Have you thanked Him?
Have you praised Him?
Have you made it your priority to agree and cooperate with Him today?
Have you taken that deep breath and listened for what He has for you today?
ARE YOU SEEKING?
1 Timothy 2:1 (The Message)
1-3The first thing I want you to do is pray. Pray every way you know how, for everyone you know.
Like many of you I have been tuned in to the Olympics the last few days and evenings witnessing the triumphs and the tragedies (see weightlifter video if you can stomach those kinds of things) the familiar and the unusual.
But one thing is consistent whether it is a gymnast, the 8 man rowing team, or the fencers they all have painstaking prepared for this moment, these Olympics, these two weeks in the sun. They all have practiced, exercised incredible discipline, have sacrificed mightily and have endured in order to “be the best”at their chosen passion.
I truly admire that don’t you? The single-mindedness, the dedication, and their endurance never cease to impress me.
That got me to pondering this morning.
What if we were to approach our walk with Christ or our recovery with that same passion, that same zeal? What if we were to develop our faith for endurance as the marathoner or the cyclist does. Oddly enough the Bible is chocked full of “Olympic”references when it comes to just that.
It depicts the Christian life as a race.
1 Corinthians 9:24
[ The Need for Self-Discipline ] Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize.
[ The Need for Self-Discipline ] Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize.
Hebrews 12:1
…And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us…
So perhaps we CAN take a page from these Olympians.
I am sure they pull themselves out of bed every day and prepare to train. They fill their minds and bodies with the things that will advance their agenda and that is to win the race or take home the gold; each day building the skills and endurance to succeed!
GOD calls us to do the same, to prepare and live life as a race. He wants us in the WORD; He calls us to praise and prayer. He challenges us to daily develop our endurance.
James 1:2-3
Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance.
Endurance is an inner strength that enables us to face any difficulty without quitting. The Olympian needs endurance to win so he conditions his body for success, even when it hurts or is tired.
As believers, we’re called to do the exact same thing, to run our race and to live our lives with endurance!
Colossians 1:9
…continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives,[a] 10 so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, 11 being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, 12 and giving joyful thanks to the Father, who has qualified you[b] to share in the inheritance of his holy people in the kingdom of light.
So let’s get up and train up today. Focus on building up your endurance!
GOD has a GOLD MEDAL, an inheritance waiting for those who do!
Have a blessed weekend.
I love you all.
Freedom Church
Pastor GDelaney
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