A devotional published by Nigerian Voice on 21 October 2026 urges Christians to treat their spiritual lives with the seriousness of a marathon runner chasing a prize. The Goodseed Daily Devotional, written by Apostle George Amadi, senior pastor of Goodnews Bible Church in London, draws on 1 Corinthians 9:24-27 for a message titled "Finishing Well (1)."
According to Nigerian Voice, the devotional sets Paul's words to the Corinthian church against the backdrop of the ancient Isthmian games, which were held roughly ten miles from where those early believers lived. Paul, the devotional explains, used the familiar picture of a footrace to press his readers toward wholehearted effort rather than mere participation.
Why it matters
The devotional's central claim, as reported by Nigerian Voice, is that entering the Christian race is not the same as running to win it. Amadi argues that God desires winners, and that the faith journey calls for the same resolve an athlete brings to competition.
That distinction carries the weight of the piece. The devotional is careful to say the call is not about salvation or about earning a place in the race. Instead, it frames the message as an appeal to make whatever sacrifices are needed to reach the victor's crown at the end.
The publication arrives in a period when sports imagery remains a common reference point in preaching, and Nigerian Voice notes that the devotional presents Paul's metaphor as perhaps the clearest biblical picture of what living for Christ involves.
The marathoner's final lap
The devotional opens with one of sport's most striking moments: a marathoner grinding through the closing stretch of a 26-mile race. As the exhausted runner pushes toward the line inside an Olympic stadium, the crowd urges him on, and he drives through the tape to be handed the prize before the watching world.
Amadi borrows that scene to describe the Christian life, which he likens to a punishing long-distance race. Writing to the Corinthians, Paul challenged them not simply to take part but to compete with everything they had, according to the devotional.
From there the piece turns to the quality it says is indispensable for reaching the finish: determination. A marathon cannot be won on half effort, the devotional states. The runner needs a settled will to win, and the same holds for believers, who are urged to take their spiritual lives seriously and commit deeply rather than coast.
A crown that does not wither
To sharpen the point, the devotional describes the most sought-after prize in the Roman Empire, the stephanos, a wreath of leaves placed on a champion's head. According to Nigerian Voice, the honour brought immediate fame along with tax exemption and free education.
Amadi sets that perishable reward beside the one he says believers pursue. If athletes would dedicate themselves so thoroughly for a crown of fading greenery and brief renown, the devotional reasons, Christians should be far more determined to obtain an eternal crown that does not decay.
The piece closes with a prayer asking God for the strength of grace for the journey, and with a declaration that the reader will neither be hindered nor quit. It also carries details of Goodnews Bible Church London's worship location at Alperton Community School on Ealing Road in Wembley, for readers in the London area.
Goodseed Daily Devotional is published by Amadi, who serves as senior pastor of Goodnews Bible Church London, per Nigerian Voice. The publication notes that trademarks and copyrights on its page belong to their respective owners.
Readers who follow the devotional series can expect further instalments, with this entry marked as the first in a sequence on finishing well.
