Reconciliation

Posted on March 28, 2013 by Jody Neufeld

Because we understand our fearful responsibility to the Lord, we work hard to persuade others. God knows we are sincere, and I hope you know this, too. 12 Are we commending ourselves to you again? No, we are giving you a reason to be proud of us, so you can answer those who brag about having a spectacular ministry rather than having a sincere heart. 13 If it seems we are crazy, it is to bring glory to God. And if we are in our right minds, it is for your benefit.14 Either way, Christ’s love controls us. Since we believe that Christ died for all, we also believe that we have all died to our old life. 15 He died for everyone so that those who receive his new life will no longer live for themselves. Instead, they will live for Christ, who died and was raised for them.

16 So we have stopped evaluating others from a human point of view. At one time we thought of Christ merely from a human point of view. How differently we know him now! 17 This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!

18 And all of this is a gift from God, who brought us back to himself through Christ. And God has given us this task of reconciling people to him.     2 Corinthians 5:11-18 (NLT, my emphasis)

It’s Holy Thursday. Time is growing short as Jesus keeps His promise and finishes His mission. In your mind’s eye do you see the calm resolve in the Messiah’s eyes? Do you see the fear in the eyes of the disciples? Do you see Satan licking his lips as he anticipates his victory? Does that bring a secret smile to your spirit because you know that it is Jesus who has the victory and completes His mission of reconciliation? He became the perfect Blood sacrifice to reconcile us to the Father and to each other because it was His plan that we work together for His Kingdom.

How are we doing in this ministry of reconciliation?

A Sincere Heart. We are to work to persuade others about what? How great our ministry or our denomination is? No. We are to let our hearts shine with the clear, simple message of God’s love and His desire to have a relationship with them. What that relationship looks like and how it manifests itself is between God and His child. Just as I have a unique relationship with each of my children, and no one is better, so God has with each of His children. We are all His favorite!

The Messiah died for ALL. It is sometimes hard for me to wrap this truth around my very human mind. I’d like to think that I am not judgmental – but I am. God’s child is a Muslim, a Hindu, a homosexual, a murderer, a gossip, a liar, a thief. Jesus wanted both thieves to be with Him in Paradise. Jesus invited Matthew the tax collector, who swindled desperately poor people out of their money, to be His disciple. Peter, the Rock, was a hypocrite even after the Holy Spirit touched him on Pentecost (Galatians 2:11-18). Jesus died for us all, as imperfect as we are. We are not perfect. We struggle to reject our sinful nature, that it would die so that we truly live in fellowship. It is by grace and our LORD’s great mercy that we have a relationship with Him. To demand perfection from others before we invite them to fellowship (break bread) when we ourselves are not perfect – I see Jesus turning over our Hypocritical Tables in His house again!

See others with the eyes of Christ. When Jesus looked at the leper, the centurian, Judas at the Passover table, Peter across a courtyard, He looked at them with compassion. He saw their hearts, their weaknesses, their sin and still loved them. When Jesus looked at the Pharisees and the Scribes – not so much compassion. He saw their hearts too. Pride, hypocrisy, self-importance and lack of compassion and love had Jesus warning us that with the measure of forgiveness that I extend to others is the same measure that I will receive (Luke 6:37-38).

Reach out. My husband and I are very different people. We come from different histories. I grew up playing sports and Henry grew up collecting spores. We met at church but our relationship with God is very different – much like Peter and Paul! When it became apparent that God had brought us together, many people labeled us a “power couple.” (Yes, a chuckle is OK!) Our marriage ceremony even reflected the bringing together of two very different perspectives in God’s Kingdom. We accept that part of our ministry is about bringing others who are very different together with the hope that they recognize their love for Christ and the desire to build His Kingdom. I know two pastors who are mighty men of God, compassionate, powerful teachers. They could do so much to encourage each other, a “power team” but would their disagreement about homosexuals keep them from seeing what they can agree – Jesus and Him crucified?

My brothers and sisters, Jesus came and died that we might live. How can we do anything less for all those who are starving for the Hope that only Jesus can give? Let us think about who Jesus has invited to His Passover table and let us sit down and break bread (fellowship) together. Let us be reconciled.

Come to Jesus written and sung by Chris Rice

 

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The Way of the Cross

Posted on March 27, 2013 by Jody Neufeld

Then he [Jesus] said to the crowd, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross daily, and follow me. If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it. And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but are yourself lost or destroyed? If anyone is ashamed of me and my message, the Son of Man will be ashamed of that person when he returns in his glory and in the glory of the Father and the holy angels.”   Luke 9:23-26 (NLT)

“Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in me. There is more than enough room in my Father’s home. If this were not so, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you? When everything is ready, I will come and get you, so that you will always be with me where I am. …

If you love me, obey my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, who will never leave you. He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth.” John 14:1-3, 15-17 (NLT)

I hope that all of you are part of a group that hears teachings that include the Cross of Christ. If you can’t remember the last time you heard a teaching about the Cross, then find a new group because you are missing the point of your faith.

Paul told the Corinthian church that he wasn’t ashamed to speak of such a horrific thing, this crucifixion of Christ, even if it seemed foolish to some to believe in a Messiah that would allow Himself to be killed and in such a humiliating way (1 Corinthians 1:17-18). And here I am, a disciple of such a Messiah.

“Take up your cross every day, Jody.” my Savior tells me. And some days I can feel the weight of the cross. It is the weight of choosing to live my life after Jesus’ example when my steps are trudging up a path that seems like Calvary, lonely and painful. Look at Jesus’ words in Luke’s gospel. If I wonder why my days are sometimes just plain hard, then I need to lift my eyes and find the Light because I am following Jesus! However – Jesus also said that His yoke for me is easy and the burdens not heavy (Matthew 11:30). How do these two pictures come together? Jesus wants me to learn from Him and allow Him to carry my burdens. He doesn’t want me bowed down in this weight. He wants me to turn to Him and let go.

“Let go of your way, Jody, and walk in My Way,” Jesus says. I “met” a couple last Sunday over the livestream of the worship service that my daughter and her family attend in Missouri. They are around my age. He is a physician and his wife is a dentist. They have left behind the plan that they had for their lives and are caring for special needs children and their families in the Ukraine. They are caring for a group of people who are, at best neglected but more often are actively shunned by society. These children will know who Jesus is because they will see Him in this couple and those who are following in His Way. What do people see when they look at me? Is it Jesus or is He hidden behind my wants and my pursuit of what society (even my family and friends) may determine is success? It is very hard to let go of what might be good in order to embrace what is God.

I want to be with Jesus in Paradise for all eternity. Jesus promised it to the thief next to Him as He hung on the Cross. He promised it to me the night I said, “I need You, Jesus, come into my life.” But there is a cross to carry every day on the road that leads to that eternal glory. The Advocate, the Comforter, will be with me every step with His truth, His wisdom, and His strength. Thank You, Jesus, for that promise!

Holy Spirit Rain Down written by Russell Fragar and sung by Hillsong Worship Team

 

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God’s Grace and Mercy

Posted on March 26, 2013 by Jody Neufeld

“I will answer them before they even call to me.
While they are still talking about their needs,
I will go ahead and answer their prayers!
The wolf and the lamb will feed together.
The lion will eat hay like a cow.
But the snakes will eat dust.
In those days no one will be hurt or destroyed on my holy mountain.
I, the Lord, have spoken!”     Isaiah 65:24-25 (NLT)

He suffered and endured great pain for us,
but we thought his suffering was punishment from God.
He was wounded and crushed because of our sins;
by taking our punishment, he made us completely well.
All of us were like sheep that had wandered off.
We had each gone our own way,
but the Lord gave him the punishment we deserved.    Isaiah 53:4-6 (CEV)

As I read through the story of Christ’s journey this week in Luke’s gospel, my mind and heart turn overwhelmingly to Jesus’ great love for me. And here is the prophet Isaiah telling me, just as John does in 1 John 4:19, that God loved me first before I even knew Him or knew how much I needed His love. Jesus was heckled and pursued by hypocritical men who would not rest until they killed Him, primarily because He challenged their self-satisfying life and traditions. Jesus laid down His life because He had no other greater way to show His great love for me (John 15:13).

The Sunday School class of which I am a member is studying the book of Hebrews right now. I am fascinated by what I am hearing about sacrifices, the Tabernacle, and the High Priest. We are up to chapters 8 and 9 and it was at 9:26 that I underlined a phrase: once for all. Jesus, not a Levite but the Son of God, made a sacrifice that was perfect because He was perfect. He gave Himself, because of His great love, as a blood sacrifice that would never have to be repeated. He made the sacrifice – once – for all. I had to stop and just savor that enormous statement. I saw in my mind Jesus holding out His hands for the shackles. I saw Him standing quietly and meekly in front of the accusing High Priest and Roman governor, His body bruised and bloodied. I shuddered as I saw Him hung on a cross in a horrific crucifixion. He was the sacrifice, the eternal covenant, made once for all. And I weep in gratitude. He loves me so very much.

It is impossible for me to meditate on God’s grace, His unconditional love, without considering in the same breath His mercy, His forgiveness. I am a sinner. What Jesus did on that cross, thought horrific and foolish by some, He did for me. Once for all my sins.

How Great is Our God written and sung by Chris Tomlin

 

Posted in Isaiah | 1 Comment

In the Beginning

Posted on March 25, 2013 by Jody Neufeld

“For I will create a new heaven and a new earth;
the past events will not be remembered or come to mind.
Then be glad and rejoice forever in what I am creating;
for I will create Jerusalem to be a joy and its people to be a delight.
I will rejoice in Jerusalem and be glad in My people.
The sound of weeping and crying will no longer be heard in her.”     Isaiah 65:17-19 (HCSB)

This is Holy Week. In the life of Jesus, this week was His last five days. I want to share some of my meditation time with you. I am starting at the beginning.

From the beginning God has wanted to have a loving relationship with His children. The Bible speaks of covenant. That is a sacred agreement. God continued to make covenants with His people. He continued to do everything He could to reach out to His children and forge a new relationship. He wanted to take care of His children. A generation would live for Him and follow His Law. The next generation did not.

God promised a Savior. Throughout the Old Testament God reminded His children that He loved them. And because He loved them, He wanted them to be holy so they could live with Him. He gave them so much. And God gave the promise of a Savior.

Here I am all these thousands of years later, a child of God with a covenant relationship with my LORD because He kept His promises. I am growing in listening to the LORD. I am learning what it means to take the gifts that God has given me and understand His plan for my life. Unlike my Old Testament ancestors, I have an example in Jesus to show me what it means to walk in the power of God and yet, submit to God’s direction.

There is so much to learn from Old Testament men and women who lived in times of brutality and under governments whose laws did not make following God a healthy thing to do. Often laws came about to single out God’s children and identify them as aliens. That sounds familiar!

As time passes, I do feel more and more like an “alien” on this earth. My priorities are more at odds with the priorities that government and popular people lay out as important. Even this week, the preparation for Easter is about having a new dress, buying food for a Sunday feast and coloring eggs and buying egg-shaped candy. These aren’t “bad” in themselves but how much time is spent on these tasks and how much is spent in reading and meditating on the truth of Easter? Am I keeping God close to me and, yet, never forgetting He is my LORD.

Today I am thinking about the many blessings of God. I am spending time in thanksgiving for His great love for me since before I was born.

You are my God, and I will give You thanks.
You are my God; I will exalt You.
Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good;
His faithful love endures forever.     Psalm 118:28-29 (HCSB)

Comfort Ye My People and Every Valley written by Handel, sung by Jerry Hadley

 

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Am I Ready?

Posted on March 22, 2013 by Jody Neufeld

“Simon, Simon, look out! Satan has asked to sift you like wheat. But I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail. And you, when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.” …

He also said to them, “When I sent you out without money-bag, traveling bag, or sandals, did you lack anything?”

“Not a thing,” they said.

Then He said to them, “But now, whoever has a money-bag should take it, and also a traveling bag. And whoever doesn’t have a sword should sell his robe and buy one. For I tell you, what is written must be fulfilled in Me: And He was counted among the outlaws. Yes, what is written about Me is coming to its fulfillment.”        Luke 22:31-32, 35-37 (HCSB)

Next week is truly my favorite week of the entire church year – Holy Week. I began singing in the church choir when I was 12 years old. It was wonderful to stand in that rear balcony in a cathedral and sing. Notes seem to echo on and on and on. Even a volunteer choir sounded close to heaven! The Gospel message would be 15-30 verses long and I never remember twitching because the words of the Christ’s Passion were riveting.

I have taken all the repetitive ritual of that time and embraced it as a foundation for the “Retreat Week” that I make every year. No, I don’t go off to some convent. I continue to do my every day work but I commit to making time to slowly, prayerfully put myself into the Gospel stories of Jesus’ last week here on earth, allowing the story to touch my heart without reservation. I make this spiritual pilgrimage as a sort of “boot camp” for the other 51 weeks that will come after it.

Jesus tells Peter (as Job was never told) that Satan has asked to be able to attack him. Jesus has prayed for Peter (God told Satan he could attack Job but not kill him). Now that is a passage that I want to receive for myself – Jesus, please pray for me, too! And He does (Romans 8:34). Peter will remember Jesus’ words when he is a leader. He will know that a leader in Christ’s church prays for others; does not condemn them. And when they stumble, he will encourage and give them a hand up, not a slap down.

Jesus also reminds His disciples in this final hour as it appears He is leaving them, that they have never been without anything that they needed. They may not have all that they thought they needed or that the world made fun of them for not having, but Jesus prepared them wisely. And now they must wisely prepare to move on in their journey. As I was reading this passage I thought of Ephesians 6 and the Armor of God. It was like Paul clarified what I would need in my traveling bag: the helmet of Salvation, the breastplate of Righteousness, the belt of Truth, the shoes of Peace, the shield of Faith, and the sword of the Spirit, because if I am a disciple of Jesus Christ and building His Kingdom, Satan is going to want to harass and distract me!

This Sunday when waving palm branches, am I also willing to walk with Jesus the rest of The Way? Am I willing to put in the time in His boot camp to prepare for the days ahead?

Days of Elijah written by Robin Mark, sung by Paul Wilbur

 

Posted in Luke | 1 Comment

Abba’s Love – A Miracle

Posted on March 21, 2013 by Jody Neufeld

[reprinted from November 8, 2010]

Yet it was our weaknesses he carried; it was our sorrows that weighed him down.
And we thought his troubles were a punishment from God, a punishment for his own sins!
But he was pierced for our rebellion, crushed for our sins.
He was beaten so we could be whole.
He was whipped so we could be healed.

All of us, like sheep, have strayed away.
We have left God’s paths to follow our own.
Yet the Lord laid on him the sins of us all.                 Isaiah 53:4-6 (NLT, my emphasis)

Through the technology of the World Wide Web, I was able to see a woman who had been paralyzed for over 20 years receive prayer much like the man described in Matthew 9. No, she wasn’t dropped through a roof! But those who were praying began with blessing her, reminding her even, of how much she is loved by her Father, her Creator, her Savior. She wept with joy.

These words from Isaiah reminded me that hundreds of years before Jesus fulfilled the prophet’s message, the Father wanted His children to know that He knew the state of our sinfulness. He knew that we could not fix that – He would have to do that. Do you hear the love in those words? Do you feel the love in those words? The lady receiving prayer did.

I would not presume to know the state of her soul. But I do know that I need to receive that love every day of my life. Tears came to my eyes as I watched her receive God’s love. The look of overwhelming joy that “Yes! I am loved by my Father!” “I don’t deserve this but He loved me!”

Then in a few minutes, trembling, she tried to lift herself from her wheelchair. Someone took her hand but she pulled herself to her feet. After a few more minutes, she attempted to make those long-weakened legs take a step. She swayed a bit. People who haven’t stood upright, like her, have equilibrium problems when they first stand.

And the man got up and went home. When the crowd saw this, they were filled with awe; and they praised God, who had given such authority to men.      Matthew 9:7-8 (NIV)

Matthew doesn’t tell us how quickly the man stood up. Just like that crowd so long ago, I was awed and I thanked God. I wept for the woman who received the miracle of God’s love and the miracle of healing. I wept as I, too, received the Father’s love. No one can be an untouched bystander in God’s Presence!

I hope that we take the testimony of this miracle and think about the Isaiah passage. It is often quoted during Advent. I need to think about it more often than that. The Father’s love is a miracle.

Healing Rain/Let It Rain written and sung by Michael W Smith

 

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My Servant

Posted on March 20, 2013 by Jody Neufeld

… and think the same way that Christ Jesus thought:

Christ was truly God.
But he did not try to remain equal with God.
Instead he gave up everything and became a slave,
when he became like one of us.

Christ was humble.
He obeyed God and even died on a cross.      Philippians 2:5-8 (CEV)

Have you ever thought what it would be like to have a servant? Frankly I’m uncomfortable with the idea of having someone waiting on me. Having a housekeeper would be OK because I would pay the person for their work. But a servant works doing whatever jobs are given to them and for as many hours as they are told and given only food and shelter as their master decides.

Jesus, the Creator who has always been, comes to earth in the flesh as a servant. Who is His Master? He says He is here to glorify the Father and do the Father’s will. And so Jesus is obedient to His earthly parents as a child, works in His father’s carpentry shop and provides for His mother and siblings, feeds people, teaches them, heals them and then obeys His Father even when He tells Him that He must suffer and die.

Jesus didn’t just tell me what a servant should be like but He actually lived the life of a servant. He could have commanded all manner of things. He could have ordered the disciples around and told them what a servant should be. But Jesus washed their feet and told them to do the same if they wanted to truly be great in His Kingdom.

And so by Jesus’ example, I live where and how Jesus wants me to live. I work where and with the people Jesus wants me to work. I am to serve others with a humble and joyful heart. A servant doesn’t expect applause or acknowledgment that he/she has done a good job.

How do I feel about Jesus being my servant too? He is still serving me as He teaches and comforts and watches over me. He is always there; never does He doze off or have too many things to pay attention to me. I am overwhelmed by the thought of Jesus serving me. I am inspired to serve Him more. But I can never “out-serve” Him or “out-give” Him. There is no contest. But I can express my love for Him through the love that I give to others. It is in serving that I please God best. And when I do it quietly, even secretly, God is especially pleased.

I pray today that I have ears to hear and an open, humble heart to receive Jesus’ teaching. That I will continue to serve His children wherever He sends me and however He directs me. And may I do it with a joyous, expectant spirit that glorifies the Father just as Jesus did.

Here I Am LORD written by Dan Schutte (1981) sung by Wells Cathedral Choir, Somerset England

 

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My Forever Friend, Better Than a BFF

Posted on March 19, 2013 by Jody Neufeld

Have mercy on me, Lord, for I am in distress.
Tears blur my eyes.
My body and soul are withering away.
I am dying from grief; my years are shortened by sadness.
Sin has drained my strength;
I am wasting away from within.
I am scorned by all my enemies and despised by my neighbors—
even my friends are afraid to come near me.
When they see me on the street, they run the other way …

But I am trusting you, O Lord, saying, “You are my God!”
My future is in your hands.
Rescue me from those who hunt me down relentlessly.
Let your favor shine on your servant.
In your unfailing love, rescue me.     Psalm 31:9-11, 14-16 (NLT, my emphasis)

“Just because you’re paranoid, doesn’t mean they aren’t after you.” – Catch-22 by Joseph Heller (1961).

The writer of the psalm could have identified with the character in this modern novel. Feeling down and believing that people dislike you or are avoiding you does not make it any less true when they actually are!

Most of us have gone through times of isolation and loneliness. Whether you are a soldier or student far from home and family or it’s a season of health problems that keep you home bound, there is a loss of tangible love, of connection. It’s one of the reasons I believe that the gift of encouragement is so vital in God’s Kingdom. Those who have this gift see the loneliness in others. They hear God’s whisper to call or connect with someone even when they do not have concrete evidence of a problem. They bring a message of God’s love at critical moments.

The writer of this psalm begins simply, “I am in distress. I am crying when I thought there were no more tears. I have nothing within me to pick myself and I am alone.” And when I am drained like that is when God is easily able to fill me up with all that is within Him. When all my independence is drained away and all my ideas to fix myself, then God can come in with His healing salve and warm cloak of restoration. When I keep trying to do it myself or use others to prop me up then I dilute God’s perfect treatment.

Peter tells me that God’s timing is perfect (2 Peter 3:8-9) and He will keep His promises. When everything is going down the sink, the promise I always remember is that God will not leave me. Just as I would never leave my child unattended in a mall full of strangers neither will God leave me unattended in a world that doesn’t truly love me.

Jesus is better than any BFF (best friend forever) on Facebook, Twitter, or any other place in this world. That’s a forever truth from Him.

I Need You More written and sung by Lindell Cooley

 

 

 

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My Professor, My Mentor

Posted on March 18, 2013 by Jody Neufeld

The Lord God has given Me the tongue of those who are instructed
to know how to sustain the weary with a word.
He awakens Me each morning;
He awakens My ear to listen like those being instructed …

In truth, the Lord God will help Me;
who will condemn Me?
Indeed, all of them will wear out like a garment;
a moth will devour them.           Isaiah 50:4,9 (HCSB)

Lectionary texts for Palm Sunday: Isaiah 50:4-9a, Psalm 31:9-16, Philippians 2:5-11, Luke 22:14-23:56

When you hear the word “teacher” or “coach,” does someone specific come to mind? Until I was in the sixth grade I thought all teachers were wonderful. I trusted them and thought they were there to make me better. Then I met a teacher who told me, in front of the class, that I would go to hell if I continued to go to church with my father, who was of a different denomination. Now I didn’t have any knowledge of the Bible or theology but how could it be wrong to go to church with my dad, and he with us, when we worshiped the same God in many of the same ways. I was so hurt and even frightened. It was the only time I ever heard my parents say that a teacher or someone in authority was “wrong.”

Fortunately most of the teachers I had throughout my life have been dedicated to their profession and want to be excellent influences on the lives of their students. The best ones I had did not present themselves as “I teach – you listen – I am the expert” but instead they wanted to give me tools so that I could learn and grow in my exploration for knowledge and wisdom.

And My Professor Jesus is all that is good in a teacher. He knows hundreds of ways to teach me a principle. Believe me, if I do not understand or accept a principle teaching that He gives me, He will sign me up for another class! He won’t force me to attend but He is always ready to meet with me on a flexible schedule to teach. Am I willing to listen? Am I willing to study and keep at it to achieve a prize I can’t begin to appreciate?

When the difficult problems, tragedies, and questions are battering at my door, trying to condemn me for my weaknesses and lack of – whatever, my Teacher is there to not only teach but lead me. But I think even maybe more importantly, Jesus wants to teach me before I have need of the knowledge and wisdom. He wants me to be prepared. Too often I want the quick answer when I am a crisis and not put the time and effort into daily spiritual exercise.

And Jesus is more than a teacher. He is also a mentor. To me that means that He is invested in my life and its victory. He is there 100% of the time and always with me.

The Teacher is ready – right now. Will He find me present or absent in His class?

In Your Presence written and sung by Paul Wilbur

 

 

 

 

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Kindness: All the Way to the End

Posted on March 15, 2013 by Jody Neufeld

[reprinted from February 1, 2010]

– Henry Neufeld

6As for me, I am already being poured out on the altar, and the time of my death has come upon me. 7I have completed the great race. I have finished the course. I have kept the faith. 8The crown of righteousness is now waiting for me, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will give me in that day, and not to me only, but to all who love (and value) his appearing. — 2 Timothy 4:6-8  (HN)

It’s easy to read this passage with sadness, and a sense of melancholy. Paul has worked tirelessly and suffered as he worked for Jesus. He has helped so many people. Yet here he is almost alone at the end of his life waiting for the end that is coming soon. He has remained faithful to the end, finished what God called him to do, and now he awaits the crown. It’s easy to skip past that last point. While there is sorrow, there is also joy.

Those who know me may be surprised to know that I used to run fairly long distances. I never ran a marathon, but I would run between 10 and 20 miles in a week, sometimes 3 ½ miles, frequently 5, and even up to 10 miles on rare occasions. Now it will surprise nobody to know that I was never very fast. No speed records were in any danger. But what I could do was finish the course that I had set out for myself. There would be a time during any run that I might feel like turning back. I was too tired. Perhaps I should make today one of my 3 ½ mile days rather than the longer distance I had planned. In order to keep going I would give myself a certain distance to complete before I decided. Another half mile, I’d think, and then I’ll make the call.

As long as I resisted that temptation, things would settle in, and soon I would get into that groove where I was just running along and the particular distance didn’t matter so much. Toward the end I would need some particular will power again. Then I would tell myself that it would be silly to end a five mile run at 4.8 or 4.9 miles. If I intended five miles, I should complete it. Especially if it was one of those rare days, and I was going for 10 miles, I would be very anxious to truly complete every inch of those ten miles, and to make sure that my speed could still be distinguished from a walk!

There was joy and satisfaction in coming to the end of that course. Doing a little bit of running has helped me understand Paul here. Certainly there is sorrow in this passage that so few have stood by him. Yet at the same time there is that “final stretch” energy and joy that says, “I’m practically there.” Paul loved Christ’s appearing. He was anxious for it.

We all have a race of this life, and sometimes it seems long and difficult. But there are two things that can move us forward, and get us to the joy of finishing the race. First is the appearing of Jesus Christ our Savior. That is the final goal, and it is a joyful one. Second, we can remember to look for those moments of joy when we have completed a significant part of the race. “Lord, help me to keep looking up and keep moving forward until I complete my work of the day.” It may be days, weeks, or months at a time, or it may be minutes sometimes.

But in each case there is a goal that you can reach, and there is a reward that you can earn, and there is a Savior who will be right with you.

13Temptation has not grabbed you, except the common human kind. But God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted above what you are able, but will make with the temptation a way out, so that you will be able to endure it. — 1 Corinthians 10:13 (HN)

If you’re feeling that joy of the successful runner today, share it with someone else. Let them know who is with them in their race. If you’re having trouble yourself, look up and ask.

Chariots of Fire by Vangelis (1981) 

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