Run the race.

 

How’s your race going, friend?  If you are in one of those times when it looks like a straight level stretch as far as the eye can see, thank God, and keep going. Those are sweet times!  Some of you just can’t quite get your timing right and you are stumbling along. Don’t quit!  A few of you are flat on your face on the track. You got tripped up, distracted perhaps, and you are tempted to limp off and disappear into the crowd, hanging up the race to your Father’s House. Get back on your feet!

Bianca Olthoff tells about running a hurdles race in high school. (watch at this link) At the starting gate she took note of the two girls running alongside of her.  As the race started she took a micro-moment to look away from the track glancing sideways at one of her competitors. One look and she lost her timing for the hurdles. She crashed through gate after gate, bruising her knees and bloodying her shins, ultimately falling on her face.  Obviously, she lost the race, but her coach complimented her on the fact that she finished! She told that story in the context of this passage from the Word - "Since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith." (Hebrews 12:1-2, NLT)  

In our Christian experience, each of us must run our own race. Hebrews tells us to “run …the race marked out.”  In the wisdom of God there is a course laid out for each of us. I can’t run your race, nor can you run mine. We are uniquely equipped and called to faithfulness. Oh yes, we can cheer each other on. We can encourage, but ultimately the course is ours, the finish line set by our Father.  Paul coaches us -  “Don’t you realize that in a race everyone runs, but only one person gets the prize? So 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.” (1 Corinthians 9:24-26, NLT)

All kinds of distractions have the potential to take us out of the competition.  We can obsess about money, decide to pursue security, make life about how we long, where we live, what we drive. We can ‘get religion,’ forgetting that it is Christ who saves and attempting perfection.  And, there is the reality of the Evil one who has no reservations about hurling whatever he can at us to take us out. Writing to some Christians who had started with Christ and then dropped out, Paul asks them to think.  "You were running superbly! Who cut in on you, deflecting you from the true course of obedience? This detour doesn’t come from the One who called you into the race in the first place." (Galatians 5:7-8, The Message)

“Keep  your eyes on Jesus.” It sounds so simple, doesn’t it? But, it demands focus and daily discipline of us. Like the old fable, this race is not just for the swift. It is about finishing well. Feeling discouraged? Find some alone time and meditate on the Hebrews passage referenced above.  Are you barely on your feet?  Invite the Holy Spirit to reveal weights – distractions or sins – that you are carrying.  Flying along, feeling great? Sing praises, take the grace, and stay the course.

Here is a word from the Word. These words written by Paul as he knew his life was about to end are words I have come to love.  How I pray that when our race is nearly run, each of us will have the same confidence. "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing." (2 Timothy 4:7-8, NIV)

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All Your Promises

Oh Lord our Lord

How majestic is Your name

Your words are true

Your mercy does not change

All Your promises are precious

Reviving our faith

Ev'ry one of them

Will be fulfilled one day oh

All Your promises

Are yes and amen Jesus

Your promises are true

All Your promises

Are yes and amen Lord Jesus

We'll keep running after You

We will run

We'll run and not grow weary

We will rise upon the eagle's wings

In the presence of the Lord

Our spirits will soar

Till we one day gaze upon our King oh

All Your promises

Are yes and amen Jesus

Your promises are true

All Your promises

Are yes and amen Lord Jesus

We'll keep running after You

Andrew Smith © 1995 Mercy / Vineyard Publishing (Admin. by Vineyard Music USA)

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Silenced by fear?

I looked at myself in the mirror for a long time wondering, “Are all those critics right? Are those life-long convictions just ‘old man’ stuff, worn out, tired ideas to be tossed?”  Such introspection is not an entirely a bad thing.  It keeps us honest.  I do not want to turn into a man encrusted in tradition, incapable of reflection, unwilling to grow in my understanding of the Word and world in which I live.  So the voices that insist that I must discard that conviction, rewrite that passage of Scripture, conveniently replace long-held doctrine with a new revelation that accommodates my culture get stuck inside my head and sometimes they nearly silence me.  In prayer, humbly waiting on God, I regain courage. I am not arrogant nor am I choosing to retreat into the comfortable past.  I will remain a student of the Word, seeking the voice of the Spirit, while I continue to surround myself with the people of God in His Church.

In this passage from James I find instruction for living wisely in among the turbulence of our time. "Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters: You must all be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry. Human anger does not produce the righteousness God desires. So get rid of all the filth and evil in your lives, and humbly accept the word God has planted in your hearts, for it has the power to save your souls. But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves. For if you listen to the word and don’t obey, it is like glancing at your face in a mirror. You see yourself, walk away, and forget what you look like. But if you look carefully into the perfect law that sets you free, and if you do what it says and don’t forget what you heard, then God will bless you for doing it. If you claim to be religious but don’t control your tongue, you are fooling yourself, and your religion is worthless. Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you." (James 1:19-27, NLT)

What is the eternal wisdom here?

First, I must keep on listening… to God’s Spirit, to the criticisms and commendations, to those who agree and those who dispute. In my conversations I must always ask myself if I am trying to learn or simply wanting to be right.

Second, I must moderate the impulse to grow angry. Under pressure, when motive is questioned, anger can arise. God says it will not produce anything good. So, I must let it go.

Third, I must be accountable to God and deal with my own sin!  

Fourth, I must do the Word, not just talk the Word.  The strongest rebukes that Jesus spoke were to those He called ‘hypocrites’ because they did not practice what they preached. None of us is flawless in our practice of faith and never will be on this side of Heaven.  Do we hide our failures? If we do, we turn into hypocrites. If we are authentic, we will develop into the ‘beauty of holiness.’

Fifth, I keep pursuing God by deeply loving others and growing in devotion to Him.  One of the false choices we find presented to us is between a social gospel that reshapes our world by bringing better lives for others and the Gospel that converts the sinful and saves the lost. It is no choice at all.  Christians are to be concerned both about human well-being and sin. Our Gospel opens the door to a home in Heaven and leads us to concern for those who suffer, right now.

Christian, we can live boldly. Does this mean we must shout every conviction, condemn every sin, and wave our Bibles at the world?  I think not. It means we are people of deep faith, with well formed convictions that rest solidly on the Word, whose lives even more than our words are compelling evidence of the Truth about Jesus and His love.

Here is a word from the Word. Paul, who was writing from a prison, shows us the true courage that we can find in Christ.  Lord, bless this Word to us today.

"I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. …  Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. Then, whether I come and see you or only hear about you in my absence, I will know that you stand firm in one spirit, contending as one man for the faith of the gospel." (Philippians 1:27, NIV)  Amen.

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All The People Said Amen

You are not alone if you are lonely

When you feel afraid you're not the only

We are all the same in need of mercy

To be forgiven and be free

It's all you got to lean on

But thank God it's all you need

And all the people said amen whoa

And all the people said amen

Give thanks to the Lord for His love never ends

And all the people said amen

If you're rich or poor well it don't matter

Weak or strong you know love is what we're after

We're all broken but we're all in this together

God knows we stumble and fall

And He so loved the world

He sent His son to save us all

Blessed are the poor in spirit who are torn apart

Blessed are the persecuted and the pure in heart

Blessed are the people hungry for another start

For theirs is the kingdom the kingdom of God

Matt Maher | Paul Moak | Trevor Morgan

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“How long do I have to put up with this?” - Jesus

“Pastor, you just don’t know how difficult life is,” the voice on the phone told me. The caller was in a tough spot, going through many trials in life. She went on to tell me how much she envied my life, all the ‘amazing blessings’ that I enjoyed. She is right that God has given me a thousand reasons to be thankful and wrong that I am always serene, always hopeful. We all, regardless of our faith, have days when the mountain ahead gets taller, the pathway steeper.

"Did Jesus ever get discouraged?" is a question that came to mind this morning. “Did He ever want to walk away from bickering disciples, turn His eyes from people in pain?”  Both Matthew and Luke tell us a story that lets us see the human nature of our Savior.  Jesus went to prayer and He took Peter, James, and John with Him. The Spirit came down and Jesus was changed in front of those men, resplendent with the Presence of God! Even in that holy place, Peter managed to get it wrong, but that’s a part of the story for another day.  Jesus left that holy place to go back to work. As He walked down the mountain to the crowds He came on a scene of chaos. People gathered and watched the disciples try to heal a boy who was demonized and in distress. They failed spectacularly! As Jesus walked up to this mess, the boy's father said to Him, "I asked your disciples to deliver him but they couldn't." Jesus said, "What a generation! No sense of God! No focus to your lives! How many times do I have to go over these things? How much longer do I have to put up with this? Bring your son here." (Luke 9:40-41, The Message)

There is it!  Jesus got discouraged, too. There was an edge to His words. He was frustrated that the guys who would be handed the keys to the Kingdom in just a few months still don't 'get it.' Jesus, however, does not throw up His hands and walk away. He focused on the healing of the boy. The Gospel wraps it this episode like this:  'everyone was marveling at all that Jesus did.'

Another writer comments on that passage:  "An expression of something like impatience escaped His lips at this very season. When He came down from the mount and learned what was going on at its base, He exclaimed-with reference at once to the unbelief of the scribes who were present, to the weak faith of the disciples, and to the miseries of mankind suffering the consequences of the curse-"O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I bear with you?"   Even the loving Redeemer of man felt tempted to be weary in well-doing-weary of encountering the contradiction of sinners and of bearing with the spiritual weakness of disciples. Such weariness therefore, as a momentary feeling, is not necessarily sinful. It may rather be a part of our cross. But it must not be indulged in or yielded to. Jesus did not give Himself up to the feeling." (Training of the Twelve, A. B. Bruce)

Even when he was discouraged, Jesus continued to patiently instruct, to draw His disciples deeper into understanding that He must die for the sins of the world before His Kingdom could come. Did they get it then? Sadly, no. At that critical moment, they obsessed on status, bickering about who was greatest! Jesus did not quit on them. He brought a little child to His side and taught them about humility. 

Here's the lesson the Spirit brings to me in theses stories.  

Discouragement and frustration will come. We cannot surrender to it. Instead, we must let it drive us back to prayer, to discover again (and again, and again, and again) that 'in our weakness He is strong.' Our sense of desperation is no excuse for sin. It is a reason to hold ever more tightly to the One who is always faithful.

Take this word from the Word to heart.
"Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing. … "God blesses those who patiently endure testing and temptation. Afterward they will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him." (James 1:2-4, 12, NLT)

"Lord, forgive me for my self-pity and willingness to complain. Strengthen me for the work. Let me see Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth, as it is in Heaven. Amen."
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Miracles

The One who made the blind to see

Is moving here in front of me

Moving here in front of me

The One who made the deaf to hear

Is silencing my ev'ry fear

Silencing my ev'ry fear

I believe in You

I believe in You

You're the God of miracles

I believe in You

I believe in You

You're the God of miracles

The One who does impossible

Is reaching out to make me whole

Reaching out to make me whole

The One who put death in its place

His life is flowing through my veins

His life is flowing through my veins

The God who was and is to come

The power of the Risen One

The God who brings the dead to life

You're the God of miracles

You're the God of miracles

Chris Quilala | Dustin Smith | Joshua Silverberg | Stuart Garrard

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