The Thrilla in Manilla

Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it. Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air. But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified. (1 Corinthians 9:24-27 ESV). On October 1, 1975, one of the great championship boxing matches was fought in the Philippines. It has come to be known as the “Thrilla in Manilla.” Mohammed Ali fought Joe Frazier for the third time. It was everything it was billed to be. Ali once was quoted as saying, "Of all the men I fought, Sonny Liston was the scariest, George Foreman was the most powerful, Floyd Patterson was the most skilled as a boxer, but the roughest and toughest was Joe Frazier. He brought out the best in me, and the best fight we fought was in Manila." Frazier had won their first bout and Ali their second. It was 10:45 a.m. in the Philippines when their rubber match started, and the "The Thrilla in Manila" lived up to the hype. The bout turned out to be three fights in one: The first had Ali, the champion, outboxing and outscoring Frazier, nailing him with clean, sharp shots. The second fight, from the fifth through the 11th, had Frazier giving a terrible pounding to Ali. The third fight began in the 12th round and somehow Ali, with the will of a champion, tore into Frazier for the next three rounds. When the bell rang for the 15th round, Frazier, with his eyes almost completely shut, remained in his corner as his trainer, Eddie Futch, threw in the towel. "Man, I hit him with punches that'd bring down the walls of a city," Frazier said. "Lawdy, lawdy, he's a great champion." Ali said, "It was like death. Closest thing to dying that I know of." I remember watching that fight on television. I was indeed a heavyweight match unlike any I have ever seen! There is a greater fight to be fought than that one though. The Apostle Paul speaks of it in our reading today. He talks about his training and relentless pursuit of excellence. He pushes himself to such lengths because he knows at the end of this life there is a crown waiting for him that is incomparable to any title of championship anywhere in any area. It is the crown of eternal life that will only be given to those who have overcome death through the work of Christ in their life. While the grace of God is secured through Christ, we cannot make the mistake of thinking that it requires nothing of us. It requires everything from us. We give our lives to him, not as an exchange for eternal life; but, we give it as an act of gratitude for what he has already done. It is as if, at the end of the match between Ali and Frazier, Ali were to have given his title to his trainer. I wonder, how are you training and fighting in this contest of life today? Our enemy can throw some devastating punches, but none of them can beat us. Christ has already taken care of that. Let’s get back in the fight!