Pine Needles & Celery Stalks

2. READ 1 Corinthians 9:24-27, then discuss the following…

3. READ v24. What does it mean to ‘run to win’ as a follower of Jesus? How do you know when you are living this way? Now READ Philippians 3:12-14. What insights does this passage add?

4. Psalm 42:1 says, “As the deer longs for streams of water, so I long for you, O God.” Talk about a time that was clearly true in your life. Does that sound like your soul right now? What would have to change for it to be so?

5. On Sunday we heard that “Jesus doesn’t care where you are in comparison to that guy.” How and when have you tended to measure your spiritual life by comparison—up or down? What does comparison protect us from having to face?

6. READ v25. In the message, we talked about four soul-training practices: reading Scripture, meditating on Scripture, silence and solitude, and spiritual conversations. Which of these have you practiced regularly? Which is the one you know you need but keep avoiding—and why? What other spiritual disciplines have you found helpful?

7. Silence and solitude will drive you crazy at first—it takes a while for the noise to subside. Have you ever deliberately sat in silence with God? Why or why not? If you’ve practiced silence, share what’s worked for you.

8. READ v26. We don’t always ‘run with purpose.’ Isthmian champions won a crown of pine needles that fell apart in a few weeks. What’s your version of the pine-needle crown—something you chased (or are still chasing) that won’t actually last? Why do you think we so often go for crowns like that? How can we shift our focus to Jesus, the real prize?

9. READ v27. Sometimes you can do all the right things and say all the right words, only to discover you’re running the wrong race. Have you ever realized mid-race that you were running the wrong one? What did that moment feel like? How did you switch courses?

10. Paul says every athlete runs to win. But not every runner is running the same race, and not every “race” is worth winning. If a stranger tracked how you spent your time, money, and mental energy for the last month, what race would they say you’re actually training for?

11. On Sunday we said that “Jesus really is the prize. Knowing Him is what your heart longs for.” Reflect on that truth for a moment. Do you actually believe it, or does part of you still treat Jesus as the means to another prize (a better life, a happy family, peace of mind)?

12. Pick the next step God is nudging you toward and share:

13. Am I running the right race? Am I running toward Jesus, or toward something else?

14. How am I training my soul? Where are my current spiritual habits actually taking me—and is that where I want to end up?

15. Have I really considered that Jesus is the prize? What would rearranging my life around that look like—starting this week?