I read a verse this morning during my time of “coffee with the Lord” that was pretty intimidating. I can recall that on a few occasions this was an accurate assessment of my own failures. Here it is… Proverbs 24.10 – “IF YOU FAIL UNDER PRESSURE, YOUR STRENGTH IS SMALL.”
As I read it, I thought “What is the answer to this dilemma?” I’d like to suggest a few answers… (This may not be a complete list, but it’s a Sunday morning start…
Always give your very best effort! Reach deep within and draw on the resources that you have! Never allow a half-hearted effort lead you to defeat!
Cry out to the Lord for help and strength! Depend on Him to help you… He will!!
How did Jude say it… “Build yourselves up in your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit.” (Jude 20) Here is where “spiritual conditioning” comes in – the practice of spiritual disciplines that strengthen us in the Lord.
Recruit the help of godly friends you can trust! Ask them for counsel and prayer!
“Wait for the Lord” (Isaiah 40.31)! I know this one seems counter-intuitive… to do (Our inclination is to take situations into our own hands!) …But if we’ll “wait” and trust, giving time for God to act we’ll actually experience His strength and salvation.
This is not a complete list by any means, but they’re a few things that came to my mind as I thought and prayed this morning…
A devotional reflection from my Bible reading today using the “Necessary Food” Bible reading plan: 1 Chronicles 3:1-4:23; Proverbs 23:26-35; Micah 2:1-13; John 21:1-14; Hebrews 12:1-2
I’ve had the privilege of running (and finishing) several marathons… I’ve also participated twice in “Hood to Coast” – for years billed as the world’s longest relay (196 miles from Mount Hood in Oregon to Seaside). Those experiences have taught me some wonderful spiritual lessons about running what I call “THE FAITH RACE”!
This year, Lord willing, once again in April I’ll celebrate my 78th birthday by running 78 miles the week of my birthday. I invite people from all over the world to send me their “prayer requests” and each day’s run becomes a “Prayer Run.”
Over the years I’ve developed what I call “Bartel’s Running Truism” – “I’m not fast, I’m just stubborn!”
It is believed the writer of Hebrews was writing to some Jews who had embraced Jesus as their Messiah. After deciding to follow Jesus, they were now experiencing incredible suffering, trials and persecution on their spiritual journey (read Hebrews 10:23-25, 32-36). They faced incredible temptation to give up and abandon their faith in Christ!
So Hebrews 11… The great faith chapter of the Bible, was written to encourage these suffering Jewish Christians, with Old Testament examples of faithfulness as they ran their “FAITH RACE”!
So in our “Faith Race” here’s a little outline I’ve developed to encourage us from Hebrews 12:1-2…
1. Our Challenge: “Let us run the race…set before us!”
· It’s not a sprint – it’s a marathon (a long race – a “course” – your “course” – 2 Timothy 4:7-8)
· Speed is not essential – finishing the race is! It’s not you against fellow competitors… It’s you against the course… finishing victoriously… finishing as strong as possible… but above all else finishing!
2. Our Need: Preparation and “Patience” (Vs. 1b)
· Self-discipline (training) required (1 Corinthians 9:24-27) My preparation for a marathon… 6 weeks, peaking at a 3 hour run, got to harden those legs to the road! Or the course will find you out!
· Getting rid of “every weight” that would hinder (I noticed an item in my shoe at the beginning of my first marathon. It had to be removed or I would not finish the race!)
· Dealing with the things that would trip us up: (Sin) – Any runner will tell you… Watch your step… Little things can trip you up!
· Patience is needed! My running truism… (remember it?) – “I’m not fast – just stubborn!”
3. Our Models and the Motivation (vss. 1b, 2-3)
· A “great cloud of witnesses” (cp. Hebrews 11) These are MORE than simply cheering spectators in the stands (or even those giving encouragement along the course) … These are those who have gone on before us, know the challenges and risks of “the course” and those who have finished the “faith race” and kept “the faith”!
· Jesus, is the pioneer and perfector of our faith (cp. He is our supreme model and motivation!)
· The motivation? The joy of victorious completion(Check out Apostle Paul’s personal conviction… (2 Timothy 4:7-8)
SO HERE IS MY PERSONAL LIFE-VERSE…
“None of these things move me; nor do I count my life dear to myself, SO THAT I MAY FINISH MY RACE WITH JOY,and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God.” (Acts 20:24)
A devotional reflection from my Bible reading today using the “Necessary Food” Bible reading plan: 1 Chronicles 2:1-55; Proverbs 23:19-25; Micah 1:1-16; John 20:30-31; Hebrews 11:32-40
Hey, just let me say “Faith” is good for MORE than simply miracles and prosperity! It also sustains godly people through trials, sickness, loss, and persecution! To make “faith” simply a “gimme key” for miracles and prosperity is an affront to the rich legacy of “faith heroes” in Hebrews 11! FAITH IS “CONFIDENCE IN GOD” FOR ALL THAT LIFE BRINGS OUR WAY!
Here it is from my Bible reading during Coffee with the Lord this morning…
“And what more shall I say? For time would fail me to tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets — WHO THROUGH FAITH conquered kingdoms, enforced justice, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, were made strong out of weakness, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight. Women received back their dead by resurrection…
But some were tortured, refusing to accept release, so that they might rise again to a better life. Others suffered mocking and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were killed with the sword. They went about in skins of sheep and goats, destitute, afflicted, mistreated — of whom the world was not worthy—wandering about in deserts and mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth. AND ALL OF THESE, THOUGH COMMENDED THROUGH THEIR FAITH did not receive what was promised, since God had provided something better!” (From Hebrews 11:32–40)
Coffee With The Lord 