Marsha's Musings: Competing According to the Rules

An athlete is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules. (2 Timothy 2:5 ESV)

Here is another axiom.  Since Paul is talking to Christians in this book, we know he isn't trying say a person must abide by the rules to be saved. So what is he telling Christians here?  

We know he is not saying you will lose your salvation by not competing according to the rules.  He is speaking to Christians and we know from Scripture that a persons's salvation is secure in Christ.  So what is Paul driving at here?

I think the following verses might help.

According to the grace of God given to me, like a skilled master builder I laid a foundation, and someone else is building upon it. Let each one take care how he builds upon it. For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw— each one’s work will become manifest, for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done. If the work that anyone has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward. If anyone’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire. (1 Corinthians 3:10-15 ESV)

Elsewhere in Scripture we are taught that whatever we do, we are to do all to the glory of God.  Perhaps those works that we do under other pretenses besides glorifying God could be considered as not competing according to the rules.  In that case we will not be rewarded crowns for those works.  I don't know for sure if this is the correct interpretation of this or not, but it does give me pause to think about what my motives are for the things I do.