This chapter shows us how Paul is perhaps becoming frustrated to have to keep correcting things that have become excuses for the Corinthians Christians. They saw it as their right to eat meat that had been dedicated to idols, yet Paul says that they only have rights under Christ. He uses himself as an example that he has rights as a human as well, but since he is an apostle of Christ who has seen an accurate vision of Christ (post resurrection) that he submits to Christ rather than human desires and rights (1 Corinthians 9:1-7).
Paul had planted churches and decided to pay his own way through things rather than allow people to say that money was his motivation in the ministry. He points out that he has a right to do so but did not. The point here is that even though he has the right to do something, he chose not to, unlike the Corinthian Christians who had rights and gave into them rather than submit to the will of God (1 Corinthians 9:15).
Paul's final point was that athlete's do things for a prize, at the time it was a wreath. That prize does not last. But we as Christ followers "fight" for a prize that does not perish. that should be our focus on the prize that does not perish (1 Corinthians 9:26-27).
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