Month: September 2022

Run Your Race with Endurance

…Let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,

Looking only at Jesus…

Hebrews 12:1-2

When I read these verses, I think of the Olympics.  One of my favorite features in Olympics coverage is the “up close and personal” segments where we get to see into the personal lives of the competitors.  The level of commitment to their sport is something most of us have difficulty personally identifying with.  But we can learn valuable lessons as Christians by looking at the lives of competitive athletes.

            An athlete spends many hours a day preparing the body for the competition.  Strict discipline is required to train physically and mentally.  Hours are spent every day in the weight room building up the body and strengthening the muscles.  Countless hours must be spent perfecting techniques to ensure the quickest starts and the ability to pace oneself.  Rigorous compliance with just the right kind of diet is mandatory.  Competitive athletes must have a single-minded focus and give up many other things in order to achieve the goal. Years of preparation are required to be among the best.

            What is the race that the Lord calls His followers to run?  Colossians 1:10 describes it this way:   …Walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God.

            He calls us to an intimate relationship with Himself — loving Him, walking with Him, listening, obeying His Word, acknowledging our complete dependence on Him for what He has planned for our life. The Bible is our instruction manual that teaches us how to live a life that is pleasing to Him – how we are to live in relationship to Him, to our family, spouse, children, employers or employees, to those who are suffering.  Only in a close relationship with the Lord and filled with His Spirit will we experience “bearing fruit in every good work.”  We need to actively seek to discover our spiritual gifts and to be using them to serve.

            Hebrews 12:1 tells us to rid ourselves of every obstacle and sin which so easily entangles us in order to run the race.  It isn’t just sin that weighs us down and causes us to stumble in our race.  There are other things, often even good things, that can distract us and take a great deal of our time, energy and focus away from God’s best for us.  We need to be sure we are doing what God wants with our life.  We need to be in the race He has called us to.

            Fixing our eyes on Jesus is the key.  “Fixing” is translated from a Greek word meaning “to look away from all else at.”  Have you ever noticed the eyes of athletes who are beginning a race?  They are not looking around at the spectators to see who is watching them.  They are not glancing at the other competitors.  Their eyes are fixed on the course directly in front of them, and their intense focus and concentration on the goal is evident.

            That is the example for us to follow.  We need to take very seriously the Lord’s call to run the race that He sets before us, constantly fighting against being so caught up in earthly things that we forget our goal.  We need to remind ourselves often that the ultimate goal is to stand before the Lord someday, perfect and complete, and hear him say, “Well done.”

PERSONAL REFLECTION

Read again Colossians 1:10 …that you may walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God.

How do you prepare yourself to run with endurance the race that is set before you?

What “encumbrances” do you need to lay aside?

What is the sin that so easily entangles you?

Are your eyes fixed on Jesus?  Or is your focus of attention divided and scattered?  Where are your eyes fixed?

Are you running the race He has set before you?  Or has someone or something else designed your race?  How do you know?

Commit yourself to come before the Lord each day for training, instruction, wisdom and His power to run the race He has set before you.

God Knows You by Name

A few weeks ago, I wrote about the new Bible-reading method our pastor introduced us to.  I’m excited as I read through each chapter and look specifically for how God reveals Himself and how I can apply this truth to my own life and deepen my relationship with Him. I just completed the whole book of Genesis, and have a renewed appreciation for how God has recorded for us His intimate relationship and covenant promises made to His people, and how they are being fulfilled.

When I came to chapter 5, I read an entire list of names of all the generations from Adam to Noah. At first, I was thinking, “What does this long list of names and the number of years each one lived have to do with God’s revelation of Himself?”  But soon the answer came!  God knows every name and everything about every person!  And each person is important enough to be named and recorded. 

I love Psalm 139:16 which tells how intimately God knows each individual:

Your eyes have seen my unformed substance; and in Your book were all written the days that were ordained for me, when as yet there was not one of them.

Take some time to let this truth sink deeply into your mind and your heart: Can you grasp the fact that even before you were born God knew every day of your life?

Other scriptures tell us of God’s record of names.  Luke 10:20b Jesus tells His disciples that “your names are recorded in heaven.” 

And one more account of names being recorded is found in Revelation 21:27.   We read about the new heaven and the new earth and the names that are written in the Lamb’s book of life – the record of all who belong to the Lord by faith in Him.

            Reading the Bible with these specific questions in mind has made God’s Word come alive in a deeper way for me.  As I mentioned before, just reading through several chapters a day in order to complete the whole Bible in one year just wasn’t satisfying to me.  I’m gaining a stronger relationship with the Lord as I take time to consider how each chapter can be applied to my own life.  I encourage you to consider trying this method!  Once again, if you’re interested in learning more about this method, I can email you the complete document with more detailed guidelines.  My email address is sjspokane000@gmail.com.

PERSONAL REFLECTION

Read again the Scripture above from Psalm 139:16. Ask God to speak to your heart.  Consider writing your thoughts as you pray and meditate on the truth of God’s knowledge of you.

Receive the Word Implanted

James 1:21

Many of my friends love to be outdoors preparing the soil in their garden for the seeds they will plant in the spring as soon as the temperature is just right.  As summer comes, they begin to see the plants producing the fresh fruits and vegetables they will enjoy and share with others.

I’m thinking now of this Scripture in James 1:21 which tells us to “receive the Word implanted.”  God has given us His Word, the Bible, so that we can get to know Him personally and have our lives changed to reflect what He has planted in us.  We will grow to be more like Jesus as we listen to Him and obey what He says.

From personal experience growing up in church, I recognize that it is possible to know a lot about God without really knowing Him and living in a personal relationship with Him.  I grew up in a family that never missed a week of church attendance.  Even when we were at the lake on vacation we had to drive into town and go to church on Sunday.  What a waste, I thought! I also attended youth group and even Wednesday night prayer meetings because that was expected.  I enjoyed being with my friends, but I don’t remember any emphasis on a personal relationship with God and loving Him with all my heart which is what He wants for us.

There were lots of rules:  Don’t go to movies or dances, don’t wear skirts above the knees, don’t color our hair, don’t wear two-piece bathing suits…  One good thing we were encouraged to do was memorize lots of Scripture – but it was a game to me.  I was really good at the Bible quiz contests.  It didn’t truly penetrate my heart.

The condition of my heart was clearly revealed when I spent a summer away from home living with another family.  Within a week I had colored my hair (the same color as my natural color, so no one else even knew what I had done).  I also purchased a two-piece bathing suit.  (It covered as much of my body as a one-piece, but I knew it was two pieces and I found rebellious delight in that!). If there had been an opportunity to go to dances and movies, I’m sure I would have done that too! I definitely was rebelling from all the church rules!

A speaker came to a Youth for Christ meeting to share his experience of how God changed his life after being in jail for some time.  I remember wishing that I had done something really bad like that so I could tell people how God had changed me.  I always thought of myself as a “good Christian girl” who would never do anything like that!  I didn’t understand that I was as much of a sinner in need of a Savior as that man who had been in jail. 

I’m so thankful for God’s patience with me as He began transforming my heart as an adult.  My husband and I had moved to a different state, and after several years of not attending church, I started going with a friend who had moved in next door.  God used that pastor who taught me how to study the Bible, to understand that God wants a personal relationship with me, not just “following all the man-made church rules.”  It was at that time that I invited Jesus to be my Lord and Savior and committed to follow Him. That began a process of getting to know the God of the Bible that will continue as long as I live here on earth.  The more I get to know Him through His Word, the more I love Him.  There have been times of turning away from God’s ways and choosing my own, but He has graciously forgiven me and drawn me back. 

God has given every believer the gift of the Holy Spirit to live in us and to do that transforming work in our lives. Fortunately, all the Scripture memorization of my youth was not wasted.  The Holy Spirit now brings those words of Scripture back to my mind and brings life and understanding, and the desire to listen and obey God’s Word through a love relationship with Him.  He gives me opportunities to share His Word with others.  I’m profoundly grateful for His love, patience, faithfulness, mercy, and grace.

PERSONAL REFLECTION

What is the condition of your heart?  Have you made that personal commitment to receive Him as your Lord and Savior? Do you have a personal relationship with Him through faith in Jesus?

As you read God’s Word, ask Him to plant it into your heart by the Spirit.  The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.  Do you see the evidence of that fruit in your life?

It is possible to be doing the right things for the wrong reasons.  Even church attendance and daily Bible reading can become something that must be “checked off the list of things to do” for the day. You can ask God to penetrate your heart with His Word and His Spirit to transform your life.

Maybe you don’t even have the desire to know God.  You can ask Him to give you that desire and to lead you into a relationship with Him.

I Am the God of Bethel

I am the God of Bethel, where you anointed a pillar, where you made a vow to Me…”

Genesis 31:13

In my post on August 1st, I wrote about the Bible Read-Thru program.  The purpose is to “meet with God and hear from Him in His Word.”  Whatever portion of Scripture we are reading, we are encouraged to ask these questions: “What does God reveal about Himself?” and “How can I deepen my relationship with Him?”

 I’m really excited about what God reveals in His Word when I am specifically reading with those questions in mind.  I started reading in Genesis this month, and even though most of the stories are familiar to me, God reveals something that speaks to my heart in each chapter. (If you would like me to email you a copy of the Bible Read-Thru program, you can email me at sjspokane000@gmail.com.)

            I want to share with you an example from chapter 31.  What stood out to me, and what I have been thinking about for several days, is the phrase in verse 13 in which God is speaking to Jacob: “I am the God of Bethel.” Why would that verse stand out?  Good question!  You may know the story of Jacob, the son of Isaac.  In previous chapters, we read that Jacob deceived his blind father by pretending to be his older brother Esau.  Jacob received his father’s blessing and stole Esau’s birthright.  Esau is furious and wants to kill Jacob.  Jacob flees from his home and goes to live with his uncle Laban.  On the way, God spoke to Jacob in a dream and promised to give the land in which he was sleeping to him and his descendants. God also promised not to leave him until He had done what He promised.  Jacob awoke the next morning and set up a stone as a pillar and made a vow that the Lord would be his God.  Jacob called that place Bethel.

            Since that phrase stood out to me, I’ve been asking the question, “Lord, what do you want to say to me about yourself today?  I am the God of ____________.”  The answer that He spoke to my heart was clear: “I am the God of Cathedral Oaks Christian Church in Santa Barbara, California.”  That is where I met God and was introduced to the truth that He wants to have a personal relationship with me.  Even though I had attended church most of my life, I had never heard that.  I grew up with a lot of rules to follow and activities to avoid.  I thought I was pretty good at following those rules, but after receiving Jesus as my Savior, it was clear that outward obedience is not what God wants.  He sees my heart, and my heart was not pleasing to Him.  Rule-following caused me to be judgmental toward the people who don’t follow the rules! 

            I am assured of God’s promises throughout His Word.  Just as God promised to be with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, He is with me.  And all who belong to Him have that same promise, that He will never leave nor forsake us (Hebrews 13:5).  I love His promise in Philippians 1:6 NLT:  “I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.”

PERSONAL REFLECTION

If you belong to God, take some moments to remember where you first met Him and received Him as your Lord and Savior. Ask Him to speak to your heart, “I am the God of ____________.”

Thank Him for the work He has begun in you that He promises to complete. Thank Him for His promise to be with you, and never leave you!

If you have not received Him as Your Lord and Savior, you can make that decision.  He loves you and He gave His life to have a forever relationship with you.  Ask Him to forgive your sins of following your own way instead of following Him.  Surrender your life to Him and begin the personal relationship that He desires to share with you.