Two things to remember as children of God if we must please Him is that we have been called and commissioned to be soldiers of the Kingdom, and we have also been called into a race for glory -meaning we are both soldiers and athletes, and there is no middle- ground.
If so, we must understand the qualities of a successful army and athletes. Without doubt few things characterized the life of a successful army and athletes more than a life of discipline, hard-work and an eye for victory.
No one joins the army hoping to avoid a war and no one becomes an athlete without an eye for victory.
In 2 Timothy 2:4 Apostle puts this matter in a good perspective:
“No soldier on duty entangles himself in the affairs of life, that he may please him who enrolled him as a soldier”.
Hebrews 12:1-2 also paints the picture of our calling as athletes and how to run the race with an eye on victory: “And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of our faith.”
Therefore if we are going to run the Christian race without hinderance we must be disciplined and in good spiritual shape, constantly examining our lives for any sin.
If we must fight a good fight as soldiers of the Lord we must quit the undisciplined “civilian” life of sin and dedicate our lives to obey God.
