In August 2020, a little girl on an inflatable float was playing in the waters off the town of Antirrio in the Gulf of Corinth, Greece, when the current swept her out to sea. The captain of a passing ferry spotted the little girl in distress, slowed his ferry down, and plucked her from the water. The captain, Grigoris Karnesis, brushed off suggestions that he was a hero. ″I'm obligated to do it, not because of my work, but as a person,″ he said.⁸

Some 2,000 years before Captain Grigoris rescued that little girl, the apostle Paul was also rescuing people. He, too, felt obligated. He could have insisted on his ″rights″-that the Corinthians feed him, clothe him, and pay him (1 Corinthians 9:15). Instead, he felt ″compelled″ (v. 16) to preach the gospel of Jesus ″free of charge″ (v. 18). If there was any reward to be had, it was this: preaching Jesus free of charge means that he has left people with the right impression-that God's grace is free.

Paul has spared no effort to spread the gospel. He is no one's slave, yet he has deliberately made himself one, to win as many people as possible to Jesus (v. 19). As he preaches the gospel to different people groups and cultures, he has been willing to adapt to get a proper hearing, so that ″by all possible means [he] might save some″ (v. 22). Paul so desires that some might be saved from an eternity in hell, that he puts himself out to preach Jesus. He is determined to do all he can to save as many as possible, including giving up his rights.

Paul then compares his focus and motivation to the self-discipline of an athlete running a race. When you are competing in a race, your aim is to win the prize. That means you have to be wholehearted (v. 24) and throw everything into it, even if it means giving up certain things (v. 25) and fighting against real urges (v. 27). This is why Paul is willing to give up so much for the gospel-he knows he will get ″a crown that will last for ever″ (v. 25). To be in the rescue business requires focus, discipline, and discomfort, and Paul does it all so that he gets his eternal prize.

Dear Father, thank You for rescuing me through Your Son. May I live and speak in a way that never hinder others from coming to know Him. Help me to share Christ in ways that connect with others.