Read I Corinthians 9:24-27
This passage is written with the backdrop of the Isthmian games - the equivalent of our Olympics. This event was held every two years ten miles outside the city of Corinth. These games brought people from every part of the Mediterranean to compete or just watch. It was the sporting event of the year - drawing the empire’s best talent. Athletes would compete in foot races, broad jumping, discus throwing, wrestling, boxing, gymnastics, and equestrian contests. They would compete fiercely, each striving for the Isthmian crown - a wreath of wild celery.
Winners received a lifetime exemption from paying taxes and serving in the military. They would also receive free tuition at one of their universities. Statues of themselves would be erected along the road that led to the site of the games. But the real prize was the celery wreath, awarded to the winner at the end of the games.
The last key to running in life is persistence. Verse 27 stated, “But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified.” The word “discipline” is the Greek verb “hupopiazo”, and literally means, “to strike under the eye” and gives the connotation of giving someone a “black eye.” We need to literally have the Self-Control that makes us black and blue on our bodies. I’m not talking about sacramental scourging, but I am talking about beating our flesh so that our human nature is unable to lead us. Without discipline, one is sure to fail. An athlete’s strength comes from discipline.
I want to tell you a story about the strength of the first marathon runners, which is where the NIKE company derives its name. The battle of Marathon was fought around 490 B.C. when king Darius launched an attack on Athens. Since the surrounding city-states would offer little support to the Athenians, the Persians outnumbered them. Although the Athenians were outnumbered, they caught the Persians by surprise by running the full length of the plain and catching the Persians unorganized. The Athenians were able to defeat the Persians by not only striking from the front, but they also flanked the Persian army from the sides. Because of this sudden attack the Persian troops broke ranks and fled back to their ships. Since the Athenians won they wanted to send word back to Athens to tell of victory so the city could prepare for the Persian fleet attack from the sea.
So Miltiades sent his best runner Pheidippides to take word to Athens. He ran the whole distance, about 26 miles, and when he arrived he was able to say one word . . . and then he died. What was the one word that Pheidippides was able to say before he died? It was “Nike!” He cried “victory!” The Athenians ran the whole distance of the plain of Marathon, which is some 26 miles. This could not have been accomplished without hard training and discipline.
What aspects of our lives do we need to discipline? We need to discipline our minds. We need to train ourselves to think properly. II Timothy 2:15 says, “Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” We also need to discipline our bodies. We need a disciplined moral character. Many leaders with many talents have been “disqualified” because they didn’t discipline their moral character. The word “disqualified” carries the connotation of being rejected. We need to discipline our appetites. Let your moderation be known to all men. We also need to discipline our speech. James 1:26 says, “If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man’s religion is vain.” No matter how self-controlled you are; if you haven’t bridled your tongue, you’ve still got a way to go. You may have a disciplined mind, a disciplined body, and a disciplined will; even disciplined appetites, but a loose tongue will get you in a lot of trouble. Oftentimes it is best just to keep your mouth shut. We need discipline in arranging our priorities. There are a lot of things that pull at you every day. You must decide what is important. God has given us victory over sin. However; we must not let our guard down. We must use the strategies of God to defeat the power of Satan.
If we stay on course we will finish the race. I believe that persistence is stubbornness with a purpose. We must be consistent to win the race. We can never quit striving to do more and be more for God. To win the race requires that we never give up. Paul is calling the children of God to remain steady no matter what the cost. The goal we have is heaven and we can never give up on it. I’ve read where Winston Churchill rose to give a speech, and everyone thought it would be an amazing oratorical rendition. He just rose to the podium and said, “Never, never, never give up!” And they won the war.
I hope these keys over the last week will help you in the race for glory, and I look forward to meeting you at the finish line.
“Ambition is the path to success. Persistence is the vehicle you arrive in.”
- Bill Bradley
August 11
Read Genesis 22:1-18
The old man stopped walking. It had been a long day and he was tired. To look into his eyes though, you would have realized that it wasn’t his body that was tired, but his spirit. The place of sacrifice was getting closer. He had wrestled with the matter in his heart a thousand times since God had spoken. As he was thinking, his servants ran up and suggested a time of rest. The sun was extremely hot and the old man agreed to stop for a while. The animals were tied down and the servants both laid down under a tree for a nap. Beside him, one other figure was still standing; a young male that bore a striking resemblance to the old man. To take a look at the two of them, you would have surely thought it was the man’s great-grandson. It wasn’t. “Isaac my son,” the old voice spoke out, “Come sit with me for awhile.” Isaac, after making sure the animals really were secure, came and sat next to his father. The heat had made him tired and he quickly fell asleep. Abraham turned his eyes toward his son Isaac. A tear began to roll down his face as he realized what must take place in just a few short days. Part of him wanted to pick up Isaac and run away. The other part knew he had to go. The old man never closed his eyes. While everyone else slept, his eyes never left his son.
God surely gives Isaacs. Isaac was a special gift from God to Abraham, and you and I have received gift upon gift from God throughout our life. It is true that God gives Isaacs to our lives.
It is also true that Isaac can become almost a god to us. Consider this, what did God ask Abraham to sacrifice? I don’t read anywhere in the text that God asked Abraham to sacrifice Sarah, or sacrifice one of his servants, or sacrifice his wealth (give it away), or even sacrifice himself. God asked Abraham to sacrifice the one thing that had an opportunity to become another god in his life. For Abraham, that was Isaac, his gift. It would have been very easy to do. Isaac was a special child. He was the son that was going fulfill the promise of God. From this son, his descendants were going to multiply. It must have been so easy for Abraham to begin trusting in Isaac more than He was trusting God. Whenever you begin to trust in something more than you trust God, that thing whatever it may be, will become your god.
Isaac had to die. Whenever we have an Isaac that we have lifted up, God will eventually ask that we sacrifice it. We cannot have two gods. I tell you the truth today; it’s not easy to loosen the clenched fist that restrains your Isaac. Your Isaac will often be the thing you trust in dearly and it’s hard to be asked to willingly give it up. God comes though and asks us to trust in Him, not in the gifts He’s given us. Sometimes we don’t realize how tough it was for Abraham. He was going to kill everything that God had promised and given to him. Yet, he was still willing to trust God. Can you be the same? Will you allow God to point out Isaacs in your life to be sacrificed? Moreover, will you obey?
I’m sure there are people that read this story and walk away believing God to be a beast that requires human sacrifice. God never wanted to see Isaac physically sacrificed. He wanted Isaac to be sacrificed in Abraham’s heart. Once God knew that Abraham was willing to sacrifice Isaac, God stepped in and stopped it. Truly, the sacrifice had already been made. God steps in though and provides a ram to be offered in place of Isaac. Jehovah Jireh, the Lord will provide. Are you willing today to place all He has given on the altar of sacrifice and allow Him to provide a way?
“He who would accomplish little must sacrifice little; he who would achieve much must sacrifice much; he who would attain highly must sacrifice greatly.”
- James Allen
August 12
Read John 7:37
Have you ever been thirsty? I do not mean the average thirst where a drink of water sounds good after a long walk or after working in the garden on a hot summer day. I mean really -- really thirsty…where your tongue sticks to the roof of your mouth and you have to peel your lips off of your teeth and all you can think about is water.
I am not talking about H2O. We come to church… surrounded by the ocean of “Living Water”. Americans can buy Pink Bibles, Women Bibles, Devotional Men’s and Teen Bibles and we are thirsty. We can buy Christian bumper stickers, t-shirts; go to cool and trendy Christian bookstores and we’re still thirsty. We come to church and sing the songs that quench our souls, listen to the Scripture that hydrates our lives and we still are thirsty! We are walking through a Gatorade culture of opportunity with a Sahara desert soul? Why? Why can’t we drink from the well that never runs dry? Why are our souls shriveled and dehydrated?
The story is told of a young student who went to his spiritual teacher and asked the question, "Master, how can I truly find God?" The teacher asked the student to accompany him to the river, which ran by the village and invited him to go into the water. When they got to the middle of the stream, the teacher said, "Please immerse yourself in the water." The student did as he was instructed, whereupon the teacher put his hands on the young man’s head and held him under the water. Presently the student began to struggle.
The master held him under still. A moment passed and the student was thrashing and beating the water and air with his arms. Still, the master held him under the water. Finally, the student was released and shot up from the water, lungs aching and gasping for air. The teacher waited for a few moments and then said, "When you desire God as truly as you desired to breathe the air you just breathed -- then you shall find God."
It is when we get as thirsty for God that the young student was for air that we will begin to sense the thirst of our souls to dissipate and be quenched. Are you thirsty today? Jesus told us that if we thirst to go to Him. Will you run to Him right now?
“He that has satisfied his thirst turns his back on the well.”
- Baltasar Gracian
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Sunday, August 9, 2009
August 8 & 9 (Sorry!)
Read I Corinthians 9:24-27
This passage is written with the backdrop of the Isthmian games - the equivalent of our Olympics. This event was held every two years ten miles outside the city of Corinth. These games brought people from every part of the Mediterranean to compete or just watch. It was the sporting event of the year - drawing the empire’s best talent. Athletes would compete in foot races, broad jumping, discus throwing, wrestling, boxing, gymnastics, and equestrian contests. They would compete fiercely, each striving for the Isthmian crown - a wreath of wild celery.
Winners received a lifetime exemption from paying taxes and serving in the military. They would also receive free tuition at one of their universities. Statues of themselves would be erected along the road that led to the site of the games. But the real prize was the celery wreath, awarded to the winner at the end of the games.
Today’s key for running the race of life well is Purpose, or get energized. In our passage today, verse 26 says, “I therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beateth the air.” This makes it very clear that we should not practice for an event without a goal. Paul said that he did not run without having a reason. Many people today run for fitness, which is a goal. Have you ever noticed that many professional athletes give up running, biking, or whatever sport they were doing when there are no more prizes to win? Why run if you cannot obtain a prize?
Paul asked why in the world someone would fight if they were just going to swing at the air. What is the point of shadow boxing if you are never going to fight? Whatever sport we choose to participate in, or whatever resolution we chose to make… we must not just go through the motions. We need to set a goal before us. Any race that we run, we should aim for the finish line. Do not enter an event; do not enter a resolution, do not live your life or walk your walk without having the goal of finishing.
Another thing to point out is that too many times we focus more on the task than the outcome. There’s a true story of a man who approached a laborer who was laying bricks and asked him, “What are you doing?” The laborer said, “Can’t you see I’m laying bricks?” The man then walked over to another bricklayer and asked, “What are you doing?” And the workman answered with pride, “I’m building a cathedral.” Both were physically doing the same thing, but the first laborer was occupied with the present task, and the other was concerned with the ultimate goal. If we forget the outcome of our task, we will become bogged down in what we are doing. One translation of verse 26 is… “Do not run like a man running aimlessly”. If we want to win in life we must strive towards our purpose. A life without purpose is like a race without a finish line.
Understanding the need for purpose is easy. Defining purpose is difficult. To win the race requires knowing our purpose. Paul tells the Corinthian church that they are to run this race with divine aims and purposes. We are to move through life with purpose and direction. When we know our purpose in life it creates energy for us. A Peace Corps Commercial makes an interesting statement, “If you’re not doing something with your life, it doesn’t matter how long it is.”
Paul knew where the finish line was. He wasn’t shadowboxing. His opponent was real and he fought “not as one who beats the air.” It is interesting to note that Paul stopped using the word ‘we’ in this verse and started using ‘I’. He was trying to let us know that at some point in our walk with God, each individual must become responsible for the way one lives. I can’t save you and you can’t save me. Also, if I am unable to save you, I am also unable to lose you. The only way for someone to be lost is to stop running or fighting. They become fighters that shadow box or beat the air.
“The way you get meaning into your life is to devote yourself to loving others, devote yourself to your community around you, and devote yourself to creating something that gives you purpose and meaning.”
- Mitch Albom
August 9
Read I Corinthians 9:24-27
This passage is written with the backdrop of the Isthmian games - the equivalent of our Olympics. This event was held every two years ten miles outside the city of Corinth. These games brought people from every part of the Mediterranean to compete or just watch. It was the sporting event of the year - drawing the empire’s best talent. Athletes would compete in foot races, broad jumping, discus throwing, wrestling, boxing, gymnastics, and equestrian contests. They would compete fiercely, each striving for the Isthmian crown - a wreath of wild celery.
Winners received a lifetime exemption from paying taxes and serving in the military. They would also receive free tuition at one of their universities. Statues of themselves would be erected along the road that led to the site of the games. But the real prize was the celery wreath, awarded to the winner at the end of the games.
Today we will talk about Produce, get fruitful. Some of the most frustrating people are those that always talk big, but never accomplish anything. Those that live by the motto, “Do as I say, not as I do”, are especially irritating. I believe that unless you produce something that is meaningful, you have really wasted your time. I have often heard it said that if you were just faithful to the house of God everything would be all right. My friend, part of being faithful is producing when you have the opportunity. Even if you fail, you are producing. Like Einstein once said after one of his many failures, “Well, at least I know it doesn’t work that way.” If you fall flat on your face, you then know you have to try it a little different. Nevertheless, in order to be successful in this race, you must produce.
I once heard it states that on a gravestone it is not the dates that are important, but the dash in between. You will be remembered by what you produced in this life. How is your “dash” today?
“What the statesman is most anxious to produce is a certain moral character in his fellow citizens, namely a disposition to virtue and the performance of virtuous actions.”
- Aristotle
This passage is written with the backdrop of the Isthmian games - the equivalent of our Olympics. This event was held every two years ten miles outside the city of Corinth. These games brought people from every part of the Mediterranean to compete or just watch. It was the sporting event of the year - drawing the empire’s best talent. Athletes would compete in foot races, broad jumping, discus throwing, wrestling, boxing, gymnastics, and equestrian contests. They would compete fiercely, each striving for the Isthmian crown - a wreath of wild celery.
Winners received a lifetime exemption from paying taxes and serving in the military. They would also receive free tuition at one of their universities. Statues of themselves would be erected along the road that led to the site of the games. But the real prize was the celery wreath, awarded to the winner at the end of the games.
Today’s key for running the race of life well is Purpose, or get energized. In our passage today, verse 26 says, “I therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beateth the air.” This makes it very clear that we should not practice for an event without a goal. Paul said that he did not run without having a reason. Many people today run for fitness, which is a goal. Have you ever noticed that many professional athletes give up running, biking, or whatever sport they were doing when there are no more prizes to win? Why run if you cannot obtain a prize?
Paul asked why in the world someone would fight if they were just going to swing at the air. What is the point of shadow boxing if you are never going to fight? Whatever sport we choose to participate in, or whatever resolution we chose to make… we must not just go through the motions. We need to set a goal before us. Any race that we run, we should aim for the finish line. Do not enter an event; do not enter a resolution, do not live your life or walk your walk without having the goal of finishing.
Another thing to point out is that too many times we focus more on the task than the outcome. There’s a true story of a man who approached a laborer who was laying bricks and asked him, “What are you doing?” The laborer said, “Can’t you see I’m laying bricks?” The man then walked over to another bricklayer and asked, “What are you doing?” And the workman answered with pride, “I’m building a cathedral.” Both were physically doing the same thing, but the first laborer was occupied with the present task, and the other was concerned with the ultimate goal. If we forget the outcome of our task, we will become bogged down in what we are doing. One translation of verse 26 is… “Do not run like a man running aimlessly”. If we want to win in life we must strive towards our purpose. A life without purpose is like a race without a finish line.
Understanding the need for purpose is easy. Defining purpose is difficult. To win the race requires knowing our purpose. Paul tells the Corinthian church that they are to run this race with divine aims and purposes. We are to move through life with purpose and direction. When we know our purpose in life it creates energy for us. A Peace Corps Commercial makes an interesting statement, “If you’re not doing something with your life, it doesn’t matter how long it is.”
Paul knew where the finish line was. He wasn’t shadowboxing. His opponent was real and he fought “not as one who beats the air.” It is interesting to note that Paul stopped using the word ‘we’ in this verse and started using ‘I’. He was trying to let us know that at some point in our walk with God, each individual must become responsible for the way one lives. I can’t save you and you can’t save me. Also, if I am unable to save you, I am also unable to lose you. The only way for someone to be lost is to stop running or fighting. They become fighters that shadow box or beat the air.
“The way you get meaning into your life is to devote yourself to loving others, devote yourself to your community around you, and devote yourself to creating something that gives you purpose and meaning.”
- Mitch Albom
August 9
Read I Corinthians 9:24-27
This passage is written with the backdrop of the Isthmian games - the equivalent of our Olympics. This event was held every two years ten miles outside the city of Corinth. These games brought people from every part of the Mediterranean to compete or just watch. It was the sporting event of the year - drawing the empire’s best talent. Athletes would compete in foot races, broad jumping, discus throwing, wrestling, boxing, gymnastics, and equestrian contests. They would compete fiercely, each striving for the Isthmian crown - a wreath of wild celery.
Winners received a lifetime exemption from paying taxes and serving in the military. They would also receive free tuition at one of their universities. Statues of themselves would be erected along the road that led to the site of the games. But the real prize was the celery wreath, awarded to the winner at the end of the games.
Today we will talk about Produce, get fruitful. Some of the most frustrating people are those that always talk big, but never accomplish anything. Those that live by the motto, “Do as I say, not as I do”, are especially irritating. I believe that unless you produce something that is meaningful, you have really wasted your time. I have often heard it said that if you were just faithful to the house of God everything would be all right. My friend, part of being faithful is producing when you have the opportunity. Even if you fail, you are producing. Like Einstein once said after one of his many failures, “Well, at least I know it doesn’t work that way.” If you fall flat on your face, you then know you have to try it a little different. Nevertheless, in order to be successful in this race, you must produce.
I once heard it states that on a gravestone it is not the dates that are important, but the dash in between. You will be remembered by what you produced in this life. How is your “dash” today?
“What the statesman is most anxious to produce is a certain moral character in his fellow citizens, namely a disposition to virtue and the performance of virtuous actions.”
- Aristotle
Friday, August 7, 2009
Get Focused...
Read I Corinthians 9:24-27
This passage is written with the backdrop of the Isthmian games - the equivalent of our Olympics. This event was held every two years ten miles outside the city of Corinth. These games brought people from every part of the Mediterranean to compete or just watch. It was the sporting event of the year - drawing the empire’s best talent. Athletes would compete in foot races, broad jumping, discus throwing, wrestling, boxing, gymnastics, and equestrian contests. They would compete fiercely, each striving for the Isthmian crown - a wreath of wild celery.
Winners received a lifetime exemption from paying taxes and serving in the military. They would also receive free tuition at one of their universities. Statues of themselves would be erected along the road that led to the site of the games. But the real prize was the celery wreath, awarded to the winner at the end of the games.
Today we will deal with another key to running this race called life effectively. It is to Perceive or get focused. Again in verse 25, “Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an imperishable crown.
We do this to receive a crown that will last forever. If we want to run the race you must know where we are going. Our finish line is heaven. Heaven is our goal and we must be heavenly minded. All of us have heard the phrase “They are so heavenly minded they are no earthly good.” That should not pertain to any of us reading this today. Our goal is heaven but we continue to live balanced lives here on earth. To win the race requires us to be focused on the goal. The prize we seek is not temporal or earthly. The things of this earth will pass away. Our focus should be on that which will remain – the imperishable crown.
We are a reward driven people. We do our best if we know that there is a reward waiting for us. We are taught at a very young age that rewards are at the end of the journey. I remember when I was a kid and I wanted to go outside and play football or something. My mom’s response almost always was, “Is your room cleaned up?” You see, when I got my room cleaned up, I was able to have the reward of going out and playing.
God knows us so well that he created in us a desire to receive the reward of rewards. In every human being is a drive to earn rewards. While we cannot earn our heavenly crowns, we can run the race with the reward in view. I remember seeing my first pig race at the state fair. They would line the pigs up and place some food at the end of a stick and those pigs would chase that food all around without taking their eyes off that food. We need to live with the reward of heaven in front of us and not take our eyes off of that reward for one second.
The winner who received the crown only did so after much endurance. His crown was a perishable crown - BUT OURS IS IMPERISHABLE. It will last forever. Since these athletes did so much training for a perishable crown - how much more should we strive for an imperishable crown.
“Only one thing has to change for us to know happiness in our lives: where we focus our attention.”
- Greg Anderson
This passage is written with the backdrop of the Isthmian games - the equivalent of our Olympics. This event was held every two years ten miles outside the city of Corinth. These games brought people from every part of the Mediterranean to compete or just watch. It was the sporting event of the year - drawing the empire’s best talent. Athletes would compete in foot races, broad jumping, discus throwing, wrestling, boxing, gymnastics, and equestrian contests. They would compete fiercely, each striving for the Isthmian crown - a wreath of wild celery.
Winners received a lifetime exemption from paying taxes and serving in the military. They would also receive free tuition at one of their universities. Statues of themselves would be erected along the road that led to the site of the games. But the real prize was the celery wreath, awarded to the winner at the end of the games.
Today we will deal with another key to running this race called life effectively. It is to Perceive or get focused. Again in verse 25, “Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an imperishable crown.
We do this to receive a crown that will last forever. If we want to run the race you must know where we are going. Our finish line is heaven. Heaven is our goal and we must be heavenly minded. All of us have heard the phrase “They are so heavenly minded they are no earthly good.” That should not pertain to any of us reading this today. Our goal is heaven but we continue to live balanced lives here on earth. To win the race requires us to be focused on the goal. The prize we seek is not temporal or earthly. The things of this earth will pass away. Our focus should be on that which will remain – the imperishable crown.
We are a reward driven people. We do our best if we know that there is a reward waiting for us. We are taught at a very young age that rewards are at the end of the journey. I remember when I was a kid and I wanted to go outside and play football or something. My mom’s response almost always was, “Is your room cleaned up?” You see, when I got my room cleaned up, I was able to have the reward of going out and playing.
God knows us so well that he created in us a desire to receive the reward of rewards. In every human being is a drive to earn rewards. While we cannot earn our heavenly crowns, we can run the race with the reward in view. I remember seeing my first pig race at the state fair. They would line the pigs up and place some food at the end of a stick and those pigs would chase that food all around without taking their eyes off that food. We need to live with the reward of heaven in front of us and not take our eyes off of that reward for one second.
The winner who received the crown only did so after much endurance. His crown was a perishable crown - BUT OURS IS IMPERISHABLE. It will last forever. Since these athletes did so much training for a perishable crown - how much more should we strive for an imperishable crown.
“Only one thing has to change for us to know happiness in our lives: where we focus our attention.”
- Greg Anderson
Thursday, August 6, 2009
Prepared?
Read I Corinthians 9:24-27
This passage is written with the backdrop of the Isthmian games - the equivalent of our Olympics. This event was held every two years ten miles outside the city of Corinth. These games brought people from every part of the Mediterranean to compete or just watch. It was the sporting event of the year - drawing the empire’s best talent. Athletes would compete in foot races, broad jumping, discus throwing, wrestling, boxing, gymnastics, and equestrian contests. They would compete fiercely, each striving for the Isthmian crown - a wreath of wild celery.
Winners received a lifetime exemption from paying taxes and serving in the military. They would also receive free tuition at one of their universities. Statues of themselves would be erected along the road that led to the site of the games. But the real prize was the celery wreath, awarded to the winner at the end of the games.
We’ve talked this week about Proceeding, Pursuing and today we will deal with Preparing, or getting ready. Verse 25 states, “And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things.”
An athlete who wants to win always goes into strict training. The key word to preparation or training is; temperance / self-control. This gives the idea of inner strength - strength not to indulge or act on impulse. The word ‘compete’ that Paul uses is the Greek is the word for agony. It points to the tremendous effort that was put forth to win. I remember when I started playing hockey. We would have to try out for the team and the first day we would only skate. People would be hanging over the boards losing lunch while others were cramping up. It was pure misery, but we all knew that if we endured, we would be on the team. Although the presence of our self-control is from the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23), the practice of our self-control is our responsibility (2 Peter 1:4-7). The point here is not necessarily abstinence, but having a strong control of our appetites and passions.
If we want to win, we must prepare. Life is full of unexpected events and we must be ready at a moments notice. If you want to excel as an athlete you must go into training. The same is true of our walk with God. We need spiritual workouts – Time in prayer, time in the Word, time in worship. To win the race requires that we are ready. We must be in a state of constant readiness. We must be ready when God calls us to serve. We must be ready for when we cross the finish line. “The secret to success in life is for a man to be ready for his time when it comes.” – Benjamin Disraeli.
The key is “self-discipline.” The athletes that competed in this competition had to provide proof that they had been in training for at least 10 months before the contest. They had to prove that they had spent the last 30 days doing exercises in the gymnasium. In the Greek games - only one received the prize. But for the child of God, the prize is available to all who run the disciplined race. The child of God should run as the winner runs. Philippians 3:13 states, “brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before.” In the relay races, teammates would run up to the next runner and reach the baton forward to the next runner. They constantly move forward.
Hebrews 12:1 says, “Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience that race that is set before thee.” Revelation 3:11 states, “Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown.”
In 1976 the University of Indiana won NCAA National Title. When interviewed about their success, coach Knight said, “The will to succeed is important but what is more important is the will to prepare”. We must prepare ourselves for the race.
“One important key to success is self-confidence. An important key to self-confidence is preparation.”
- Arthur Ashe
This passage is written with the backdrop of the Isthmian games - the equivalent of our Olympics. This event was held every two years ten miles outside the city of Corinth. These games brought people from every part of the Mediterranean to compete or just watch. It was the sporting event of the year - drawing the empire’s best talent. Athletes would compete in foot races, broad jumping, discus throwing, wrestling, boxing, gymnastics, and equestrian contests. They would compete fiercely, each striving for the Isthmian crown - a wreath of wild celery.
Winners received a lifetime exemption from paying taxes and serving in the military. They would also receive free tuition at one of their universities. Statues of themselves would be erected along the road that led to the site of the games. But the real prize was the celery wreath, awarded to the winner at the end of the games.
We’ve talked this week about Proceeding, Pursuing and today we will deal with Preparing, or getting ready. Verse 25 states, “And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things.”
An athlete who wants to win always goes into strict training. The key word to preparation or training is; temperance / self-control. This gives the idea of inner strength - strength not to indulge or act on impulse. The word ‘compete’ that Paul uses is the Greek is the word for agony. It points to the tremendous effort that was put forth to win. I remember when I started playing hockey. We would have to try out for the team and the first day we would only skate. People would be hanging over the boards losing lunch while others were cramping up. It was pure misery, but we all knew that if we endured, we would be on the team. Although the presence of our self-control is from the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23), the practice of our self-control is our responsibility (2 Peter 1:4-7). The point here is not necessarily abstinence, but having a strong control of our appetites and passions.
If we want to win, we must prepare. Life is full of unexpected events and we must be ready at a moments notice. If you want to excel as an athlete you must go into training. The same is true of our walk with God. We need spiritual workouts – Time in prayer, time in the Word, time in worship. To win the race requires that we are ready. We must be in a state of constant readiness. We must be ready when God calls us to serve. We must be ready for when we cross the finish line. “The secret to success in life is for a man to be ready for his time when it comes.” – Benjamin Disraeli.
The key is “self-discipline.” The athletes that competed in this competition had to provide proof that they had been in training for at least 10 months before the contest. They had to prove that they had spent the last 30 days doing exercises in the gymnasium. In the Greek games - only one received the prize. But for the child of God, the prize is available to all who run the disciplined race. The child of God should run as the winner runs. Philippians 3:13 states, “brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before.” In the relay races, teammates would run up to the next runner and reach the baton forward to the next runner. They constantly move forward.
Hebrews 12:1 says, “Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience that race that is set before thee.” Revelation 3:11 states, “Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown.”
In 1976 the University of Indiana won NCAA National Title. When interviewed about their success, coach Knight said, “The will to succeed is important but what is more important is the will to prepare”. We must prepare ourselves for the race.
“One important key to success is self-confidence. An important key to self-confidence is preparation.”
- Arthur Ashe
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
August 4 & 5
Read I Corinthians 9:24-27
This passage is written with the backdrop of the Isthmian games - the equivalent of our Olympics. This event was held every two years ten miles outside the city of Corinth. These games brought people from every part of the Mediterranean to compete or just watch. It was the sporting event of the year - drawing the empire’s best talent. Athletes would compete in foot races, broad jumping, discus throwing, wrestling, boxing, gymnastics, and equestrian contests. They would compete fiercely, each striving for the Isthmian crown - a wreath of wild celery.
Winners received a lifetime exemption from paying taxes and serving in the military. They would also receive free tuition at one of their universities. Statues of themselves would be erected along the road that led to the site of the games. But the real prize was the celery wreath, awarded to the winner at the end of the games.
There are seven keys to running well, and over the next couple of days we will concentrate on this passage and those keys. Today, the first key is to PROCEED. We must be willing to get going. Notice verse 24 “know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize?” It is important to notice that “All the runners run”.
In order to run the race we must first begin. The great Nike slogan fits here – “Just Do It”. There is no way to win a race if you aren’t running. To win the race requires that you get in the race. We cannot serve God from the starting blocks. Winning starts when we dare to begin. The more daring we are, the more glorious the victory. It is impossible to be victorious without doing something.
The last three days of elementary school was always the best. It was track and field week. We were never in the classroom, but everyone signed up for five events they would participate in. I would always do the 50 yard dash (the 100 was wayyyyy toooooo long!!). I would also do the high jump because I enjoyed landing on the big foam pads. I won in every event. I would walk away with medals that made my classmates drool (alright, they really didn’t care much). There was one event that I could never win as hard as I may have tried. It was the 400 meter relay. It wasn’t because I wasn’t asked to be on some of the teams, or because I wasn’t fast enough that I never won. The reason I could never win that race was that I never ran in it.
Likewise, until we get in the race for eternal life, we will never have the opportunity to win it. Remember these words, “We cannot expect God to say, ‘well done’ if we will not first ‘well do’.”
“I believe that every human has a finite number of heartbeats. I don't intend to waste any of mine running around doing exercises.”
- Neil Armstrong
August 5
Read I Corinthians 9:24-27
This passage is written with the backdrop of the Isthmian games - the equivalent of our Olympics. This event was held every two years ten miles outside the city of Corinth. These games brought people from every part of the Mediterranean to compete or just watch. It was the sporting event of the year - drawing the empire’s best talent. Athletes would compete in foot races, broad jumping, discus throwing, wrestling, boxing, gymnastics, and equestrian contests. They would compete fiercely, each striving for the Isthmian crown - a wreath of wild celery.
Winners received a lifetime exemption from paying taxes and serving in the military. They would also receive free tuition at one of their universities. Statues of themselves would be erected along the road that led to the site of the games. But the real prize was the celery wreath, awarded to the winner at the end of the games.
As I said yesterday, we want to look at the keys to running the race well. Yesterday we mentioned that you have to proceed, or get going first in order to possibly win. Today we want to deal with the second key. It is to pursue, or to keep moving.
Again in verse 24 – “So run, that ye may obtain.” This race isn’t over until we cross the finish line. If we want to win the prize we must pursue excellence in everything that we do. Paul is telling us that we cannot settle to watch from the sidelines but that we must be involved. We must be willing to take action. We must be willing to change our attitude. We must be willing to keep moving – even when we feel like giving up.
When I was playing hockey, I always looked forward to the end of the year banquet. It was at the banquet that everyone that made it the whole year received some kind of trophy. We started something and the guys that played and the coaches that coached and the parents that raised funds and drove us everywhere were able to see that child receive a reward. In biblical terms it is “I returned, and saw under the sun, that the race [is] not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favor to men of skill; but time and chance happeneth to them all.” (Ecclesiastes 9:11)
The value of the prize was not monetary but symbolic. The prize for Paul was a sense of satisfaction that God was using him in ministry. It was that he had used all his energies and talents and gifts for God’s glory, for the good of the kingdom. He described that prize in… Philippians 3:14 - “I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.”
When we run our race …whatever it may be, let us put on our faith or our NIKE gear, the gear of victory, and strive for the prize. We run to receive a crown of righteousness. It is not a crown of riches, but a crown that will carry a message to all who see it.
“You get very tired, and there was a certain amount of pain and you slow up. Your legs are so tired that you are in fact slowing. If you don't keep running, keep your blood circulating, the muscles stop pumping the blood back and you get dizzy.”
- Roger Bannister
This passage is written with the backdrop of the Isthmian games - the equivalent of our Olympics. This event was held every two years ten miles outside the city of Corinth. These games brought people from every part of the Mediterranean to compete or just watch. It was the sporting event of the year - drawing the empire’s best talent. Athletes would compete in foot races, broad jumping, discus throwing, wrestling, boxing, gymnastics, and equestrian contests. They would compete fiercely, each striving for the Isthmian crown - a wreath of wild celery.
Winners received a lifetime exemption from paying taxes and serving in the military. They would also receive free tuition at one of their universities. Statues of themselves would be erected along the road that led to the site of the games. But the real prize was the celery wreath, awarded to the winner at the end of the games.
There are seven keys to running well, and over the next couple of days we will concentrate on this passage and those keys. Today, the first key is to PROCEED. We must be willing to get going. Notice verse 24 “know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize?” It is important to notice that “All the runners run”.
In order to run the race we must first begin. The great Nike slogan fits here – “Just Do It”. There is no way to win a race if you aren’t running. To win the race requires that you get in the race. We cannot serve God from the starting blocks. Winning starts when we dare to begin. The more daring we are, the more glorious the victory. It is impossible to be victorious without doing something.
The last three days of elementary school was always the best. It was track and field week. We were never in the classroom, but everyone signed up for five events they would participate in. I would always do the 50 yard dash (the 100 was wayyyyy toooooo long!!). I would also do the high jump because I enjoyed landing on the big foam pads. I won in every event. I would walk away with medals that made my classmates drool (alright, they really didn’t care much). There was one event that I could never win as hard as I may have tried. It was the 400 meter relay. It wasn’t because I wasn’t asked to be on some of the teams, or because I wasn’t fast enough that I never won. The reason I could never win that race was that I never ran in it.
Likewise, until we get in the race for eternal life, we will never have the opportunity to win it. Remember these words, “We cannot expect God to say, ‘well done’ if we will not first ‘well do’.”
“I believe that every human has a finite number of heartbeats. I don't intend to waste any of mine running around doing exercises.”
- Neil Armstrong
August 5
Read I Corinthians 9:24-27
This passage is written with the backdrop of the Isthmian games - the equivalent of our Olympics. This event was held every two years ten miles outside the city of Corinth. These games brought people from every part of the Mediterranean to compete or just watch. It was the sporting event of the year - drawing the empire’s best talent. Athletes would compete in foot races, broad jumping, discus throwing, wrestling, boxing, gymnastics, and equestrian contests. They would compete fiercely, each striving for the Isthmian crown - a wreath of wild celery.
Winners received a lifetime exemption from paying taxes and serving in the military. They would also receive free tuition at one of their universities. Statues of themselves would be erected along the road that led to the site of the games. But the real prize was the celery wreath, awarded to the winner at the end of the games.
As I said yesterday, we want to look at the keys to running the race well. Yesterday we mentioned that you have to proceed, or get going first in order to possibly win. Today we want to deal with the second key. It is to pursue, or to keep moving.
Again in verse 24 – “So run, that ye may obtain.” This race isn’t over until we cross the finish line. If we want to win the prize we must pursue excellence in everything that we do. Paul is telling us that we cannot settle to watch from the sidelines but that we must be involved. We must be willing to take action. We must be willing to change our attitude. We must be willing to keep moving – even when we feel like giving up.
When I was playing hockey, I always looked forward to the end of the year banquet. It was at the banquet that everyone that made it the whole year received some kind of trophy. We started something and the guys that played and the coaches that coached and the parents that raised funds and drove us everywhere were able to see that child receive a reward. In biblical terms it is “I returned, and saw under the sun, that the race [is] not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favor to men of skill; but time and chance happeneth to them all.” (Ecclesiastes 9:11)
The value of the prize was not monetary but symbolic. The prize for Paul was a sense of satisfaction that God was using him in ministry. It was that he had used all his energies and talents and gifts for God’s glory, for the good of the kingdom. He described that prize in… Philippians 3:14 - “I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.”
When we run our race …whatever it may be, let us put on our faith or our NIKE gear, the gear of victory, and strive for the prize. We run to receive a crown of righteousness. It is not a crown of riches, but a crown that will carry a message to all who see it.
“You get very tired, and there was a certain amount of pain and you slow up. Your legs are so tired that you are in fact slowing. If you don't keep running, keep your blood circulating, the muscles stop pumping the blood back and you get dizzy.”
- Roger Bannister
Sunday, August 2, 2009
You Don't Have To Go!!
Read Luke 16:19-31
As you can tell, my spirit feels an urgency to remind you that we are truly living in the last days. Hell has fallen on hard times. A recent George Barna survey found that 67% of Americans do not believe in hell. That means that only 33% of Americans believe in a literal hell. Couple that idea with a rapidly declining biblical knowledge and in just a few short years there will be no hell. . . . at least in the minds of Americans.
“There has been a shift in religion from focusing on what happens in the next life to asking, ‘What is the quality of this life we’re leading now?’” said Harvey Cox Jr., an author, religious historian and professor at the Harvard Divinity School. “You can go to a whole lot of churches week after week, and you’d be startled even to hear a mention of hell.”
Despite what the popular preachers and theologians of our seminaries say about hell, they forget what the greatest preacher who ever lived had to say. The Lord Jesus Christ spoke about Hell twice as much as He did about Heaven. There was only one subject that He dealt with more and that was money. Suffice it to say, if the Lord thought it important enough to speak about hell then I too am bound by that same task.
There are four things that I would like to remind you about hell today. First, hell may be in your future even if you are prospering on earth. In biblical times, people believed that if a person was blessed with wealth, power, authority, etc. in this life that he would receive even more in the next life. How mistaken the rich man was. Second, hell is a place of eternal torment and agony. One of the torments that this passage deals with is that the rich man was able to remember his whole life. Those in hell will remember all the opportunities they had to love God. They will remember every Sunday school lesson, every sermon and song, and their memory will torment them for eternity. Third, hell is a place of unanswered prayers. You think that God is not listening sometimes in your present day; He will be even more silent in those days.
The fourth thing that I want you to know about hell is that you DO NOT HAVE TO GO. One day, when Vice President Calvin Coolidge was presiding over the Senate, one Senator angrily told another to go "straight to hell". The offended Senator complained to Coolidge as presiding officer, and Mr. Coolidge looked up from the book he had been leafing through while listening to the debate and wittily replied. "I’ve been looking through the rule book," he said. "You don’t have to go."
The same is true for everyone in this room today. You do not have to go to Hell. The rich man realizes that his fate is sealed but he also realizes that his brother’s, who are still alive, do not "have to come to this place of torment." He desires to warn them so that they will repent, which means acknowledge wrongdoing, listen to God and go in a different direction with God’s help. He understands that if a person will turn form his sinful ways and be baptized and filled with the Holy Ghost, evidenced by speaking in an unknown language they will not go to Hell.
I apologize for the length of this devotion today, but I do not apologize for its content. My prayer is that everyone that reads this today will find a place where everything is right between you and God so that we can rejoice together when we see Him face to face.
“It’s time we give hell a heaven of a day!”
- Stan Gleason
Saturday, August 1, 2009
Are You Ready to Meet Him?
Read John 3:16, I John 3:2
I have a dilemma. I am required by my relationship with Jesus Christ for you and I to establish an honest, genuine relationship before I discuss with you what I'm about to discuss. But it's a catch 22. I may never meet some of you. There are those I send these devotions to that I do not know, and there are those of you that are receiving these from people that are forwarding them to you. Yet I cannot bring myself to face my Creator unless I do my best to give you the opportunity I've been given.
So I'm going to assume that you, dear reader, do not believe the things I do and I'm going to tell you about my Lord. You see, someday I WILL face Him and I couldn't stand it if He said, "You say you cared about people, yet you didn't even try to tell them about My sacrifice for their sake?"
The thing is, someday you'll face Him, too. And you won't be able to point to my poor presentation of this message, my "pushiness," or any other way in which I may have been a bad example. I'll answer to Him for those things. At some point, you'll have to humble yourself, examine your own heart and admit your need of a Savior regardless of my bad example. You will not be able to look at some poor televangelist’s bad example of Christ. There will be no one that you will be able to blame for your choices today.
Someday it will be just you and Him and He'll say, "That messenger on the Internet? Oh yes, his interview is next week. The Televangelist? He may be a hypocrite but that's not your concern. He will answer to me if he was. Now I'm asking you why YOU rejected My sacrifice."
God so loved each one of that He did not send someone else to save the world, He came himself. I remember that statement hanging on either side of our sanctuary growing up. I think about it often. The great God of the universe, the one that spoke all things into existence, loved me so much that He became a man like me so that one day I might be like Him. I can’t wait to see Him.
The older we get, the more urgent it becomes to discuss this subject. So I cannot afford to mince words. You have a choice to make today. Will you bow to Him now or will you wait until later. The sound of His return is in the air. We are closer to the coming of the Lord than ever before. We MUST be ready to see Him.
The bottom line is a changed life can be yours if you want it. You say you want the one you have? Consider yourself fortunate for the time being. But it won't last forever. When you face the Master, you can do it with confidence.
“Men talk of killing time, while time quietly kills them.”
- Dion Boucicault
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