot of people in the race, but only a few get the prize. So run in such a way as they get the prize. What Paul's really highlighting here is what happens behind the scenes, what happens in your walk, in your journey, in your efforts in life, when nobody's looking. You know, it's the disciplines, it's the effort, it's the determination that gets you there. It's not just showing up one day and say, hey, look, I'm going to do it. I'm going to be this. No, it's not that. It's what you put in when nobody's watching. To be successful with the disciplines and efforts in our life to be successful and walking that path, the first thing you need to do, the first thing you need to answer, the first thing you need to come to grips with is identifying the prize. If you don't know what you're chasing, you're running aimlessly and effortlessly throughout this world. You need to identify the prize. What is it that you are chasing? Because I fear that so often, many of us, we get so caught up in life, so caught up in this world, and we're so worn out, so stressed out, and at the end of the day, we're wondering, what am I chasing? What is this? What's the point? Is it worth it? You know, I think deep down, what we're all chasing for is meaning and purpose in life. And when we find that, we feel will find freedom, and so we chase all these different things that the world tells you that will help you find freedom and purpose. And then you put your whole effort and life into this and you run aimlessly, and then you just don't know what you're really running after. You know, there's a great quote, maybe you've heard this before, that if you aim at nothing, you'll hit it every time. And my fear is, we live life like that. We wake up each day aiming at nothing and wondering, what in the world am I running for. But my schedule is so full. I'm so overwhelmed. I'm taxed out in all different ways. I'm completely stressed out. But why? What am I going after? You see, the first thing you need to do to become a champion is to define what matters most of what are you chasing? What are you going after? My friends, it is absolutely crucial. Don't miss this. It is crucial to identify what matters most in order to become successful. We cannot become successful in life or any endeavor if we don't first answer this question. What matters most? I was recently listening to a podcast about with these NFL gurus who are talking about going to these different camps that they put on for high school students who are looking to take the next step and get into college. And this NFL guru was talking about when he's talking to these high school students who are all out there chasing something. He said, the first thing you need to do before anything else is you need to define what matters most. Because if you do not answer that question, you will not know what you're chasing and what you're going after. And you're just going to be running tirelessly after anything. And so he was telling them from that perspective, are you chasing to be a professional athlete? Are you chasing just to get. To get to some school? Are you chasing scholarships? You need to define what matters most. And I'm here to encourage you and challenge you in life. You need to define what matters most. What are you chasing? Is it the kingdom of God or is it the kingdom of this world? Because identifying that matters. If you don't know the prize you're chasing, you're going to overwhelm your life. You're going to fill out your schedule with a whole bunch of stuff that in the end, just wears you out and beats you down and becomes your masters. Because identifying what matters most drives everything. It drives everything. And if you don't know the answer to this, something is driving you. Something is pulling you. So what matters most? Because once you can define this, then you can identify, what are the priorities of my life? What are the priorities of my day? What are the goals I'm trying to develop? And how do those priorities and goals develop a path forward and a direction for my day, for my week, for my months, for my years. And once I identify that, what are the boundaries I need to put in place to protect me from getting off track, from drifting into other things? You see, when Paul says run in such a way as to win a prize, it's the disciplines that happens when nobody's looking. It's the disciplines that you put into your life, because every chase towards a prize comes with challenges, comes with heartaches, come with difficulties. You know, going back to Gabby Thomas when she was. Later on, they have an interview with all the medalists and with all the reporters just being able to shoot them a line of questions, and. And they were really questioning Gabby. Gabby, what is it that got you here? Tell us about your story, how you got to this point. She told about how when she was younger, and it was really her mom that pushed her into this, because she said her mom thought, well, you're fast and you might become something someday, so do this. Her mom really pushed her into this, and she trained, and she loved it. But then it got to a point later in high school and into her early years of college when all of a sudden she said, I lost my passion for it. I lost my love for it because it was too hard and it just wasn't fun anymore. And I lost my love. And then she began to tell her story and said, but at some point, I found my love for track again. And then that's when it took off. It really made me think about in revelation, when Jesus was talking to the churches and he told one of the churches, hey, you're doing a lot of great things, but there's one thing I hold against you. You've forgotten your first love. And here's the challenge. You see, this journey of life is a marathon, and it wears us down, and it beats us up. And there's good days and there's a whole lot of bad days, and there's a whole lot of struggles. And in this and when we don't know what prize we're chasing, we don't know what really has our heart, we don't know what is our ultimate game. And then life just wears us down, and life beats us up. And then what happens in this moment when. When it's hard and it's difficult and you're not sure why. Why you're running this race. All of a sudden, all these other good things start to pop up. It's like, well, that seems good. I'm kind of tired. I'm just worn out. Maybe I'll just do that for a little bit. And before you know it, things that may be good get in the way and distract us from the best, and we lose sight. Just like Gabby Thomas and any Olympic athlete, there's moments in the training when their mind's like, this is hard. I would love to just be with everybody else on the beach. I would love just to be hanging out and watching a movie and eating popcorn late at night. This is hard, but there had to be a set focus of you know what. But here's the prize I'm chasing. And this may be okay and good and not really that bad, but if I allow this priority to hijack my agendas, I'm gonna lose, and I can't lose. And when we look at our journey in life, it's the same thing. You see, spiritually speaking, we're chasing a prize that's a kingdom that's eternal. And there's a lot of things that may seem good, and they may be good, they may be okay. But in the end, the problem is when they distract you from what is best and when they pull you off track and hijack, the priority of chasing that prize. And what happens so often is because those things then become what are good, hijack us, and then become loves in our hearts, little passions in our hearts. What begins to grow is this idol worship we give our lives. Worship is giving your lives to something. And if you're not careful, these good things that hijack you from the best thing prop up as idols in your life. And before, you know, like Jesus said in revelation, we've forgotten our first love, and we're not running the race anymore. And that's why it matters. That's why the disciplines, when nobody's looking, matters. It's significant who you are when the crowd arrives. How you perform when the crowd arrives is all built on the disciplines you've committed to. When the crowds aren't even there. And we chase all these things. Maybe it's popularity, maybe it's driving up the corporate ladder. Maybe you're younger and it's scholarships and college and professional athletes or whatever it may be, but is that the most important? What are you running after? Because for me, all the things I chased that hijacked me from my path through my years because those things became an idol in my heart. Like, I need that. I'm not fulfilled. It's like we're not fulfilled. We're not free. We don't have life unless we get that, unless we're popular, unless we get that award, unless we get that promotion, unless we get that scholarship. And when that happen, doesn't happen, we're beat up. Or even as we pursue it, all of a sudden, we live in this world. When we realize I'm never good enough, I always have to do something more to earn that because I'm never good at it good enough and there's no freedom in that. It slaves me, enslaves me in that. And then before you realize it, you're so beat down because of good things that hijacks you from the best. When Jesus says, I am life, and in me is freedom and life, you see what I'm trying to share with this is victory is found in our ability to protect what matters most and not allowing other priorities to become our agenda. Don't allow things that may seem good or other prizes hijack you from what is the best. I think we need to find confidence in what we're going after. Life is about building confidence in the prize we're truly chasing, because I think we struggle. The prizes we chase in the world, the life and the freedom we hope that gives, it's almost like we're looking for approval from other things, other places, other people. You know what Jesus says? I love you so much. I came to die for you. You are my child. You don't have to do anything to prove anything to me. Just walk with me. All those people and all those things, they'll come and go, but I will always be here. Be confident in me. And I think we struggle with our confidence because we've ingrained in our minds to chase all these other prizes that seem good, but then we're never good enough. And it's like we never get there, we never achieve it, and we just are always running, running, running, and we're just so worn out. I says, no, freedom was never going to be found in those things or those people or those efforts. Freedom is found in me. Life is found in me, and I'm encouraging you to find confidence in that. As Paul said, run in such a way as to win the prize as to get the prize. You know what this takes? It takes focus and it takes endurance. It takes focus on that, because there's going to be a lot of things as you're running, just like a. An athlete training for the prize. There's gonna be a lot of things that come a long way that's gonna be like, hey, let me just have fun tonight and go hang out with my friends. Let me just go do this. And it's like, no, if I give up this one time, it's gonna become a snowball effect. I'm gonna miss the prize. And same is true in our spiritual journey. I gotta stay focused on him. And what happens is we focus on Jesus, and then before you know it, all these other things start to pop up. It's like if you use a camera, those old school cameras with the automatic lens, you know what I'm talking about? You're trying to take a picture of those in the back, right? And then before you know it, your lens is focusing. But then some of you guys start standing up and you get in the way of my camera, and guess what happens? What I was trying to focus on got all blurry, and everything else starts to come in light. And that's what happens in our spiritual journey. With, when we don't have our focus on the prize, these other good things start popping up. And while we're trying to chase Jesus, all of a sudden, Jesus slowly gets blurred in the background, and our focus is on all the other stuff of the world. And maybe it's not just good things, maybe it's the hard things. You know, like an athlete training, what tends to happen is you're running and you're running and you're training, and let's just physically, you're pushing yourself to the limits. Like, I just can't. And your mind starts playing those games, right? I just can't do this anymore. If I just stop, take a break. At some point, great athletes put their mind over that and just go, just go. But the same is true in our spiritual journey. What tends to happen is life is hard. There's some bad days in our lives. There's days when we just get beat to the ground and our focus quickly and it's normal shifts right to the problem. And then what happens no longer is Jesus the source of victory. Our focus. Our focus is on the problem. And that's all. How can I fix this? How can I fix this? How can I fix this? Jesus back there, focus on me. Focus on me. But we get so focused, lose our focus on Jesus and focus on those other things that we lose sight of the prize which takes endurance to keep running. You know, as Paul built what he was saying in verse 24 and the other verse that we'll talk about in the next couple of weeks, he was building that out of what he said in the earlier verses. He said in verse 23 of one corinthians nine, I can do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessing. You know, Paul's saying I run in such a way. I do all this why? For the sake of the gospel and to share in its blessings through the gospel is freedom and life and blessings. And so when I chase that as the prize, that the creator of everything that is shares blessings with me, and then I become a vessel to be a blessing to others. In a nutshell, that's what Paul is saying. I get to share in the blessings of the gospel, and that's why I do this. The gospel is my prize. The blessings of the gospel is my prize. The opportunities of my life are found in the prize of the gospel. My purpose in life is found in the prize of the gospel. And here's the reality of freedom. It's living for something bigger than myself. In the earlier verses, Paul said he belongs to nobody but becomes a slave to all. Did you hear that? Paul defined the reality of freedom. I belong to nobody, but I become a slave to all from the beginning of time. The human race has always been very self indulgent and we want to find freedom. We think freedom is I can do what I want, stay out of my lane. I am not doing anything that bothers anybody else. Leave me alone. And Paul's highlighting when you get in the rat race of that freedom, you're never truly free. In fact, I would argue that many of us who are living that life of freedom, you're so overwhelmed with heartache and pain and overwhelmed by the chasing of that freedom that never seems to be achieved. But Paul says, see, my freedom is bigger than me. I belong to nobody, but I've given my life to all. It's not a have to. It's I want to. I've given myself up for something bigger than me. The blessings that God is giving to me through the gospel and the vessels of blessings that I can be for others. Friends, let's just be real. Sometimes we need to recognize. We need to give up some things that may seem good for what is best to experience the full reality of God's blessings in his gospel. But yet we hold so tight on certain things that we chase, hoping to find who we are through that, hoping to find our freedom. And the prize when in the end of the day that's going to be come and go. You know what matters most? What matters most is Jesus and his righteousness. Jesus and his righteousness. This is the gospel. And now we're going down to basics today as we build the foundation here. But this is what the gospel is all about. A life pursue of Jesus and his righteousness. His righteousness is recognizing my prize is eternal. It's bigger than this world and what this world could ever, ever provide. And in that pursuit and in that chase every day, it's about me striving to be right before God. Because in Jesus is his glory and his blessing, blessings and life and freedom for all eternity. This is the gospel. It is freedom. And here's a struggle. We chase prizes of this world. And while physically we may be free, many of us are living lives where mentally, emotionally, and spiritually, we are completely chained up. And we're so controlled by the world and the pursuits we chase that we don't recognize it anymore. But in the chasing of Jesus at the prize, there's a freedom to experience his blessings, to be free in your heart and your mind and your spirit, and to see that that freedom is not about building up more for myself, but how can I become a vessel to experience his blessings? Share his blessings. Experience his blessings. Share his blessings. And there's freedom in that. It's bigger than us. You know, going back to the Olympics, you watch them, and every time the. The athlete wins the prize, wins the race, immediately they jump out, and what do they do? They go grab the flag of their nation, drape it around them, and run around the stadium in celebration. Because in that moment, what they're highlighting, my victory is bigger than me. My victory is for my country, my nationality, my nation, all the people at home who are cheering for me as if they were right here with me. And as Christians, the Bible teaches us that our citizenship is not any nationality of this world. Our citizenship is the kingdom of God, and our prize is his glory and his kingdom for all eternity. The apostle Paul said in Philippians three, but our citizenship is in heaven, and we eagerly await a savior from there. He is the Lord Jesus Christ. That's the prize. That's the victory. That's what we chase. And the more we realize that the prize we chase is a kingdom that's beyond this world, the more we begin to experience the victory that this kingdom has, not just for all eternity, but you can begin to experience it right now. Right now. But it all starts by defining what matters most. Because if we don't fully define that, we will find ourselves drifting towards other things that may have been good, some may not, that slowly become idols in our hearts and drive everything about us. And then before you know it, you lose track of the prize you're chasing, his kingdom and his glory for all eternity. Paul wrote this in Colossians three. Since then, you have been raised with Christ. Set your hearts on things above where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on earthly things, for you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ and God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you will also appear with him in the glory. These are powerful words from the apostle Paul himself, you see what he said? Your prize is his kingdom. And in his kingdom, there's this man named Jesus who's sitting on the throne. He is the king. And one day this king is going to come back, and all those who are following him, he's going to take them up with them into his kingdom, where they'll experience the power of his glory. Because in his glory is freedom. In his glory is life. In his glory is victory. Everything you've been searching for. And so that's why Paul said, we set our minds on things above, because it all starts here. The training, the discipline, the endurance, the focus. It starts here. That then drives the passion of your heart. So set your mind and your heart on things above, not on the things of this world, the stuff of this world, but on the stuff of heaven, the stuff in the eternal sense, because in that is Jesus, and in Jesus is life. Everything that we hope a prize will provide to it's Jesus. Everything we hope to achieve, it's in his kingdom, and that's where it is. And in Jesus is righteousness and goodness and grace. And see what this means. Our ambition, if that is what matters most, if that is the prize, then our ambition, our priorities, everything that we are to be chasing and developing, to run in such a way is to be a disciple. You know what a disciple is? A disciple is someone who follows someone or something else with the intention to become exactly like that person or thing that's a disciple. And whether you recognize it or not, every one of us are disciples of something. So when you fail to define what matters most and the prize you are chasing, probably the first question you need to ask is, I'm following something that's transforming my life into that. And what is it? Is that the prize I really want to chase? Because the drift happens naturally. We're all disciples of something. And as a disciple of Jesus who recognizes you are what matters most, you are the prize that I need to chase. Then what that means is I need to run in such a way as to get a prize. Means I become like Jesus more and more every single day. That's the win. That's the goal. That's the race, that's the disciplines. That's everything. I need to build a relationship with this king, the creator of everything that is, learn about his life, learn about who he is, learn what he teaches and figure out every single day. I'm not going to be perfect. I'm not always going to get it right, but every single day, how can I become more like him and less like me in how I live, how I treat people, how I act, how I respond, the commitments I make, the choices I make, my behaviors, my attitudes, everything about me becomes more like him. This is the mark of a disciple. This is running in such a way as to get the prize. And Jesus defined what a disciple is all about in this process. In Matthew 419, Jesus said to his disciples, follow me, and I will make you fishers of men. Whether you realize or not, Jesus right there gave the definition and the process of becoming a disciple. Follow me. That's a rule. Follow him. Not like, can I get all the knowledge? Knowledge is good. But if knowledge doesn't fall, if faith doesn't apply to that, then you're missing it. You missed the prize. If you're doing a whole lot of good things in the world, but you're not becoming more like Jesus and chasing him, you're missing the prize. You see how the good things get in the way, the best. It's about chasing him and becoming more like him. And so that, follow me, is that commitment. Jesus, you are the way, the truth, and life. And I want to give my life to you every day. I want you to be my north point, my focus, every step I make, every choice I make, every attitude I have. I want you to be the focus. And when I mess up, call me out, Jesus, and get me back on track. And Jesus said, when you follow me, look what he does. I will make you. Jesus said, I will transform you from the inside of out the freedom that you're searching for, the purpose that you're searching for, the life that you're searching for, all the things that you're hoping this world will give and is failing you at I will give to you. I am life, and I will transform you to experience my glory and my blessings and to become a vessel of my blessings in this world, I will make you. And what will he transform you into? A person of purpose. I will make you fishers of men. You see, we all chase prizes because we hope that prize will give us purpose and meaning in life. And the hard thing is, oftentimes the prizes we chase that are good in this world, at the end of the day, it's like I'm never good enough. I can't quite get there, and it just never ends. But Jesus says, I will give you purpose. I will give you life, because it's coming from me, through you, to experience my blessings and become a vessel of my blessings. As Paul wrote in one corinthians nine, my friends, where are you at in this journey? Maybe you've never made that commitment to Jesus and maybe today's the day that you need to start thinking about that. Or maybe today's day you need to make that commitment. If you'd like to talk more, I love to talk to you and pray with you back at the engage impact booth about what that commitment is and what that means for you. We have growth groups that are starting up here soon and we love to get you into a growth group. A rooted group is a great group to get plugged into to learn what this looks like and how you can walk this walk. Because Jesus says, if you commit to and follow me, I will transform you into a person of purpose more than you could ever imagine. Because in me is life. So my question is, what is your next step in this marathon of life? We all have a next step. Either commit to him, get back in line with him, or keep running. Where are you at in the journey? Because through Jesus, we are champions, we are victorious. Let's pray together. Father, you are such a good God and I praise you for your goodness and your love. And Lord, in this moment, may we just draw closer to you. Lord, we so often drift into things that may be good that hijack us away from what is best. And for some of us, those good things have become idols in our lives. But Lord God, in this moment, may we call those out, give them to you and turn back to you. Father God, may you be what matters most in all that we do. And that through you, may we find life and purpose and meaning, because we're going to experience the blessings of your glory. And throughout that, may you be proclaimed. Because you are good. It's in your name we pray. Amen.