Running the Race

Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, Hebrews 12:1 (NKJV)


 Life is a highway is a song that I like, but it is a philosophy that many of us live by. What is the highway for? A highway is for traveling long distances at high speeds in hopes of getting to our destination sooner. Great for cross-country trips: bad for living life.

The writer of Hebrews may have had this in mind when he wrote this verse. He spent the previous chapter recalling many dead heroes of the faith and their impact on their times. These constitute the great cloud of witnesses he speaks of. He points to them as examples of perseverance and faithfulness in difficult times during this life of faith. They were people tempted and tried like we are, yet they stayed the course and finished their lives having been faithful to God. They weren't perfect. They weren't special. They just got it. They understood God and who He is. They fell in love with Him and would not trade anything for their relationship with Him.


Because of these witnesses, the writer exhorts his readers to unburden themselves with the weights of this life. Desires for wealth, fame, success, possessions, power, or sex are just many of the things that can deter us from this life that has been given to us. They detract from the focus of this life which is our relationship with Christ. We struggle and we worry and we strive for things that will one day soon fade away and rust and die and rot. Why? All for a brief moment of self-satisfaction. We spend our lives struggling for those things which can never truly fulfill us. That hole in our lives has a particular shape and size. Only God can fill it. If all the things listed can give us peace, why do the rich, wealthy, famous, and powerful still feel empty? Why do they go from marriage to marriage, or relationship to relationship, yet never seem satisfied? It is truly because those things can never give us what we need: forgiveness.

Forgiveness is a foreign concept in our post-Christian world. Why? Because the fact of our sinful nature which results in sinful actions is no longer thought to even exist. This teaching is why when we have horrific events like the recent massacre at a Colorado move theater, we spend all of our time searching for why it happened. The reason is simple: this man was consumed by a desire to sin and do these dreadful deeds. Yet the rest of us are the same. We are consumed by this same desire to sin. Jesus said that to be angry with someone without cause is the same as murder (Matthew 5:21-22). The writer of Hebrews again exhorts us to not only lay aside the weights of life, but also the sins of life which we fall prey to so easily. The Apostle Paul tells us to put on the new man made in the image of Christ. At it's core, Christianity is a simple thing: we turn from sin and turn to God. This is simply what the writer is telling us to do.

We need to do these things to thrive in life, because life is not a highway, but a race. It is not a sprint, but  along distance race in which our only competition is that sinful nature which wants to slow us down in the race of life. It is a continual process turning from our sin. Some days are good, other days are not as good, and still others are horrid. But we must continue to run. We must never give up, never quit, and never surrender. The prize is already ours. Jesus has paid the price for our sins, so we do not have the weight of judgment hanging over our heads. He has removed the immovable weight of guilt and given us hope that we can run this race. One thing is for certain, that whether we continue to run, or we sit on the side of the road, this race continues. Life stops for no one or nothing. If you find yourself in a state of fear, panic, pain, agony, doubt, dread, loneliness, abandonment, betrayal, sickness, indebtedness, joblessness, whatever state you find yourself in, the sun will rise tomorrow and you must face that day with it's challenges and troubles. So, man-up! This race is tough! But you have to face it! Through it all, Jesus is there with you. If you trust in Him, He will guide you through it. It may not be pretty. You may not have all that you desire in this life, but you must remember that the goal is the finish line and not all the trophies we collect along the way. God bless.

Promises, Promises

For He Himself has said, "I will never leave you nor forsake you."Hebrews 13:5 NKJV




As I was reading Our Daily Bread this morning, this was the central verse of the devotion. I have read this verse many times and know it very well. However, something struck me that I had never really noticed before. I have always focused on the promise and not the one giving the promise. I do not know which translation they were using, but it said "God himself" was making the promise. I think the use of God rather than "he" is what triggered it. The point being that a promise is only as good as the one making it.




I have been promised many things in this life and many have fallen through. I have promised many things in this life and failed to deliver. Yet, this promise is made by God himself. He made a promise to Abram in Genesis and carried it through. God promised to deliver Noah and He made good on His promise. He made a promise to David and has seen it to completion. Whatever He says, He does. Why do I, as a Christian, fail to see and realize and incorporate this into my life? Why do I worry and stress over things outside of my control?




Oh, what a marvelous Savior I have!! He cares so much for me and wants what is best for me! "A great high priest whose name is Love, who ever lives and pleads for me!" He has promised, "I will never leave you nor forsake you." I will not fear what man shall do unto me!! Praise God, not just for the promise for the one making it!!

Incarnation - Lori

Isaiah 53:7  He was oppressed, yet when he was afflicted he opened not his mouth


I graduated Fruitland Baptist Bible Institute in 2004 and the following fall I began studying at North Greenville University. At 36 years of age, I was much older than the average student. One of my classes was Music Appreciation and in that class I met a woman who was just a year or two younger. Her name was Lori. She and I became friends and we had fun in class with an instructor who was probably 12 years younger than us. After that semester, I was forced to withdraw from NGU and Lori and I lost touch. A few years later I happened to run across Lori on Facebook and we re-connected.

What I learned is that in the summer following my departure from NGU, Lori had traveled to Israel on a mission trip and had contracted a bacterial virus known as Brucellosis. It causes muscle pain and fatigue. However this did not deter Lori from her studies even though she often had to use a cane to get to class.  On top of this, in her former career as a police officer, she had suffered a traumatic head injury which required her to re-learn how to read and write. Despite all of this she finished her career at NGU a point or two shy of a 4.0 GPA. A rather remarkable achievement. In the last few years she has also began to deal with a rather crippling case of Rheumatoid Arthritis. All of this before the age of 40.

In the years since reconnecting with her, she and I have had many phone conversations. I do not believe I have ever heard her talk as though she is down and depressed. She always has a smile in her tone of voice and often times cheers me up with her wonderful sense of humor. Through all of this, I have never heard her complain about God's lack of response to her prayers to free her from this physical prison. Her endurance and perseverance under heavy trials is strong evidence of her deep faith. Her perseverance humbles me. I think I have been through some difficult times, but nothing like her struggles. Yet I often question God and act down and depressed. Through Lori, God has shown me what it means to truly trust God. To take what God has in store for us, whether we see it as good or bad, and trust him through all the difficulties with a Christ-like attitude is something I have seen in her. She truly epitomizes, to me at least, the strength of Christ during his suffering. In this way Christ becomes real to me as I see Him in her.

With all of these health difficulties, she is still active in her orchestra at her church and active with her church ministries. Through her I see the strength of Christ and His perseverance through trials and pain. Jesus is called the suffering servant and Lori captures that aspect of Jesus in her life, attitude, and strength.