Our race will not always be an easy one, but with conditioning, pacing, and encouragement it will be one we can patiently and faithfully endure till the end.

Reflection Questions:

Are we trying to condition ourselves?

Are we pacing ourselves?

Will we fall out of the race or endure to the end with what we are doing now?

Please answer the following:

1. What are you doing to condition your physical body?

2. What are you doing to condition your spiritual body?

3. What ways do you try encourage others?

4. Do you let others encourage you? Why or why?

Read and meditate on these verses:

“Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it. And everyone who competes for the prize is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an imperishable crown. Therefore I run thus: not with uncertainty. Thus I fight: not as one who beats the air. But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified.”

‭‭I Corinthians‬ ‭9:24-27‬

“Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”

‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭12:1-2‬

Going to the cross was hard for Jesus. The mocking, scourging, agony, blood, sweat, and tear drenched Savior knew all of those things were ahead of Him before He hung on the cross, but He counted it all joy. The scriptures tell us exactly that. He saw the end and that produced great joy for Him. He knew what the cross meant to us! How it would save us and bring us back to Him! That is why He had such joy! He saw the end. The beautiful end for those who obey the gospel (Rom. 6:3-6) is heaven.

“Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good; Blessed is the man who trusts in Him!”

‭‭Psalms‬ ‭34:8‬ ‭

“Your words were found, and I ate them, And Your word was to me the joy and rejoicing of my heart; For I am called by Your name, O LORD God of hosts.” Jeremiah 15:16

I have not departed from the commandment of His lips; I have treasured the words of His mouth More than my necessary food.” Job 23:12‭ ‭ ‭

They say, “You are what you eat.” Do we have a steady diet of God’s word that fills us with faith, hope, love, joy, and peace? Or do we feed on a diet of doubt, despair, hate, sadness, selfishness, pride, and unrest? ‭What we feed our souls will determine our destiny.

We too, can temporarily forget God’s word on how to handle situations. We then react with harsh, angry words and sometimes even actions. May we pray to have an “Abigail” in our lives to step in to be the voice of reason before we react in hot revenge with our tongues. May we seek to be an “Abigail”, a woman of good understanding seeking wisdom to rule our spirits so that the law of kindness is on our tongues and soft answers are just a whisper away to turn the wrath of darkness into day.

“Now Jesus and His disciples went out to the towns of Caesarea Philippi; and on the road He asked His disciples, saying to them, “Who do men say that I am?”

So they answered, “John the Baptist; but some say, Elijah; and others, one of the prophets.”

He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter answered and said to Him, “You are the Christ.””

‭‭Mark‬ ‭8:27-29‬ ‭

Jesus asked them about what men were saying for a reason it seems. Read the following from Matthew’s account after Peter proclaims that Jesus was the Christ:

“Jesus answered and said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. Matthew 16:17

Did you catch that? He was wanting them to not rely on what men say or “reveal”, but what the Father had revealed to them!

Jesus went on to say the following:

“”And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.””

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭16:18-19‬ ‭

On Peter’s confession, Jesus would build His church, the church that belongs to Christ. Peter would be trusted to preach the first New Testament gospel sermon for people to hear the gospel, be added to His church by God through obedience to the gospel, to fellowship with each other, and worship Him in spirit and in truth. Read Acts 1&2.

I Corinthians 15:1-4

Romans 6:3-6

As Christians we are to have the mind of Christ (Philippians 2:5) and Christ always looked to the Father to know what He had to say.

It matters not what other men or woman say or even what we ourselves may say. Ultimately, It is not what men’s or women’s thoughts, ideas, opinions, traditions, doctrines, likes, and desires say, but what does the Father say? If they say what the Father says, we can continue to listen. If not, we must turn away. Seek after those who say what the Father says. Listen to the Father.

Maybe we also struggle because we don’t know or listen to what the Father says in so many areas of our lives. What does the Father say about how I should handle certain relationships? Handle conflicts in marriage? How should I parent my children? What does the Father say about how I spend my time, talents, money? May we consult the wisdom of others? Yes, but not first. First we must consult the Father and then seek wisdom from those who have consulted Him also and are further along on that journey and learn from them. Not what any other person says, but what the Father says. So take some time today and think about areas of your life that you need to really search to see what the Father says. See what the Father says.

If you have any questions, suggestions, or comments, please email me at [email protected]

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Until next time….

Seek the Father and Grow!

“Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”

‭‭I Thessalonians‬ ‭5:16-18‬

These are imperative sentences. “An imperative sentence gives a command, demand, or instructions directly to an audience, and typically begins with an action word (or verb). These sentences often appear to lack a subject, or the person, place, or thing that performs the main action. This is because the subject of this type of sentence tends to be the audience that’s being directly addressed or commanded to do something.” (Dictionary.com)

We are being commanded by our Heavenly Father to rejoice ALWAYS. Not sometimes, not when the circumstances are great, and not when I feel like it. He’s commanded us to rejoice always even at times when it’s the hardest thing to do. We must rejoice and then rejoice again.

“But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.”

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭5:44-45‬ ‭

“But love your enemies, do good, and lend, hoping for nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High. For He is kind to the unthankful and evil.”

‭‭Luke‬ ‭6:35‬ ‭

These are probably the hardest verses to read and obey. Why? Because we tend to love conditionally. Our enemies do not treat us well, are rude, speak painful words that cut us to our core, do not love us, and many times they are just plain evil. It’s really easy to love those that love us and treat us well. It’s difficult to love someone who only shows you hate and contempt.

Truthful. Timely. Imparts grace. Strengthens. Gives Hope. What do all these words have in common? If you wrap them all together and tie them in a bow, you have what makes a beautiful gift of words of encouragement.

“Depart from evil and do good; Seek peace and pursue it.”

‭‭Psalms‬ ‭34:14‬ ‭

We obviously already know that we should depart from evil and do good. Almost anyone knows and understands this command. But do we realize that to seek peace and pursue it is a command? It’s not a suggestion or just a good idea if you want to try it. No, that’s an imperative statement.

Sometimes, a little extra effort is precisely what prepares us for the next obstacle to be faced. Anyone who refuses to make that effort, or gets the wrong sort of help, is left unprepared to fight the next battle and never manages to fly off to their destiny. We must know that our strength comes from seeking to work through our struggles God’s way. The help we receive from others must be inline with what our Creator says is the way we must go. When we see obstacles as opportunities, then we will fly. We will be as the new creation the Creator created us to be for His good works.

“And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope.”

‭‭Romans‬ ‭5:3-4