This race we run.

Last night I watched the spectacle that opened the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy and what a show it was: so well done and classy!  Hundreds of athletes walked and danced their way into the games, eager to compete, to show off their skill, and to pursue a medal.

As I watched a thought recurred in my mind. “This show is not really the heart of the Olympics. The real stuff has been happening on ski slopes and ice rinks for years. What these young athletes achieve now will be result of what they have done with discipline in preparation.” 

Nobody just parties their way to the international competition. 
They work … hard!

Our Christian life can take a lesson from them. IF we hope to know the best of what God has prepared, if we want to serve in the most effective way for Christ Jesus, if we desire to find the richest reward in eternity, we need to understand the importance of focus and discipline.  Paul was inspired by the athletes of his day and tells us - “Run to win! All athletes are disciplined in their training. They do it to win a prize that will fade away, but we do it for an eternal prize. So I run with purpose in every step. I am not just shadowboxing. I discipline my body like an athlete, training it to do what it should.”  (1 Corinthians 9)

There is an important point to be made before we go on – we cannot earn God’s favor, nor is eternal life in Heaven the result of human effort. We are made children of God by faith and because of His grace – period. Jesus gave Himself for us, made peace with God on our behalf, and offers the gift of spiritual life to all who will receive Him.

However, the Christian life requires focus, purpose, choice, and discipline. Spiritual maturity does not just come with age or time. We grow into the fullness of the life of the Spirit by learning, practicing, and sacrificing.

In my early years I thought that being a good Christian would result from an experience found in some revival meeting or through some ecstatic moment in prayer. I lived on a spiritual roller coaster going from one emotional height to another with long dips in valleys of discouragement. I questioned why I could not seem to find the richness of Christ that I read about in stories of great Christians.

Then I found a book that changed my Christian life. Richard Foster wrote The Celebration of Discipline in 1978, outlining the daily choices we can make that open our minds and hearts to the transformative work of the Holy Spirit.  He explained the value of meditation, study, solitude, simplicity, submission, service, and worship. These were not to be practiced incidentally or at my convenience. They were daily choices, like the regular training of an athlete. What a difference I found as I became purposeful in my Christian life, moving beyond a focus on my emotions.

I learned to serve, to love, to forgive, to remain steadfast in commitment through the ups and downs of daily life in this present age. No longer focused on myself, I looked to Christ and His Word for identity and for hope. When my race is over my true hope is not that others will say – “What a great guy Jerry was.” Rather, I pray that it will be said, “What a great God he served!”

The best reward will be hearing those words of my Savior – “Well done, faithful servant!”

Are you growing into spiritual maturity?
Are you serving with joy in a way that honors your spiritual gifts?
Are you loving extravagantly, as you are loved?

Remember, the aim is not perfection, it is growth. Let’s grow together.

Here is a word from the Word, my testimony. “Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. All of us, then, who are mature should take such a view of things.”  (Philippians 3)

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“I gotta be perfect!”

In a conversation with a person about ‘going to Heaven’ he blurted out – “I gotta be perfect to get there and I know I’m not!”  He was both right and wrong in his conclusions. Yes, it true that our holy God has no tolerance for sin and no stain of sinfulness is allowed in His eternal city. But there is a perfection available to you and me that is not of our own making!

I am only too aware of my sins and failures. It is not a stretch for me to understand David’s lament. “I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me. Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight; so you are right in your verdict …Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones you have crushed rejoice. Hide your face from my sins and blot out all my iniquity.”  (Psalm 51)

This guilt is a universal condition in the human experience. Paul reminds us that "all have sinned; all fall short of God's glorious standard." (Romans 3:23)

So much for perfection, right? This being the truth how can we hope for a home in God’s eternal city? How can we even dream of eternal life?

Against the dark background of our failures stands the grace of God who acted to set us right with Him, removing our guilt, and gifting us with a holy perfection not of our making. “God, in his grace, freely makes us right in his sight. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins.” (Romans 3:24)

In Ephesians we read about the amazingly scandalous love of God for us in the opening lines and then in chapter 2, there is an abrupt change. This is the indictment- "As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins… All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath." (Ephesians 2:3, NIV)

Then, he writes, "But God..." There is the Divine Exception which makes our hope of a home in Heaven (and a life in His Presence right here, right now) possible! "But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so very much, that even while we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. ... God saved you by his special favor when you believed. And you can't take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. For we are God's masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so that we can do the good things he planned for us long ago." --Ephesians 2:3-10 NLT

The Perfect God did not take the “Grandpa” route in dealing with our sins. We grandparents are ever so ready to ignore or excuse the failures of our grandchildren. We are not responsible for their training so we can just get on with loving them. God is our Father, not our Grandpa. He cannot look at our disobedient behavior and brush it off, overlook it, or excuse it.

But He can offer a sacrifice that forgives us, an atonement for our guilt debt, and the power of the Spirit that changes us from sinner to saint. That is exactly what He’s done for us in Christ Jesus.

When we begin to grasp the depth of His grace, accepting the gift of life, then love replaces fear. Assurance replaces uncertainty. We no longer hide from Him or pretend that we are better than we are. We need not live in denial of the truth about want we have done. Instead, we let Him lead us even through the tests and trials that perfect our faith. In this way He brings us to spiritual maturity. This ‘perfection’ thing is a process – a work of our Deliverer and the disciplines of the Spirit.

Do you want to be rid of the fear of eternity? Do you want to be free from shame? Honestly confess your sins and failures to God, then receive the Gift. The Word tells us we “no longer count on my own righteousness through obeying the law; rather, I become righteous through faith in Christ. For God’s way of making us right with himself depends on faith.”  (Philippians 3)
From that starting point of faith, God leads us into a new kind of life, and we become in reality who He has declared us to be. Here is a word from the Word. May it guide us to hope today. "Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus."  (Phil. 3:12-14)

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The Worst of Me

If I recall regrettable moments in my life almost always the controlling emotion in that moment was anger. I regret disciplining my children in anger rather than love. I regret allowing anger to invade my marriage and steal the joy in our home from time to time. I regret harsh words spoken friends when I become angry.

I love the wisdom of the late Dallas Willard who wrote - "There is nothing that can be done with anger that cannot be done better without it."  The Scripture says, “don’t sin by letting anger gain control over you.” Don’t let the sun go down while you are still angry.” (Ephesians 4:26, NLT) 

Two things are emphasized - we must not lose rational control over anger, for then it flows into rage which is always destructive! And anger must have limits. We cannot just 'stay mad' for days on end because that kind of unresolved anger eats away at us - body and soul.

Anger is a lot like fire. A fire in the fireplace warms and comforts us. A fire that escapes its boundaries destroys quickly! When we feel the stirring of anger over injustice, cruelty, human suffering, and such matters we can use that emotion to move us to engagement and action, however we must do so, without sinning.

Godly people will become passionately angry when the weak are abused, when others are oppressed or robbed of their dignity. Actions that diminish God's honor or that potentially harm those He loves will cause His people to rise up with anger to take corrective anger-- and rightly so!

We love to point out Jesus’ actions in the Temple when he drove out the crooked merchants who were profiting from exploitation of the poor who were trying to fulfill their holy obligations. “Well, Jerry, Jesus tipped over their tables and chased them out of the Temple.” He did and we can see the value of overcoming apathy in His actions.

However, His was righteous anger. Is yours? It is an honest question. Are you angry about a personal slight or not getting your way OR are you truly angry on behalf of some good cause?

Remember James’ word, “man’s anger does not bring about the righteous life God desires.”

When I feel anger, the better choice (one I do not always make) is to step back, to pray, and to reflect before speaking or acting. I try to face the fact that I am angry, then allow that emotion to take me to the Lord in prayer to pour out all my tumbling emotions.

When I choose that path, instead of regrettable things I find myself moved to deeper compassion, to greater love, to positive action.

How about you? Is life a mess for you, making you smolder with anger?
Does the state of the world make you angry?
Are the choices of those you love making you angry?

Do not just rage, blame, and threaten.

Take a prayer time-out! God will hear you with grace because He knows you inside out! As the stormy emotions find release in His Presence, there will be change in you. As the Lord’s love renews you, you will find a new foundation for your caring. In Him, you will find security so that you can respond with proactive desires to change things instead of destructive reactions.

Here is a word from the Word to think on today: "Slowness to anger makes for deep understanding; a quick-tempered person stockpiles stupidity." (Proverbs 14:29, The Message) Wow, that speaks to me. How about you?

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