Memorials

We have just celebrated Memorial Day. As a nation I think this is a very good thing to do. God thinks it is a good thing to do as well. After a significant event in the life of the nation of Israel, He instructed them to set up rocks or something else as a memorial or reminder of the grace of God. Everytime they saw that memorial they were reminded of the miracle that God provided. What are some memorials you have set up in your Chrisitan journey? The reason this important is simple. We as humans tend to forget and often gravitate to the negative. This memorial does not necessarily need to be a physical thing but there is something that triggers our thinking of how great our God is on our behalf. Let us remember and do some things that will help us remember the things that God has accomplished on our behalf.

Choose Life

This is not about the abortion issue though it could be applied to it. This is not about politics or business or family life per say but it is about the direction of your life. In Deuteronomy 30:19 Moses said "...I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life" The emphasis within this context of choosing life is all about the daily chooses a person makes that can and will make a great impact on their future. In choosing life in this context is to choose God's ways over our own ways, to choose His Word over our words and thought of how to do life and it is a matter to choose God to be first in your life over anything else in the world. This choice we have is a daily choose and it will not always be easy to choose the right thing but in choosing to do what is right there are both temporal and eternal benefits that will await us. The promise to the children of Israel is that they would prosper and enjoy the land that God was going to give to them. They would live a life of blessings rather then curses. It would seem to be a no brainer to make that choose in life but let us understand the spiritual war that we are in so as not to be deceived. The world and Satan promises life but it will only end in death. The problem arises when we see how good something begins only later to realize that we have inherited bondage rather then life. God has the track record on being faithful to His word but the same can not be said about the world and Satan. Let us today to choose life, to choose to do life God's way according to God's Words.

The Blessed Life

Everyone wants to live a blessed life. The first question that really needs to be answered though is what is a person's definition of what it means to have a blessed life. This will obviously be different for a believer verses an unbeliever. This would also be different for people of different ages. I can only tell you what this would mean for me.

I am presently reading a book called "The Blessed Life" by Robert Morris. This book has helped me to understand more of what I have believed for many years which basically is a blessed life is one that is given over to the Lord completely and doing what He has called you to do which means living a life of obedience. The blessed life comes in response to that in which God grants to that person peace, strength, blessings and provision in life. I want the favor of God more then the favor of man. I would rather have the riches of God rather then the riches of man. This is the blessed life in my definition.

Run the race

This last Saturday I race a half marathon. I have run this same race in Indy the four years and this year was clearly my hardest race. I develop a strain calf muscle that limited my training and in fact I only ran twice in the last five weeks due to this injury and once was only for a half of a mile. I had many people praying for me as I was committed to start and finish the race regardless of the time. I thank the Lord I was able to do both and as I recover from some sore muscles I am grateful for being able to finish under difficult circumstances.

This morning I want to apply this to a race much more important then the one I ran on Saturday. That race is the race of life. Spiritually we are all in a race and the rewards of finishing this race will far surpass all the work and training involved. This race determines where a person will spend eternity. This race is open to the entire human race. This race is long and will get difficult at times. In order to finish this race one must have the mind set on not just starting the race but the focus becomes more on finishing this race. Willing to go through training and hard work. Once I starting running the half marathon this year I did a couple of things that helped me to finish that has clear implication for us in our spiritual race. First, I took a drink at every refreshment area to make sure I was hydrated properly. In the spiritual race I must find refreshment for my soul and spirit which means to drink in spiritual food consistently and faithfully. Second, I set a pace for me that would allow my body to finish the race. In the spiritual race we must understand that it is not to the swift or to the strong but to those who persevere and who continue to move toward the finish line. Third, when I thought I might have to stop due to my injury I would tell myself one more mile, just get to the next refreshment area and walk a little and then run again. In the spiritual race there are time to slow down to replenish your strength. There are times to put your trust in the Lord one more week or even just one more day. God gave me strength to finish my physical race on Saturday and I believe that God will help you to finish your spiritual race as you trust in Him for your strength.

May the God of all power and mercy guide you on your spiritual race.