I’m not saying that I have this all together, that I have it made. But I am well on my way, reaching out for Christ, who has so wondrously reached out for me. Friends, don’t get me wrong: By no means do I count myself an expert in all of this, but I’ve got my eye on the goal, where God is beckoning us onward—to Jesus. I’m off and running, and I’m not turning back. (Philippians 3:12-14 MSG) As you begin your day today, consider this: God sets the course, we take steps along that course, and at some point, we will reach the finish line, if we don't give up. Will we finish well, though? Or will we just barely make it over that finish line, panting, bedraggled, and wasted? The more we 'train' for the race, the better we will be able to run. The more we allow our 'coach' to help us develop our 'skills' to endure the race, the less likely we are to peter out after even a short run! Are you well on your way? If you have started well, but somewhere along the way yo...
Since we have such a huge crowd of men of faith watching us from the grandstands, let us strip off anything that slows us down or holds us back, and especially those sins that wrap themselves so tightly around our feet and trip us up; and let us run with patience the particular race that God has set before us. (Hebrews 12:1 TLB) As we focus on our goals accomplished this week, let us take a moment to examine how we are doing with our 'goal' to be closer to Christ. How well did we do on that one? Did we take time each day to get into his Word, not just with a casual 'look-see', but with intent? Did we find ourselves 'tripping' over some old sin pattern that we thought we'd be able to overcome this week, but didn't do so well with? Did we 'run' toward sin or away from it? Don't despair when your goals aren't met - perhaps they just need a little 'revisit' this week, with a little less of our 'focus' and a little more of God...