2 Timothy 2:22-26 "Flee the evil desires of youth and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart. Don’t have anything to do with foolish and stupid arguments, because you know they produce quarrels. And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful. Opponents must be gently instructed, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth, and that they will come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will."
Both of my sons have been running on the track team in Middle School and High School this season. They don’t just stay home all week and then show up to a track meet, they sacrifice their own free time to stay after school every day and practice for hours with their teammates. They condition their muscles and mindsets to endure the temperature, the physical strain, and the mental endurance it takes to compete. When they started the season, they weren’t very fast, but over time as their muscles developed and they’ve experienced multiple competitions, they improved their race times and have exceeded their own PR’s (Personal Records). It brings me so much pride to see my boys growing and pushing to reach their goals in track. Their discipline is directly impacting their results. If someone passes them in a race, they don’t just give up and quit – they press on and use that as motivation to run faster.
Living a Christian life for God is like being in a race, but it’s not a sprint – it's a life-long marathon! It takes daily preparation to grow our spiritual muscle – reading God’s word, spending time in prayer, being in community with fellow Christians consistently on Sundays and throughout the week. If you want to be an active Christian, there will be things you need to sacrifice to run the race for God. Read 1 Corinthians 9:24-27 to get an idea for the type of discipline that Paul said is needed.
I pray that we all will make our Heavenly Father proud of us for running our race and not giving up.
Both of my sons have been running on the track team in Middle School and High School this season. They don’t just stay home all week and then show up to a track meet, they sacrifice their own free time to stay after school every day and practice for hours with their teammates. They condition their muscles and mindsets to endure the temperature, the physical strain, and the mental endurance it takes to compete. When they started the season, they weren’t very fast, but over time as their muscles developed and they’ve experienced multiple competitions, they improved their race times and have exceeded their own PR’s (Personal Records). It brings me so much pride to see my boys growing and pushing to reach their goals in track. Their discipline is directly impacting their results. If someone passes them in a race, they don’t just give up and quit – they press on and use that as motivation to run faster.
Living a Christian life for God is like being in a race, but it’s not a sprint – it's a life-long marathon! It takes daily preparation to grow our spiritual muscle – reading God’s word, spending time in prayer, being in community with fellow Christians consistently on Sundays and throughout the week. If you want to be an active Christian, there will be things you need to sacrifice to run the race for God. Read 1 Corinthians 9:24-27 to get an idea for the type of discipline that Paul said is needed.
I pray that we all will make our Heavenly Father proud of us for running our race and not giving up.