In the early 90s I met a young man who wanted to be a professional boxer. He lived in the Iyana Ipaja area of Lagos at the time. Every morning, he would wake up and trek to the national stadium in Surulere for training, whether rain or shine. The distance between the two places is about 26 km. The regime of his training was such that he took no meal in the day earlier than noon. I have taken a keen look at sportsmen and women who are on the lips of many people. What you discover is the incredible amount of sacrifice that they put in before they hit stardom. Some ladies defer marriage and the thrill of motherhood just to make a mark. The men among them have a stringent menu that can make that of a pauper look like a buffet. These and more are what go into making a champion.

What is often lost to people is the fact that the celebrated victory in public glare is only a testimony to several years of private sacrifice. If you want the prize, you must be willing to pay a price.

In our previous meditation, we noted that participation is important if one is to record success. However, participation done at leisure holds no future. Victory requires a measure of sacrifice, no matter the field of interest. What is often lost to people is the fact that the celebrated victory in public glare is only a testimony to several years of private sacrifice. If you want the prize, you must be willing to pay a price. In our text, Apostle Paul stated how much he sacrificed to gain the excelling knowledge of Christ. He dropped his club membership among the Pharisees. His training as a lawyer was discounted. Of course, he suffered many physical assaults just to know Christ and make Him known to the world. His testimony is a bold statement that we cannot gain Christ at a bargain. Those who think they can serve Christ at no personal cost are probably thinking of another christ, not the one who Himself paid the supreme price to redeem us.