Running to Win – Notes from “The Way to Win”
Running to Win — Learning to Compete in the Christian Life
I Corinthians 9:24
Sports have always been a part of my life. I played, I coached, and I discovered something about myself along the way — I love to win. I love competition. I love the tight games. I love seeing hard work and strategy pay off.
But winning only happens when you know how the game works.
To win in sports, you must know:
1. The Rules
You can’t play well when you don’t know what’s allowed.
2. The Scoreboard
If you don’t know what matters, you won’t know when you’re ahead or behind.
3. How to Score Points
Rules and scoreboards don’t matter if you don’t know how to move the ball.
Now — imagine playing a sport where you don’t know the rules, you don’t know what points count, and you don’t know how to score. You may have the talent to win… but you’ll likely lose every time.
Many men feel that way spiritually.
In church, we know the rules.
We know the scoreboard — faith, family, integrity, character.
But most men struggle with knowing how to put points on the board.
We want to win at home, at work, in our spiritual life — but we don’t always know how.
That’s what we want to talk about over the next few weeks.
We’re going to explore questions like:
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Why do men often feel like they’re not winning at home?
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How can we honestly assess our spiritual maturity?
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Can God’s Word help us grow professionally as well as spiritually?
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Is it really possible to manage finances well, love our wife sacrificially, and raise godly children?
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How can we make spiritual principles practical and measurable?
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How do we track progress and see growth over time?
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What areas have been ignored or underdeveloped simply because no one ever coached us?
Many men succeed in one area of life while struggling silently in another.
But we believe men of faith can win across the entire scoreboard.
Before We Go Further, We Need to Clarify a Few Things
1. Life is not a game.
It may feel competitive, but real life is infinitely more valuable than a score or trophy.
2. Following Christ does not guarantee easy wins.
Life includes loss, grief, adversity, and pain.
But every loss is a lesson — we either win or we learn.
3. Our competition is not other men.
Not neighbors. Not coworkers. Not other dads.
Our real opponent is our flesh, our pride, our fear, and a culture that rejects God’s Word.
4. We aren’t trying to win by making anyone else lose.
We’re not racing against others —
we’re racing toward Christ.
In I Corinthians 9:24, Paul reminds us:
“…run, that ye may obtain.”
Not just participate.
Not just attend church.
Run to win.
The Christian life is not passive.
It requires purpose, discipline, and intentional effort.
And over the coming weeks, we’re going to learn how to put points on the board —
not just in one area, but in every area of a man’s life.
Let’s get ready to run — and run to win.
These notes are from Jeff Little’s book “The Way to Win” if you would like to purchase the book you can do so on Amazon