Run.

Friday, September 16, 2011
Run. Just imagine for a moment that you’re watching your favorite football team on tv, whether college or professional. The team you happen to be rooting for has possession of the ball. The quarterback gets the snap, backs up and tosses the ball to a man who is wide open. That player, after receiving the ball, starts running. He runs harder and faster than any football player you’ve ever seen! Like a lightning bolt, he sails down the field and across the goal line like it’s nothing. There’s only one problem: he ran the wrong way.
How many comments do you think would be made about his speed, or how well he held onto the ball once he received it? My guess would be that a fair 99% of the commentary of his run would have to do with the direction. That’s probably the most important element of the idea of running – direction. You can be a skilled, quick, agile and enduring runner, yet if you’re going the wrong way none of it matters.
Paul told us in some of his writing in the New Testament of the Bible that running matters, as does the direction. He said, “Run with endurance the race set before you, looking to Jesus the Author and Perfector of our faith, Who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has set down at the right hand of the throne of God.” Notice a few things in that verse that have to do with direction…
He said to “run with endurance the race set BEFORE you…” Notice we aren’t told to re-run the race BEHIND, but simply the one left to be run. That tells me that we can’t run effectively if we’re facing backwards. We all have truckloads of failure in our past that we could dwell on and camp out in. That’s not the correct direction to run, though. Christ promises that our sins will be forgiven if we bring them to Him, so let’s take Him at His word! Take your past to Him, confess it, and leave it there. Then get up and begin to run forward!
Keep your eyes on the prize – Jesus! There’s a finish line to this race, and Jesus is sitting there waiting on us to finish! Can you imagine what it will feel like to see Him, after all the struggling and battling on this earth is done? It tends to help us push through the pain and cramping of a long distance race if we focus on how sweet the finish line will be. So don’t give up, and don’t even consider the option of quitting! The race won’t last forever – and when it ends we’ve got a celebration waiting for us that’s second to none!
Sometimes what hinders us the most about running is the fear of falling. I’ve had my fair share of good spills, and I’ll be honest with you when I say I really don’t care to do that again. But if we allow that fear to prevent us from running toward our future, we’ll never experience the thrill of victory because of the past agony of defeat. Drop your fear, and give it all you’ve got for the future.
Today is another leg of the race called life. The cheering section is going wild in heaven (Hebrews 12:1)! The past is history, so leave it be. Now tighten up your laces, do a little stretching, and prepare for the marathon of a lifetime! On your mark, get set…

Please Pray:
*Continue to pray for the Summers, as they face the coming days of continued news and decisions about baby Morgan’s future.
*Continue to pray for Mary, who did end up coming up yesterday afternoon finally. Keep praying for her recovery.
*Pray for a young man named Tanner and his two friends who were involved in an ATV wreck on Sunday. His mom is a friend of mine, and these are scary days for her and the family. Tanner has been moved to a step down unit, which means he’s improving! Continue to pray for his recovery, as well as that of the other young boy involved that is still in ICU.



That’s just a thought, and I welcome yours.
Until next time,
blake

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