Written by Pastor Jack WellmanTop 13 Bible Verses For Athletes
No matter what sport you compete in, there are many verses that can offer athletes motivation and inspiration for training and competition especially these top 13 Bible verses for athletes.
Remember that whether you win or lose, God can always be glorified through your hard work. The Bible has a lot of verses to help you with sportsmanship as well as during training and competition. If you are an athlete, or know of an athlete, maybe you and they will enjoy these top 13 Bible verses for athletes.
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Self-Control – 1 Corinthians 9
Years ago when I was on the high school track team, we practiced until we hurt, but then, after practice, we had to control what we ate and drank, so self-control was key to running the race. The Apostle Paul says that “Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable” (1 Corinthians 9:25). An athlete without self-control wont’ be one for long.
Through Him – John 15
If you’re an athlete and a believer, you must know the truth that we cannot do much of anything without Jesus Christ (John 15:5), and what we can do can only be done through Christ. Paul says that we “can do all things through him who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13). Unless the Lord strengthens us, we cannot do much of anything, but with Christ, all things are possible (Matthew 19:26).
Renewed Strength – Isaiah 40
When we’re waiting to run a race, our mind is thinking back at all the training we’ve had, but if we’re prepared and rested, we’ll have a better chance to win. Better than that, “they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint” (Isaiah 40:31). This sounds like just what I needed to hear because I did run and grow weary, but not faint. I trusted God and waited upon Him.
Running the Race – 1 Corinthians 9
Running a race takes a great deal of discipline and training. We are not training to just finish the race, but to win it. Paul asks the church at Corinth, “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” (1 Corinthians 9:24), so run like you mean it and finish the race strong. In God’s mind, if we finish the race, we’ve won.
Running with Perseverance – Hebrews 12
Without perseverance, we’d give up and not finish the race or whatever game we’re playing, so we must keep in mind that “since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us” (Hebrews 12:1). Those weights which can “so easily” entangle us are those things in life that slow us down and hinder our race, so let’s rid ourselves of anything that keeps us from winning the race.
The Finish Line
If we don’t obey the rules in a contest, we can be penalized or disqualified, so never let that happen in life as you’re running toward the finish line, heading for the kingdom. We know that “An athlete is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules” (2 Timothy 2:5), and neither will we if we live in disobedience, and there’s another crown we race for, but one that is imperishable.
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