Breakfast of Champions

What you heard from me, keep as the pattern of sound teaching, with faith and love in Christ Jesus. Guard the good deposit that was entrusted to you — guard it with the help of the Holy Spirit who lives in us.

– 2 Timothy 1:13-14

The World public radio program reports that more people are running in marathons than ever before. In fact, the approximately 800 organized 26.2-mile races around the globe are filling up fast, and many are setting new records for participation.

Many of the estimated 1.1 million runners who’ll complete a marathon this year adhere to a special diet to help them start their race well. In her Runner's World article The Healthy Runner's Diet, Liz Applegate recommends a regimen of seeds, fruits and vegetables, plant foods with their skins intact, milk and milk products, foods originating from cold water (like fish and other seafood), plus meat, poultry, and eggs from free-range or grass-fed animals. These powerful foods, says Dr. Applegate, promote good health and peak athletic performance for long-distance runners. And as most marathoners understand, eating the right foods can mean the difference between finishing the race in record time — or dropping out with miles still to go.

A similar principle applies to Christ-followers. After all, our spiritual race isn't a jog or even a sprint. Instead, it's a life-long marathon. And it's to this end that we strive for lives that produce the fruit of the Holy Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Unfortunately, we tend to feed on negative influences through our poor choices in relationships and entertainment. Expressions of jealousy, bitterness, and frustration are common examples of what can happen when we fail to consume the right spiritual foods for going the distance.

Every Christ-follower — just like every participant in the world-famous Boston Marathon — needs to prepare and start well for the long and demanding race ahead. And a smart way to start is with ongoing prayer … as well as a continual awareness that we can't make it without the Spirit living within us. That means instead of living one day at a time, we're to proceed moment-by-moment. Second, let's filter our thinking. Do the movies we watch, the websites we visit, and the friends we make feed our spirit — or our sinful nature? And finally, we need to die to ourselves each day by constantly watching for the traps and obstacles that can run us off course. In 2 Timothy, the apostle Paul tells us that his spiritual diet and rigorous training paid off along his journey of faith:

"I have fought the good fight, finished the race, and kept the faith. At last the champion's wreath that is awarded for righteousness is waiting for me. The Lord, who is the righteous judge, is going to give it to me on that day. He's giving it not only to me but also to all those who have set their heart on waiting for his appearance."

Whether you're a brand-new Christ-follower or you've been a believer for years, the old saying is true: You are what you eat. So, to start well, be sure to choose the right spiritual diet — the one that’s guaranteed to take you across life’s finish line to victory.