How does being temperate apply to running the Christian life?
Being temperate in the Christian life means maintaining spiritual balance rather than veering to extremes. Just as one striving for mastery is temperate in all things, believers run to win by avoiding the deep end on the right or left and holding to the middle-of-the-road balance in all things.
Les teaches that the believer is to run to win the race, and everyone striving for mastery is temperate in all things. To be temperate means you maintain a balance: you do not go clear off to the right or clear off to the left, but keep a middle balance. He illustrates this with disciplining children—over-discipline or under-discipline produces rebels—and with business—too much inventory or bare shelves both fail. Les applies the same principle to running the Christian life: you do not go off the deep end to the right or left, but maintain that balance, being temperate in all things.
And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible.