That the Tree Might Grow!I Corinthians 9:19-23This message was inspired by the real-life story of NASA flight engineer José Hernández, “A Million Miles Away”, follows him on a decades-long journey, from a rural village in Michoacán, Mexico, to more than 200 miles above the Earth in the International Space Station. The schoolteacher had come by to tell the father of mother that you keep moving around too much and you need to stay in one place so that “the Tree might grow.” With the support of his family, José’s drive & determination culminates in the opportunity to achieve his seemingly impossible goal. Paul was saying we need to have a “Whatever It Takes” attitude about reaching the unchurched. José Hernández was turned down as a astronaut until the twelfth time. Paul had a desire to break down barriers and to build bridges to reach the unbeliever for the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Both success and defeat tempt you to stop paying the price. When an athlete stops paying the price, he not only stops winning, he stops competing. He ends up on the bench. It’s the same for a believer. That’s why Paul said that he didn’t want to be disqualified.
We’ve known many believers who disqualified themselves. Some of them do it by headline-making sinful behavior. But most people disqualify themselves by way of apathy. By way of laziness. By way of selfishness.If you want to thrive, put this character check in place. Decide today that you will continue to take the road less traveled, the road of self-discipline, and you will continue pay the price as long as there is a race to be run.