How Do You Walk?

This is not going to be a post about exercise, although, when it comes to self-control and discipline, it all ties in. This walk refers to our spiritual lives. When you go out for a walk you can walk in different ways; you can walk at a park on a pave trail, or down the sidewalk in your neighborhood. You can also go off roading and hike a more rugged path strew with rocks, streams and logs. Walking isn’t that difficult for those of us who have two good legs, but it still requires that we place one foot in front of the other.

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“5 For those who are according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who are according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit.
6 For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace, ”

— Romans 8:5-6 (NASB)

Verse 4, which we looked at last week, mentions the word walk. Here are a few other verses that use walk as a way to show our being or not being in Christ.

“But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh.”

— Galatians 5:16 (NASB)

“If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit.”

— Galatians 5:25 (NASB)

“in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience.”

— Ephesians 2:2 (NASB)

“For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.”

— Ephesians 2:10 (NASB)

“for you were formerly darkness, but now you are Light in the Lord; walk as children of Light”

— Ephesians 5:8 (NASB)

There are numerous verses in the Bible which use the word walk as a way to describe our relationship and standing before God. The very first Psalm uses walk as an active marker for the righteous man.

“How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, Nor stand in the path of sinners, Nor sit in the seat of scoffers!”

— Psalm 1:1 (NASB)

Let’s take a closer look at our Romans 8 verses.

1 - For those who are according to the flesh - we have to make the point here that there is a definite distinction between those who are according to the flesh and those who are according to the Spirit. At some point in time, we all have been, according to the flesh.

2 - Set their minds on the things of the flesh - In other words, flesh begets flesh.

3 - but those who are according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit - Spirit begets spirit.

4 - For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace - there is one word I want you to focus on in that verse, set. The word set as defined by Webster’s online dictionary has a number of different definitions, but the one I want to focus on is, “to direct with fixed attention.” We either can fix our attention on the flesh or we can fix or attention on the Spirit. The outcome of setting our mind on the flesh is death. The outcome for setting our minds on the Spirit is life and peace.

Let’s examine this for just a moment. When we talk about death, there is a two fold meaning. If I think about something fleshly, like feeding my stomach for example, I won’t die (unless I eat something really nasty - ha, ha), so what death is Paul talking about? Spiritual death. If we only spend our lives worrying about what to eat, how to make ourselves feel good, how to make more money and so on, we will eventually die, both physically and spiritually.

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The opposite situation occurs when we set our minds on the Spirit. Obviously, we are talking about the Holy Spirit of God, not just some random spirit. If we seek to know Christ and follow Him and really desire what His Spirit desires we will have life and peace. Once again, the life here is referring to Spiritual life, as we will physically die at some point. I also want to point out that Paul added the word peace.

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Don’t we live in an anxiety ridden society? It seems more and more people are taking medication to help keep them from feeling anxious. Once again, let me reiterate mental health is a key component in being a functioning person and sometimes that does mean medication, but since when did it become not okay to feel nervous? When did it become not okay to experience fear, or worry, or discouragement? These are real feelings and emotions that are just as much a part of being human as joy and happiness. No, a person should not have ongoing anxiety, irrational fears or depression and those things should be managed by a professional doctor and phycologist or psychiatrist. But, the Bible says when we set our minds on the Spirit we will have life and peace.

Perhaps part of our problem is that we are not setting our minds on the Spirit. I am specifically speaking to those of us who call ourselves Christ followers. How many of us struggle with anxiety? How many of us daily battle fear, discouragement, anger, lust, jealousy and on and on? How many of us struggle with having discipline and self-control? Can’t we trace most of those feelings to the idea that we are not setting our minds on the Spirit?

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What are you setting your mind on today? Are you, like the woman in the picture above being overwhelmed by everything around you? Fix your focus on Jesus.

“6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.
7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
8 Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things”

— Philippians 4:6-8 (NASB)

I will throw these verses at you over and over and over again, because this is God’s truth. Do not be anxious! I’ll save that study for a different time, but today, make the choice to fix your attention on the Spirit.

Next time, we’ll explore a few more verses from Romans 8. What are your thoughts on these verses today? I always love to have your feedback.

No Condemnation

I’ve been mulling over what I should focus on in my life as a Christian. There are so many areas where I need to improve or, as I talked about last week, have some discipline. The unfortunate reality is, we can talk all we want about making changes, doing better, being better, but if we don’t actually do it, then where are we? We find ourselves like that noisy gong or clanging cymbal mentioned in I Corinthians 13.

“If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but do not have love, I have become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.”

— I Corinthians 13:1 (NASB)

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Right now, I feel as though God is impressing on me, once again, the importance of prayer. A few weeks ago I had a devastating dream about my younger daughter. In the dream she had died, yet I could see her and it was like she was talking to me. She told me she had cancer and she hadn’t wanted anyone to know. She wanted to die alone, so no one would be grieving over her as she died. It was devastating. I woke up and kept reassuring myself, it was only a dream. Unfortunately, the reality is, many young people we know are not following after Christ. They have bought into the lord of this age and the lies he spins. It was from the despair I felt over the aloneness of my girl that I realized we are losing many of our kids, because we have become overwhelmed with life. At least I have.

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I don’t even like to admit this, but I am a failure at prayer. I’m not talking about the daily conversations we have with God; the prayers of thanks, the whispers of panic, the lifting our hands in the air because we don’t know how to pray, prayers. The type of prayer I am talking about is the down on our knees, face in the carpet prayers. I fail at the real spiritual battle prayers. These are the kind of prayers that we need to be praying.

We live in a world where we don’t want to make waves. We talk about kindness, acceptance and love. We want to give and receive acceptance and tolerance. As Christians we have become milk toast; soggy, damp and unappealing. Think about what it is that draws men to Christ. It comes from a heart desperate for meaning and one that recognizes there is a darkness within, wanting to swallow us up, from the inside out. The call of Christ is heard by those who realize there is nothing else, and no one else, who can give life and life more abundantly.

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What then, is it going to take to get me to pray for the people who need His salvation, as desperately as the one who realizes their need to finally give their lives over to Christ?

Over the next few weeks I want to take a look at Romans chapter 8. I feel this ties into, not only the idea of prayer, but the need for discipline discussed last week. I will approach this study in a similar fashion to my Mulling It Over series, as that is what we will be doing as we look more closely at the chapter.

To see the entire text just click on this link to BibleGateway. com, Romans 8 (I will be using the New American Standard version of the text for most of the discussion).

“Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”

— Romans 8:1 (NASB)

Out of the entirety of the Bible, this is perhaps one of my favorite verses. There are many other verses I love, such as John 3:16 - salvation in a nut shell, Philippians 4:6-8 - promises against anxiety, Jeremiah 29:11 - His plans are for my welfare, and many, many others. However, this verse is so declarative about my relationship and place in Christ, that when the gnawing feeling of being “less than” returns, I quote this verse and am immediately reminded of my place in Him.

In order for us to getting a running start at this verse and this passage, we need to back up and take a look at some of the verses in chapter 7.

“14 For we know that the Law is spiritual, but I am of flesh, sold into bondage to sin.
15 For what I am doing, I do not understand; for I am not practicing what I would like to do, but I am doing the very thing I hate.
16 But if I do the very thing I do not want to do, I agree with the Law, confessing that the Law is good.
17 So now, no longer am I the one doing it, but sin which dwells in me.
18 For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh; for the willing is present in me, but the doing of the good is not.
19 For the good that I want, I do not do, but I practice the very evil that I do not want.
20 But if I am doing the very thing I do not want, I am no longer the one doing it, but sin which dwells in me.
21 I find then the principle that evil is present in me, the one who wants to do good.
22 For I joyfully concur with the law of God in the inner man,
23 but I see a different law in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin which is in my members.
24 Wretched man that I am! Who will set me free from the body of this death?
25 Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, on the one hand I myself with my mind am serving the law of God, but on the other, with my flesh the law of sin.”

— Romans 7:14-25 (NASB)

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It is as if the Apostle Paul was walking a mile or two in my shoes. Obviously, this is applicable to all of us as human beings. We wage war in our flesh. We want to do what is right or good or even good for us, yet our flesh is unwilling and battles against all that is good. I concur with Paul, “Wretched man that I am! Who will set me free from the body of this death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, on the one hand I myself with my mind am serving the law of God, but on the other, with my flesh the law of sin.”

Those two verses really sum up how I feel. I want to pray. I want to do what is good. I want to be healthier. I want to eat better. I want to exercise more. I want to be the best wife I can. I want to be the best mom and grandma I can. I want to be the best Christian I can! BUT, I regularly, miserably fail. That leads us to Chapter 8.

I find, what really gets me derailed from successfully having self-control, and being disciplined is the condemnation I feel when I don’t succeed. I messed up, oh well, guess I’ll just eat that bag of chips. It’s too hard to pray, so I guess I won’t even try. Where does that lead? You got it, down a trail of guilt. Guilt often spirals out of control until we no longer even want to do the things that are right or good.

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However, that guilt is not coming from our Lord. Verse 1 of chapter 8 makes that clear. It says there is NO condemnation. Yes, we are convicted by the Holy Spirit when we sin. That voice does not condemn, it reminds and renews. The condemning voice of the enemy discourages and limits. Remember that. Jesus will remind us of what is right and He will give us hope. The enemy will never give us hope. He will always leave us feeling that we lack, and that is precisely why we fail.

We think that we are in this alone. We think that it is in our strength that we are supposed to do all those things that require discipline and self-control, but self-control is a fruit of the Spirit, not something we conjure up out of our own abilities. We fail, because we do not go to Him for the strength and ability to do the things He wants us to do.

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We will dig deeper into Romans 8 next week, but until then, memorize Romans 8:1 and use it like a sword, every time the enemy make you feel hopeless, lacking and like a failure, because if you are in Jesus you are not condemned.

Mulling it Over - Part 8

I love to watch British mystery shows. I’ve worked my way through several and have thoroughly enjoyed them. I often think of reading and studying the Bible as a mystery investigation. We have many questions in life that we want answers for. The Bible gives us understanding as we learn to investigate its depths and trust God to teach us from it.

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Just as a child has an immense sense of curiosity, in the same way we need to be curious about what God says in His word. Reading it, is a good start. Studying it, is even better. Mulling it over and ruminating on it is best. This is how we have our curiosity satisfied and it is how we learn.

Today we are looking at 2 Peter 1:9

“ For he who lacks these qualities is blind or short-sighted, having forgotten his purification from his former sins. ”

— 2 Peter 1:9 (NASB)

For he who lacks these qualities…

Peter is, once again, referring back to the qualities that were listed in the previous verses. Let’s review them as they are listed in the verses 5-7.

“5 Now for this very reason also, applying all diligence, in your faith supply moral excellence, and in your moral excellence, knowledge,
6 and in your knowledge, self-control, and in your self-control, perseverance, and in your perseverance, godliness,
7 and in your godliness, brotherly kindness, and in your brotherly kindness, love. ”

— 2 Peter 1:5-7 (NASB)

We can draw the conclusion from the beginning of verse 9, that not everyone was practicing these qualities. This letter written by Peter was specifically for Christians, people who already believed in the death and resurrection of Christ. We can better understand this if we look back at the book of 1 Peter and the beginning of this chapter.

“1 Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ,To those who reside as aliens, scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, who are chosen
2 according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, by the sanctifying work of the Spirit, to obey Jesus Christ and be sprinkled with His blood: May grace and peace be yours in the fullest measure.”

— 1 Peter 1:1-2 (NASB)

“1 Simon Peter, a bond-servant and apostle of Jesus Christ,
To those who have received a faith of the same kind as ours, by the righteousness of our God and Savior, Jesus Christ:”

— 2 Peter 1:1 (NASB)

It would seem, then, that not all Christians have these qualities. That may give us added insight into why Peter wrote these two letters in the first place, aside from the Divine Inspiration, aspect. God inspired him to pen these words, because there were Christians who were not exemplifying these qualities.

…is blind or short-sighted…

Talk about a slap in the face! What Peter is saying is that those who are not exhibiting these qualities are unable to see. What exactly does that mean? Obviously, there are lots of people who call themselves Christians, because they have accepted Jesus as their Savior, but they are not showing the qualities that Peter lists above.

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Let’s stop for a minute and talk about this. All of us fall short. I believe I have mentioned this before. None of us is perfect. As I have mentioned I struggle with things like self-control, diligence and love. However, struggling with doing these on a regular basis is different than not exhibiting these qualities all together. If you ask my kids and my husband, they would tell you I love them. If you ask my boss at work, she’d say I am diligent. The fact that I have chosen to not drink alcohol or smoke, tells you that I have some self-control. So what does Peter mean when he says that those who are not practicing these things are blind?

I believe that when we do not practice these qualities we become insensitive to the movement of God’s spirit in our lives. The indwelling of the Holy Spirit, when we accept Jesus’ work, life, death and resurrection, is the string that connects us to the Almighty. The Holy Spirit’s work in us is to make us more like Christ.

“But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come.”

— John 16:13 (NASB)

The Spirit’s job is to guide us into truth. He teaches us about diligence, knowledge, brotherly kindness and all the other qualities that we are to be practicing. When we don’t pursue these things, we become blind or short sighted to what the Spirit of the Living God wants to teach us.

…having forgotten his purification from his former sins.

Sin is not something we spend huge amounts of time talking about or thinking about, but we should. When we forget sin, we forget the whole reason, Jesus had to die on the cross. We begin to forget that we were and are sinners, saved by God’s grace and mercy. We buy into the lies that the world puts out there, that sin is a bad word and all the bad things in the world are a result of bad luck or the choices of others. We are playing a long, drawn out version of the blame game and in the end it leads to destruction.

Image by ErikaWittlieb from Pixabay 

As we begin to think about Easter, which is only a few weeks away, I hope that each of us will spend a little time in self-reflection asking these questions:

Am I practicing the qualities Peter lists in verses 5, 6 and 7?

Have I forgotten why Jesus came to die on the cross?

Have I stopped believing what God says about sin?

Have I really taken a look at myself lately to see where I am sinning, and where I need to confess and receive His forgiveness?

Let’s keep practicing these qualities. Not only will it draw us closer to Christ, but it will make us much better human beings.

Writer's Block and Another Piece of Pizza

I'm sitting here having major writing block. I know there are many things I could write about for a faith post, but my brain doesn't seem to be able to think of something at the moment. Sometimes the writing process just happens, like water running downhill. There is hardly any effort involved and obstacles are easily gone around or just flowed over. Other times, writing feels like walking up a steep staircase that goes on forever, after having run a marathon. Words don't always come, which is very frustrating for the one who desires to make writing their profession. 

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Fiction comes much more easily to me. Give me a word, an idea or a picture and I can usually throw myself into the middle of a scenario complete with characters, dialogue and action. The biggest problem between me and getting something published is a lack of discipline. As bad as I feel that I want it and as much as I know God gave me an ability to create and imagine interesting stories, I struggle with actually having the self-control to sit down and complete things. 

I have this issue in other areas of life. Eating, exercise, keeping a clean house, spending time in prayer and in God's word have all seen the ramifications of my wishy washy self-discipline. I will often begin a course of action, at least in my head saying,

"This time I am going to finish that story and submit it."

"Today, I'm going to eat better."

"Monday, I'll start my diet and exercise regimen."

"After I get through this week at work, I'll start doing my Bible reading again."

I have a feeling, many of you can relate to this ongoing dialogue in your head. Maybe you even say these things out loud to a person you've asked to be your accountability partner. Perhaps that person does a good job texting you, calling and making sure you are sticking to your plan...at least for a while, until their own lives fall into disarray and they, like you, jump the track. So how do we get off this hamster wheel of on again, off again self-control or self-discipline? 

1. Perhaps the first thing we need to do is admit we have a problem.

"Hi! My name is Amy and I am lazy, tired and addicted to chocolate and binge watching shows on Netflix."

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It would seem that most counselors agree that until we can admit we have a problem we can’t expect change to happen.

2. The second thing that might be important is to want change.

I do not believe this comes easily. Many of us are paralyzed by the prospect of change. We can say we want it, but do we really? Change is hard and there are not very many of us who like things that are hard. Let me just take my soft blanket and pillow and go hide in a warm, comfortable hole somewhere and I’ll be good.

I really believe we have to ask God for the desire to change. Only He can give that to us. Left up to my own devices, I will repeatedly return to my bad habits, or in many cases my sins.

3. Thirdly, we need to recognize temptation.

Here is a piece from a devotion by Oswald Chambers:

“The word temptation has come to mean something bad to us today, but we tend to use the word in the wrong way. Temptation itself is not sin; it is something we are bound to face simply by virtue of being human. Not to be tempted would mean that we were already so shameful that we would be beneath contempt. Yet many of us suffer from temptations we should never have to suffer, simply because we have refused to allow God to lift us to a higher level where we would face temptations of another kind.”

— My Utmost for His Highest - Oswald Chamber - September 17

Temptation is part of life. What I find myself doing is looking at certain things as temptations and others as just normal desires. What I need to do is start recognizing the temptations for what they are. Look at this scenario:

I love pizza.

We have pizza for dinner.

I’m on my third piece and thinking about the fourth.

It’s just a piece of pizza, right? No worries.

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Is it really just a matter of I should be able to eat whatever I want and how much I want or has it become a matter of gluttony? Once I have identified the temptation, in this case the temptation to be gluttonous, I have a better chance of turning away from that particular temptation. It might be hard at first, but the journey begins with that first step.

4. No matter how many times I fall off the wagon, I need to keep trying.

It is very easy to give up. Even if it is only for a weekend, but a weekend turns into a week, turns into a month and so on. The whole idea behind self-control or self-discipline, is that we have to make a choice and we have to care. If we give up caring about trying to do better, be better, live better, we will end up on a one way street towards difficulty. That difficulty may manifest itself in poor health and weight gain, or in never writing that book that God really wanted you to write.

“I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.”

— Galatians 2:20 (NASB)

Ever Insult a Rhino?

A number of years ago my husband and I had the opportunity to visit the San Diego Zoo. Mark had a conference that he was involved in and I went along. I had never been to California before and I was looking forward to some beautiful sunny weather. Unfortunately, when we went it was during an occurrence of La Nina and the weather, while sunny, was extremely chilly. I made the best of it. While my hubby was schmoozing with big wigs, I was fully dressed, laying on a lounge chair shivering. Ha, ha. However, it was a beautiful resort and we did get to do a little sightseeing while we were there, including their famous zoo. 

The San Diego Zoo is famous for its size as well as the variety of interesting animals who call it home. After buying a sweatshirt for me, to keep me from shivering to death, we had fun exploring. Coming upon the rhino exhibit my husband and I were fascinated with how visible these magnificent beasts were. The low wall allowed for a full view of one particularly sturdy black rhino munching on long grasses. 

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I do not speak rhino, so I did not expect the craggy monster to understand what I said, but apparently he did. When the rhino had picked up a large mass of grasses he lifted his head and looked at me. With all that vegetable matter hanging out on either side of his pointy proboscis he looked rather silly. I told him so.

"Hey! You are goofy looking!"

No sooner had the words left my mouth than that rock of an animal began rotating his body so that his large derriere was facing me. My husband found this most amusing, while I was worried I was going to experience something worse than just rhino flatulence. I decided to move further down the path, but my spouse began to empathize with the poor, misunderstood rhino.

"That's okay! She treats me that way too!"

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The rhino was not to be consoled. He continued to move his butt end so that it was facing me as I moved down the path. Finally, he lifted his tail and passed gas! I guess he told me. I'll never insult a rhino again.

My reason for sharing this story has to do with our ability to hurt people with our words, both written and spoken. While, I am fairly sure the rhino did not understand what I said, people are much more in tune with the words spoken to them. The same is true of the opinions we share on social media. 

We often feel because we live in a free country we have the right to say whatever we want, wherever we want, with what ever enthusiasm we want. While it is true that we have many freedoms and rights because of the nation we live in, does that give us a carte blanche to spew without regard to who I might be hurting or offending?

“Better is a poor man who walks in his integrity Than he who is perverse in speech and is a fool.”

— Proverbs 19:1 (NASB)

“But now you also, put them all aside: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and abusive speech from your mouth.”

— Colossians 3:8 (NASB)

“Let your speech always be with grace, as though seasoned with salt, so that you will know how you should respond to each person.”

— Colossians 4:6 (NASB)

I think this last verse really sums it up well. We are to let our speech always be with grace, as though seasoned with salt. Most of you know that adding salt to a dish, helps to make it tasty, but adding too much salt can make that same dish taste terrible.

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I am all for speaking truth. As a Christ follower, I am obligated to share the truth of the gospel and the words of God from the Bible, but I can choose to do it in a way that is offensive and overly salty, or I can share as His Spirit moves and gives opportunity. It is in this intimate walk with Christ that my words will be just the perfect seasoning. Having a close relationship with Jesus will enable us to know when to speak and when to be quiet; when to share the truth and when to just give words of comfort. 

As you go forward today draw close to Him, think before you speak and remember to never insult a rhino!

The Imperishable Prize

There may be no other simple six letter word that invokes so much stress and fear as change. Have you ever considered how much change you go through in a day, a week, a month or a year, let alone your life time? I was thinking about the changes that I have encountered in the last month. My daughter found a new job which changed her schedule, so that changed my grandson's schedule, which in turn, changed my schedule. Certain procedures at my place of employment changed, which changed how I did the schedule and changed the amount of time I had to spend working on the schedule. Changes are not always good. Sometimes, they are just excruciatingly frustrating. 

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In the last few months my daughter and son-in-law have had both cars in the shop, my nephew who was supposed to get married, didn't, another nephew had a daughter which no one was aware of until the mother went into labor and my hairdresser decided to give up being a hairdresser for a different full time job. All of these changes in some way affected my world. Wouldn't it be nice to just go a few hours, days, weeks or even months without changes?

And let's not forget the change, that wonderful time period that all women get to look forward to. Weight gain, hot flashes, abnormal periods, oh the joy! 

Don't get me wrong, many changes are good. Giving up smoking or excessive sugar is good for your health. Ending a toxic relationship is good for your well being. Starting to exercise can, not only help your heart, but improve your mood. Reading can open your mind and imagination to new worlds and learning something new can help delay memory loss. Much of change is good and necessary. 

God does not want us to be static. Webster defines static as showing little or no change, action or progress. Our lives are supposed to change and grow as we come to know Jesus more and as we learn to trust and obey Him.

Photo credit Rebecca Trumbull.

“For though I am free from all men, I have made myself a slave to all, so that I may win more. To the Jews I became as a Jew, so that I might win Jews; to those who are under the Law, as under the Law though not being myself under the Law, so that I might win those who are under the Law; to those who are without law, as without law, though not being without the law of God but under the law of Christ, so that I might win those who are without law. To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak; I have become all things to all men, so that I may by all means save some. I do all things for the sake of the gospel, so that I may become a fellow partaker of it.

Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win. Everyone who competes in the games exercises self-control in all things. They then do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. Therefore I run in such a way, as not without aim; I box in such a way, as not beating the air; but I discipline my body and make it my slave, so that, after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified.”

— I Corinthians 9:19-27 (NASB)

The Apostle Paul was not only uniquely aware of change, he was an agent of change. Once a top shelf Pharisee, persecutor of Christ followers, he met the Lord Jesus Himself on the road to Damascus. You can see his conversion in Acts 9:1-19. This intellectual Jew, raised in the strict order of the Pharisees, became a Christian. He changed. He went from killing Christians to believing in Christ and becoming one of the greatest leaders in the early Christian church. 

Paul knew that change did not end the moment he became born again. He was aware that his faith was going to be an ever evolving and changing thing. His desire became, to become all things to all men, so that Christ might be preached. He wanted to do his best and he knew that meant working at his faith and his relationship with Jesus.

I am thoroughly convicted by the above passage.

1. Do you not know that those who run in a race all run - Really? Do I remember I am even in the race, let alone that I am supposed to be running. I am not a runner, but I am smart enough to understand that being in a marathon takes hard work, discipline and practice. What do marathon runners practice? Piano? Chess? Painting? No! They practice running. They run to build their endurance and then they run to increase their speed. So the first question I need to ask myself is, 

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Am I running in the race or am I sitting on the sidelines being a spectator? I believe there are times we are on the sidelines. Runners get injuries, after which they have to take time to heal. As Christ followers and as human beings we get injured. We feel pain. And often that means we have to sit out for a spell. However, the analogy goes deeper. Let's say I am one of those marathon runners. My goal may be to win or just to make it to the finish line. If I fall and get injured do I stop or do I keep going? That all depends on the extent of the injury. We live in a world of hurt and pain. Our churches are filled with hurting people. Once in a while we get hurt by one of those hurting people. Does that mean I'm out of the race? Not if God is on your side.

2. Run in such a way that you may win - Winning? Hmmm. I don't feel like I am winning when I keep getting knocked down over and over. But think about it. A soldier who goes into combat keeps getting up and firing back until he can't get up any more. He knows the prize - to win the war, to keep people safe and protect human dignity and freedom. He fights for that to his very death because he is focused on the prize. So my second question is,

Am I running to win? - I have been. I am answering that question honestly. There are times in the last few years where I feel like I have hunkered down in a trench to hide and hope I don't have to ever show my head in the race again. But, my heart says, I want to run and run to win. Jesus' Spirit in me, is not going to let me give up, not if I really believe in the prize.

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3. Everyone who competes in the games exercises self-control in all things - Excuse me? What did you say? Self-control? What is that? You mean you want me to not eat that other donut? You mean you want me to take a walk when I would rather sit in front of the TV? You mean you want me to hold my tongue when that customer was extremely rude to me? You mean you want me to love, give and care even when there is nothing in return? So my third question (no, I don't know how to count) is, 

Do all things, really mean all things? - Uh, yeah! So true, but so hard to do! But what is the motivation? For the Olympians past and present it is to receive a perishable wreath, or gold medal. For a Christ follower it is to receive an imperishable wreath. To hear Jesus say, "Well, done." To me, that seems worth the effort. 

4. Therefore I run in such a way as not without aim. I box in such a way, as not beating the air; but I discipline my body and make it my slave, so that, after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified. - It seems to me we need to have a purpose for what we do...not without aim, not beating the air. Disciplining ourselves physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually. My fourth question then is,

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For what purpose? - Paul says it is so that he might not be disqualified. Paul didn't want to mess up, not for his own pride and reputation, but for his Lord. Our goal as a follower of Christ should be to lift Him up; to glorify Him; to turn people toward Him. 

What does that all have to do with change? Everything. Every day we experience change we can either take it in stride and glorify Jesus, or we can whine and complain. I know I am not always going to run with the aim in mind and at times I may even be beating the air, but I want to keep running. I want to remember why I run...for the imperishable prize.