perseverance and the race

Throughout my walk with Christ, ever since I have accepted Jesus into my heart years, ago I have always felt like I could do and be better. No matter what my life looked like and what I was going through, there was something deep down in me that made me feel like I could do better. Even to this day, it's still the same. 

You see, as believers we are called to persevere. We are called to persevere at all times because perseverance produces good character that is obedient to God. Without it, we would give up and never get to the point where we feel like we should be at. 

As I believer, I feel this way and I believe most other believers feel this way as well because the best is yet to come. I believe that in life, we get bits and pieces of heaven all of the time. Whether it's someone loving you deeply, or seeing God's beautiful creation. God continues to bless us in ways that we could never imagine. 

Perseverance to me is this: never give up, I can do better, and I will be better, no matter how hard things get, I know that everything I face will be worth it...

If you don't feel like there is something more you could be doing, than I really want to hear from you because I have simply always felt this way, because I believe that perseverance is what God wants to be engraved in all of us. 

"Let perseverance finish its work, so that you may be mature and complete, no lacking anything." 

(James 1:4)

When we persevere throughout our entire walks at Christians, that perseverance will lead us to becoming mature, complete, and not lacking anything. I mean how awesome does that sound? 

As great, or as bad as your life might feel right now, it's for a reason. You are simply not mature or complete. Which is not a bad thing, because we are all the way! 

I encourage you with all my heart to persevere. Let perseverance finish its work so that we may be made complete. 

praise His name

Life is busy. Something that I have started doing this past month to help put things into perspective is praising God's name out loud. It's simply a part of my mooring routine. Once I work out, I make sure I take a 10-15 minute walk and during that time I thank God for everything in my life, I praise him for how good he has been to not only me but everyone I love, and I pray. It felt weird at first just walking around and talking out loud but I have quickly realized I need to do that daily.

There are mornings where I am busy and don't have time, and those days I just feel like something is off.

One of the things that are crazy to me is that it sees like there are more times on a daily basis that I hear people use God's name profanely rather than praising his name. 

"Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise - the fruit of lips that openly profess his name." (Hebrews 13:15)

Our lips should confess God's name in praise. 

I am telling you that if you start doing this you will notice a difference in your life. I am not perfect at it either. Sometimes I might spend 5 minutes praising God in the morning and I wish I could remember to do it at the middle of the day or even the end. 

Little changes now make bigger changes later. 

My one thing for you is to start praising God's name more. Mainly because you hear it wrongly used so many times. Be a light, praise God, and I can assure you that your heart will start to change. 

the race

Over the past couple summer months and leading up to the fall, I have really tried to get in a habit of running. I don't run crazy far, just 4 miles nearly every day. I am not training for any sort of race and I am not trying to get really fast, I just want to stay in good shape. 

Before every run there are a few things that I always need to do, or my run isn't going to be worth it. I always make sure I have drank a lot of water throughout the day, I stretch, and I put on some comfy running shorts. It's nothing too special, but I know there are things that I need to do to prepare for my run. 

Of course there are days where I am not perfect, days where I didn't drink a ton of water, or times when I have forgotten to stretch. I'll still run, but things just seem off. 

Why am I sharing this? Because God has a race marked out for us. 

"Therefore, since we are surrounded by a such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us." (Hebrews 12:1)

When I go on my runs, I don't put of my suit, wear my sandals or jeans, or eat a bunch of cheeseburgers, because I know that those are things that are going to hinder me. All of those things I just mentioned wouldn't allow me to run the way I do everyday.

This is what it's like when we are called to run the race that God has marked out for us. We must get rid of the things that are going to distract us. The sin, the secrets, and the things that keep us from living a life that glorifies God. 

But how do we do this? 

1. Choose friends who are committed to the same race 

2. Drop certain activities

3. Get help if you can't do it alone

I want more than anything for you all to be able to run the race that God already has marked out for us. I think knowing that it's already marked out for us is huge. It's not like God is going to say: "surprise, here is a race you have to run." 

It's already marked out for us and it's up to us to run it. I don't know about you but I am all in and I hope you are too.

A lifeline around you

Life often forks in two different directions and the Bible gives us a clear choice between the two. The responsibility that we have is that we must take the higher road, even though it looks difficult and treacherous. 

That road gets steep in places. The climb takes a toll on your energy. It gets lonely. Not many are on it, but more than you imagined, and some because of your example. 

It gets slippery, Satan blows ice on the narrow passages. Despite the dangers, the higher road is bound for the peak, and you’ll make it - God has a lifeline around you. 

When you are tempted to falter in your faith or to turn back from following Christ, keep focused on what he has done for you and what he offers in the future. Then keep climbing.

Joy comes from spreading the news

God loves ALL people. God loves ALL nations. 

Joy comes from spreading the news about God around the world. 

“May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face shine on us - so that your ways may be known on earth, your salvation among all nations. May all the peoples praise you, God; may all the peoples praise you. May the nations be glad and sing for joy, for you rule the peoples with equity and guide the nations of the earth. May the peoples praise you, God; may all the peoples praise you. The land yields its harvest; God, our God, blesses us. May God bless us still, so that the ends of the earth will fear him.” (Psalm 67)

I noticed something very unique in this Psalm...every verse mentions God’s relationship with the entire globe. Often...I forgot that it’s not just us in America who God is going to save, it’s people from every tribe, tongue, and culture. 

The intended audience of this message pans the world. God repeatedly spoke to and through his people about his love for all nations.

This Psalm was written for and is about you. 

I would encourage you to not limit yourself and your faith in thinking that God is only going to save us...expand it. The entire globe is pretty huge..and from having the unique experience to actually travel to the other side of the world, I know that God’s love for people I met in Beijing, China is the exact same as my next door neighbor in Indiana. 

Two-minute rule

Have you ever tried to start a new habit? But you find yourself procrastinating and not moving through with it?

I know I’ve been there. 

What I am sharing with you tonight is not something that I came up with, it’s something I read last night in a book entitled: Atomic Habits. 

James Clear, (the author) writes of one of the most famous dancers of all time...Twyla Tharp. Twyla said that she begins every day of her life with a ritual. She wakes up at 5:30 A.M., puts on her workout clothes and walks outside to hail a taxi. When she gets in the Taxi she tells the driver to take her to the Pumping Iron gym at 91st Street and First Avenue, where she works out for two hours. 

Twyla writes: “The ritual is not the stretching and weighty training that I put my body through each morning at the gym; the ritual is the cab. The moment I tell the driver where to go I have completed the ritual.” 

“It’s a simple act, but doing it the same way each morning habitualizes it - makes it repeatable, easy to do. It reduces the chance that I would skip it or do it differently. It is one more item in my arsenal of routines, and one less thing to think about.”

How awesome is that?? It’s not the workout that is the habit but the action that she takes in order to get to the gym every day. I know when I try to make new habits I often try way to hard at first and oftentimes I don’t follow through with it.

When you start a new habit, it should take less than two minutes to do. You’ll find that every habit can be scaled down into a two-minute version.

“Read before bed every night” becomes “Read one page.”

“Do thirty minutes of yoga” becomes “Take out my yoga mat.”

“Study for class” becomes “Open my notes.”

“Fold the laundry” becomes “Fold one pair of socks.”

“Run three miles” becomes “Tie my running shoes.” 

What you will start to train yourself to do, is that by doing these things over and over again you are going to discover that you mine as well make the most of it right? If it’s something you do over and over again, you might as well do the things that you set out to do. That is where it becomes natural.

If I read one page every night...I will want to read a chapter...then I will want to finish the book...then start another...

What we should really focus on is finding is a “gateway habit” that naturally leads you down a more productive path. 

Putting in your running shoes becomes walking ten minutes...then walking ten thousand steps...then running a 5k...then running a marathon.

The point is to master the habit of showing up. 

I would encourage you all that whenever you are struggling to stick with a habit, you can employ the two-minute rule. It’s a simple way to make your habits easy. 

No one else

No one else can add to what Jesus did to save us; our past, present, and future sins are all forgiven, and Jesus is with the Father as a sign that our sins are forgiven. 

Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to interceded for them. (Hebrews 7:25)

As our high priest, Christ is our advocate, the mediator between us and God. He looks after our interest and intercedes for us with God. Christ’s continuous presence in heaven with the Father assures us that our sins have been paid for and forgiven.

This assurance frees us from guilt and from fear of failure. If you are Christian, remember that Christ has paid the price of your sins once and for all.