(Guest devotion from my brother Chris)
Running the Race
Even if you're not a runner, you've almost certainly experienced
the powerless feeling that comes from trying to run faster than your legs can
carry you. Perhaps you were a small child. Maybe you lost your
balance or a hill/incline was steeper than you anticipated. Whatever the
circumstance behind it; down you went.
My wife is an avid lover of all things involving athletic
competition, so she and I have been watching some of the Olympic trials taking
place in recent weeks. This weekend, we observed an immensely talented
and highly favored distance runner simply outrun her feet. Down she went,
narrowly avoiding all of her fellow runners on the way down and out of the
race. I can't imagine taking a tumble like that in front of the thousands
in attendance and watching on TV. She was an avid runner. A well
trained athlete. Her muscle memory was established and her body well
conditioned for the race that day. But still, she fell.
In our spiritual race, how much are we like this Olympic
hopeful? We are well trained. We are avid students of God's
word. Our conscience should be well established and our hearts and souls
well conditioned for the race that is this life. But still, we
fall. Daily. Over and over and over again we fall. We outrun
our feet. It would be easy to give up. To do like the distance
runner did and simply drop out of the race altogether. Why bother?
What's the point? I'll never catch up...
In the closing verses of the book of Jude, we're reminded where
our spiritual ability to keep from stumbling comes from...
24 To him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present
you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy— 25 to the
only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus
Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen.
Jesus assures us that the race is won and that He has won it for ALL of us, now and forevermore. Amen.
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What's the big deal about Jesus?
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