Empty The Tank

Every January, many of us start with good intentions, only to quit when change becomes uncomfortable—a pattern so common that we call the second Friday of January “Quitter’s Day.” In this sermon from 1 Corinthians 9:24–27, we are challenged to reject a comfortable, half-hearted faith and instead run the Christian life in a way that empties the tank. Drawing on Paul’s image of an athlete, the message calls us to run hard with Gospel-shaped ambition, Spirit-empowered discipline, and a clear focus on the eternal prize. Grace does not put us on a couch; it places us in a race, calling us to resist comfort and pursue faithfulness for the sake of others and the advance of the Gospel. Along the way, we are invited to examine what is weighing us down and keeping us from running well. The sermon concludes with a compelling call to empty the tank, to finish the race having held nothing back.