We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed— in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed.

‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭15‬:‭51‬-‭52‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Sadly, for many it will be too late.

But we’re hearing more and more from high profile athletes, celebrities and others about their conversion to a faith in Christ lately.

Their decisions compel them to make public what began as a private search for something true and of eternal consequence.

When you make such discovery, it’s hard not to tell the world about it.

Famous people are finding their fame unfulfilling and replacing their own achievements with the lasting achievement of Christ’s death and resurrection and a promise of the same for those who will believe.

The trumpets will sound for all of us.

Be one of the truly famous who can and will answer that call.

Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.

‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭15‬:‭58‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever.

‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭9‬:‭25‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Recently in Paris, we saw podiums and their medalists and heard some of their backstories that brought them to that moment in time.

Years of grueling training and many wins and losses on the way were part of the journey that earned them medallions of metal alloys now containing just 2% of what their names promised.

Still, the wins are symbolic of achievements that will all too soon be either forgotten or surpassed by someone else.

The reward for all their efforts is a fleeting moment of triumph. It doesn’t last forever.

The only win that endures forever is the one resulting from daily commitment to following Christ and our reward is an afterlife not of bronze or silver but an eternity on entire streets of 100% pure gold.

Train for the race that wins the prize which holds its value and lasts forever.

You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons too; you cannot have a part in both the Lord’s table and the table of demons.

‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭10‬:‭21‬ ‭NIV‬‬

I’m always bothered when, for instance, someone from church cites their horoscope for the day to explain themselves or their circumstances.

A plea of ignorance won’t be an acceptable excuse on judgement day.

But divided allegiances are on display everywhere, and sometimes even in my own life.

The difference lies in having received the Holy Spirit that keeps such things in check within our consciences to foster learning and spiritual growth along our pathway to salvation.

That’s His job.

Earnestly pray for wisdom and discernment, especially in these times when deception is the cultural name of the game to lead us down paths toward destruction.

“Now eagerly desire the greater gifts. And yet I will show you the most excellent way.”

‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭12‬:‭31‬ ‭NIV‬‬

“And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.”

‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭13‬:‭13‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Arguably the most cited bible verses are those from what is commonly referred to as the love chapter describing what Paul calls “the most excellent way.”

To love is what makes us human—an expression of a unique set of attributes and behaviors of divine origin—that can only be bestowed, not evolved.

Love is sentience with a conscience surpassed by no greater eminence. Indeed, love is the most excellent way.

That we have been bestowed with a unique capacity so precious is itself evidence of God’s existence.

Love is in origin and by definition an entirely supernatural phenomenon.