If you see a penny on the ground, do you pick it up? What do you do with it? Save it in a jar at home, until you get enough for a cup of that Fourbucks coffee? Or do you toss it in the nearby fountain, making a wish as it kersplooshes into the greenish water?
One of my favorite authors, Ruth Bell Graham wrote, "Temptation and testing are two sides of the same coin. Satan uses an occasion or a person to tempt us to fall; God uses the same to try us and make us stronger."
What a revelation that was for me! Every day I get the spare change of life in my path. What I didn't realize is that it's my choice to either spend my time fighting the temptation and fall or look at it as a test to build my character as a Christian.
So tomorrow when that trial is at your feet, pick it up and look at both sides. What would be the wise thing to do with it?
Is it going to be heads or tails today? A trial or a temptation? Let's spend it on something that will last for Eternity.
Tuesday, February 27, 2007
Thursday, February 08, 2007
Who's Watching?
There was a 5K run the other day, and a West Melbourne engineer won the race.
He said, “It was pretty crazy. I actually ran my best time in three or four years...”
He thought that maybe being a brand new father, he had newfound energy to run. But there was a simple act a lot of runners don’t do; he left his watch at home. What a difference it made to not have the hurdle of time to jump over! He ran with no restraints.
We live in a rat race. We rush to work, rush home, rush to eat our meals, rush to appointments. Everywhere we go the clock is ticking. Time is running out and we find ourselves like the White Rabbit in Alice in Wonderland. Constantly checking our watches, cell phones, computers, store clocks—as if we could somehow squeeze one more minute out of the day.
We find ourselves in a pile of excuses when the starter pistol fires. We stare at our watch and wonder how in the world we’ll ever get that far. We’ve made it into a race against time…and who can win that one? We’ve lost before we’re even out of the blocks.
What keeps you from running the race that God has set before you?
Why not write that book or song that’s been banging around in your head? What about that letter you need to write or that phone call? You love to sing, and there’s a call for singers at church. What’s holding you back? Is it really time, or something bigger like doubt? Why not take off that watch and just run?
Let’s run together and see where God takes us. I bet we’ll progress farther and faster than we could’ve ever imagined, all because we left our burden at behind.
Are you ready? Get set, GO!
Hebrews 12:1-3
Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.
He said, “It was pretty crazy. I actually ran my best time in three or four years...”
He thought that maybe being a brand new father, he had newfound energy to run. But there was a simple act a lot of runners don’t do; he left his watch at home. What a difference it made to not have the hurdle of time to jump over! He ran with no restraints.
We live in a rat race. We rush to work, rush home, rush to eat our meals, rush to appointments. Everywhere we go the clock is ticking. Time is running out and we find ourselves like the White Rabbit in Alice in Wonderland. Constantly checking our watches, cell phones, computers, store clocks—as if we could somehow squeeze one more minute out of the day.
We find ourselves in a pile of excuses when the starter pistol fires. We stare at our watch and wonder how in the world we’ll ever get that far. We’ve made it into a race against time…and who can win that one? We’ve lost before we’re even out of the blocks.
What keeps you from running the race that God has set before you?
Why not write that book or song that’s been banging around in your head? What about that letter you need to write or that phone call? You love to sing, and there’s a call for singers at church. What’s holding you back? Is it really time, or something bigger like doubt? Why not take off that watch and just run?
Let’s run together and see where God takes us. I bet we’ll progress farther and faster than we could’ve ever imagined, all because we left our burden at behind.
Are you ready? Get set, GO!
Hebrews 12:1-3
Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.
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