As I came out of the grocery store the other day, I noticed a bird on a shopping cart in the parking lot. It was trying desperately to pull something off the handle of the cart. As I got closer, I noticed that it was a green twist tie from one of the produce bags. Someone had twisted it on the handle of the cart and the bird kept pulling and pulling trying to get it off.

            It puzzled me why he wanted it so badly. The only reason I could think of was that maybe he thought it was a twig from a tree, something that he needed for building his nest. Whatever he thought, he was determined to have it.

            It made me think of all the times we desperately try to obtain things manufactured by this world. Things we think are the “real” thing, and we try so hard to get them. Yet they are merely a counterfeit of what we are really looking for.

         For example, one thing the world cannot manufacture or mass produce is peace. Yet, it may try to offer you synthetic peace, something that looks like the real thing but will greatly disappoint you. Jesus says, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” (John 14:27) Real peace can only come from the Prince of Peace. (Isaiah 9:6)

         The world may try to offer peace through financial success, job stability, or romantic relationships. It may offer amazing experiences, plastic surgery or material possessions. But all these things will only temporarily satisfy. Don’t be fooled by the world’s counterfeits, only the peace of God can surpass all human understanding. (Philippians 4:7) When everything the world has to offer, falls apart around you, His peace flows like a river within you.  For this is what the Lord says: “I will extend peace to her like a river, and the wealth of nations like a flooding stream.” (Isaiah 44:12) For He himself is our peace. (Ephesians 2:14)

“Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times in every way. The Lord be with you all.”  II Thessalonians 3:16

            Having four children in four sports and three different schools, I sometimes get very overwhelmed by all the responsibilities of managing their schedules. Recently, I have thought a lot about the analogy and idiom, “Barely keeping my head above water.” I have felt like if I stop moving even for a moment that I would sink under the weight of it all.

            So in desperation, I called to God for help as I moved one more load of laundry from the washer to the dryer. I confessed to Him that I felt like I was behind on everything and that I couldn’t keep up with it all. I really needed His help. I needed His strength to empower me and enable me to accomplish the tasks ahead of me.

             The next morning as I read my Bible, I read, “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you.” (Isaiah 43:2, NRSV) The Message version reads, “When you’re in over your head, I’ll be there with you. When you’re in rough waters, you will not go down.” I smiled as I read this verse and thought how sweet God is to speak even to our idioms. He knew exactly how I was feeling and was reminding me that He is with me to sustain me. I was comforted in being reassured that He had heard my prayer, and that I would not be overcome.

             I have found what helps me focus on His strength instead of the tasks at hand is reminding myself over and over of all the “strength” verses in the Bible:

I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. (Philippians 4:14, NKJV)

The Lord is my strength and my song. (Psalm 118:14, NIV)

The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and I am helped. (Psalm 28:7, NIV)

 But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint. (Isaiah 40:31, NLT)

Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength. (Nehemiah 8:10, NIV)

Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand. (Isaiah 41:10, NLT)

            When I focus on these truths from God’s Word instead of all the things that still need to be done, everything seems to become much more manageable. I am encouraged and strengthened knowing that I am not alone.

            So if you are feeling overwhelmed today, barely keeping your head above water, replace your anxious thoughts with truth from God’s Word. Read these strength verses and keep reminding yourself that you are not alone. He is holding you up in His righteous, victorious hand!

            I witnessed something very bizarre recently as I was driving down the road and came to a stop light. There was a gentleman walking next to the road that was very hunched over in a contorted position, and his left arm kept repeatedly flinging out wildly behind him. I couldn’t help but stare as I tried to figure out what was wrong with him. It looked as if he was either on drugs, possessed, or having a seizure.

            Not knowing what was wrong, I just began to pray for him, because it was obvious that something was very wrong. I prayed that God would help him and minister to him whatever his need was.

            I lost sight of the man momentarily as he made his way down the length of my car. By the time he became visible again in my rear view mirror, he was standing upright walking as if nothing was wrong. His arm was down next to his side, no longer flinging out behind him. I sat there dumbfounded. I thought this was one of the strangest things I had witnessed in a long time.

            As I pondered over this incident most of my morning, I came up with all kinds of possible explanations. Then all of a sudden, it was as if the Lord said, “Hello, you prayed for the man didn’t you?” It didn’t even cross my mind that my prayers may have been what set this man up straight. It amazed me to think of that possibility. But then again, if I don’t truly believe in the power of my prayers, then why pray?

            James 5:16 says, “The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.” I think sometimes we can get stuck on the word “righteous” in this verse and think that somehow our prayers aren’t good enough, or that we don’t qualify. But the focus really isn’t on our “righteousness;” it is on the power of God who hears and answers our prayers.

          Elijah was a man who believed in the power of praying to an Almighty God. “Elijah was a man just like us. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years. Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops.” (James 5:17-18) It is encouraging and challenging to be reminded that Elijah “was a man just like us.” Even so, he prayed to God; God heard his prayers, and He held back the rain for three and a half years!

          Do I pray expecting God to answer? Or am I surprised when I see that He does? Do I believe that my prayers are powerful and effective? Not because of who I am, but because of the power of God whom I believe in.  

          What are you praying for today? Are you wondering if God hears you or if it even makes a difference? Keep praying! The Lord our God is near us whenever we pray to Him. (Deuteronomy 4:7)

“More things are wrought by prayer than this world dreams of.”    

 — Alfred Lord Tennyson

        It was the middle of winter, and I had given little or no attention to my feet in months when I attended a women’s ministry retreat. To my surprise (and dismay), our leaders had set aside a time for us to wash one another’s feet as Jesus had washed His disciples’ feet. (John 13:1-5)

        As I pulled off my shoes and socks, I became aware of every callous and imperfection on my feet. I observed how only my two big toes had any remaining polish left on them from the summer. Embarrassed, I curled my toes under so no one could see them. (I also noticed that it looked like both of our leaders had freshly pedicured toes!) I really didn’t want anyone seeing my feet, much less touching them or washing them.

        I wonder if this is how Peter felt when Jesus came to wash his feet. He told Jesus, “No, you shall never wash my feet.” (John 13:8) Maybe Peter was embarrassed to let Jesus see the dirt and filth. Maybe he was humiliated for Him to take a closer look. However, Jesus told Peter, “Unless I wash you, you can’t share life with me.” (John 13:8, NIrV) Not only was Jesus setting us an example of servanthood and humility, but also in forgiveness. He forgives and cleanses us from our sins that we might have eternal life with Him.

        What Peter could not submit to was that the Master should serve His servant. But the whole saving work of Christ was one continued series of such services, ending with and consummated by the most self-sacrificing and transcendent of all services: The Son of Man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give His life a ransom for many. (See on Mk 10:45). If Peter then could not submit to let his Master go down so low as to wash his feet, how should he suffer himself to be served by Him at all? ^[1]

         After Jesus convinced him, Peter overzealously submitted to the Lord telling Him to wash, “not just my feet but my hands and my head as well!” (John 13:9) Yet there was one disciple there that night who did not allow Jesus to cleanse him. His name was Judas.

        Judas had already determined in his heart to betray Jesus. And unfortunately, once he recognized his sin, it was too late. He ran and confessed to the chief priests, “I have sinned for I have betrayed innocent blood.” They replied, “What is that to us? That’s your responsibility.” (Matthew 27:3-5) Seized with remorse and guilt, Judas went out and hung himself. (Verse 5)

         Judas confessed his sin to the wrong people, to those who didn’t care and couldn’t do anything about it. Had he confessed his sin to Jesus, he could have been cleansed!

         Have you acknowledged your sin? Who are you confessing it to? Have you let Jesus cleanse you? Don’t be too ashamed or embarrassed to let Him wash you. He is the only One who can make you clean and give you eternal life.

        We are now in the middle of flu season, with the swine flu (H1N1) beginning to spread through our families and schools. Everyone is being warned to take careful precautions in order to prevent its further spread. One way we have been encouraged to do this is by always washing our hands.

        In the Bible, the Pharisees and religious teachers were also very concerned about washing their hands, but for a different reason. They would not eat unless they gave their hands a “ceremonial washing”, holding to the tradition of the elders. When they came from the marketplace, they always washed their hands before they ate. Not only did they faithfully abide by this practice, but they also appointed themselves to strictly enforce this tradition upon everyone else. So the Pharisees carefully watched Jesus and his disciples to see if they would abide by this religious law.

        As they watched, they saw Jesus’ disciples eating food with “unclean” hands. When they saw this, they asked Jesus, “Why don’t your disciples live according to the tradition of the elders instead of eating their food with ‘unclean’ hands?” (Mark 7:5) Jesus responded by speaking of the Pharisees, “These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. They worship me in vain; their teachings are but rules taught my men. You have let go of the commands of God and are holding on to the traditions of men…You have a fine way of setting aside the commands of God in order to observe your own traditions!” (Mark 7:1-9) The Pharisees had allowed their traditions (such as hand washing) to become more important than the commands of God.

        To the Pharisees, their religious practices had become man-made law that must be upheld. However, Jesus warned them that they had allowed their own traditions to become more important than following God. They were so concerned about the ritual of washing their hands that they completely missed out on the Messiah. They made sure they ate with clean hands, but they didn’t believe that Jesus was their Savior. They made sure they gave a tenth of all their spices, but they didn’t love the Lord their God with all their heart. They made sure they kept the laws of the Sabbath, but they didn’t acknowledge the Lord of the Sabbath.

        When it was almost time for the Passover Feast, many Jews, Pharisees and Chief Priests went to Jerusalem for their “ceremonial cleansing.” As they stood in the Temple cleansing themselves, they looked for Jesus in order arrest Him and kill Him (John 11:55-57). Does anyone else see the irony here? They made sure that they were “clean” while they were plotting to kill our Savior. Unfortunately, they were only clean on the outside.

        Jesus said, ^“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence.  Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside also will be clean. Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of dead men’s bones and everything unclean.”  (Matthew 23:25-27, NLT)  

        Jesus came to cleanse us on the inside, to wash away our sins. “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” (I John 1:9)

        So every time you wash your hands, think about the One who came to wash you on the inside. As you wash, pray saying, “Wash me and I will be whiter than snow.” (Psalm 51:7) He assures us that He will do this. “Come now, let’s settle this,” says the Lord. “Though your sins are like scarlet, I will make them as white as snow. Though they are red like crimson, I will make them as white as wool.” (Isaiah 1:18, NLT)

 What can wash away my sin?
Nothing but the blood of Jesus;
What can make me whole again?
Nothing but the blood of Jesus.   

          Every day I sit and wait in a carpool line for thirty minutes until my children get out of school. I really don’t mind the wait because I know that I’m going to have to wait, and I know how long I’m going to have to wait. So I always come prepared to be productive during that time. (In fact, I am sitting in the carpool line as I write this.)

            It is unexpected waiting that is more difficult for me to accept. If I don’t know that I’m going to have to wait, then I’m not “prepared” for it. But worse than being unprepared, is not knowing how long I’m going to have to wait. Under these circumstances, I can become impatient very quickly.          

            Mary and Martha encountered an unexpected wait during a very desperate time of need. Their brother Lazarus was very sick and was about to die, so they called out to the One they knew could help—Jesus. “So the sisters sent word to Jesus, ‘Lord, the one you love is sick.’” (John 11:3) Then they waited for Jesus… and waited.

            Jesus was about thirty miles away when He got the word that Lazarus was sick. So it would seem that He would immediately begin making his way toward Mary and Martha’s house. “Yet when He heard that Lazarus was sick, He stayed where He was two more days.” (John 11:6)

            Meanwhile, as Mary and Martha waited, their brother Lazarus died, and still no Jesus. In fact, Jesus didn’t show up until four days after Lazarus had died.

            Can you imagine how they felt during this time? I am sure they must have questioned, “Where is Jesus? Why doesn’t He come? Doesn’t He know? Doesn’t He care?” Maybe they were really hurt. Maybe they were angry.

            When Jesus finally began making His way to see Lazarus, He informed His disciples that Lazarus had died. Then He went on to say, “and for your sake I am glad I was not there, so that you may believe.” (John 11:15) Jesus has a purpose and a plan for His delay. In this case, it was so that His disciples, Mary, Martha and many other Jews would see the glory and power of God as He raised Lazarus from the dead. (John 11:43-44)

            Does this mean that Jesus doesn’t care about our circumstances or our emotions while we wait for Him? Sort of like the end justifies the means?

           Jesus cares very much about our grief and our pain. We see this in how He responded to Mary and Martha in their sorrow. “When Jesus saw [Mary] weeping, and the Jews who had come along with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in spirit and troubled.” (John 11:33) Verse 35 says that He was so moved by their grief that, “Jesus wept.” And verse 38 says, “Jesus, once more deeply moved, came to the tomb.” He felt their sorrow, and He wept with them.

            What is it that you are waiting for? Are you wondering if Jesus cares or if He will even show up? Trust that He is in perfect unison with His Father’s plan for your life, and that the “wait” will bring glory to God and cause others to believe in Him. Know that as you wait on Him, He cares about you very deeply.

Jesus said to Martha, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?”(John 11:25-26)

            My husband was traveling home from a work trip and was going to be flying in late one evening. He called and said that he was trying to get on an earlier flight so he wouldn’t have to drive home so late from the airport. He requested that I pray for him that he would be able to get on an earlier flight. And, of course, I did.

            As I started praying and asking for this, I began to wonder, “What if I pray that he gets on an earlier flight, and then that plane crashes.” Is that really what I want? Do I really even know what I am asking for?

            I know that may seem a little fatalistic, but it was a simple, yet very powerful, lesson for me. I realized that sometimes I pray for things I think I want, but it isn’t really what I would want at all. As I continued to pray about my husband’s flight, I quickly began to pray, “Lord, your will be done.”

            God knows that we don’t always ask for what is best for us. That is why He gives us the Holy Spirit to help us.  Romans 8:26 says, ^“In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God’s will.” The Holy Spirit intercedes for us (prays for us) according to God’s will. So even if we don’t know what God’s will is, or how to pray, the Spirit does! I find great comfort in knowing that.

            During another season of my life, I had been fervently praying for a particular request for over a year when I came across this verse: “He gave them their request, but sent leanness into their soul.” (Psalm 106:15) As I read this, I responded, “O Lord, I don’t want it, if that is the cost. I don’t want leanness in my soul.” Even though this request was a deep desire of my heart, it wasn’t worth hindering my Spiritual growth or my relationship with Christ. So, once again, my prayer quickly became, “Lord, your will be done.”  

         Jesus prayed this same prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane during the most intense moment of his life. He clearly did not want to endure the agony of the cross, and He asked God if there was any way out of this that He might be spared. “Going a little farther, he fell to the ground and prayed that if possible the hour might pass from him. ^‘Abba, Father,’ he said, ‘everything is possible for you. Take this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will.’” (Mark 14:35-36) Then a second time Jesus prays, “My Father, if it is not possible for this cup to be taken away unless I drink it, may your will be done.” (Matthew 26:42) Even when He was overwhelmed with the reality of facing the cross, Jesus prayed, submitting to His Father’s will.

            Jesus teaches us how to pray by His example, yielding to the Father’s will, and He also teaches us as he taught his disciples. He taught them how to pray, saying, “This, then, is how you should pray: ‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven’.” (Matthew 6:9-10)

            Call out to God during the most intense moments of your life. Pour out your heart’s deepest desires to Him, but also remember to submit to His will. Trust that He is sovereign, and trust that He is good.

“Many are the plans in a man’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.” (Proverbs 19:21)

Rotten meat. That’s what I smelled like one morning after I took our garbage out to the curb.

I had just showered and put on clean clothes for the day, and then I remembered it was trash day. So I went out to our garage to gather the trash. Well, what had happened was that a few days earlier the power had gone off and popped the breaker that powered our refrigerator in the garage.

So we had rotten hamburger patties that had been sitting in a hot refrigerator and garage for two or three days. The smell was horrendous! I held my breath as I tried to double, triple, quadruple bag the rancid patties. Then I got out my bleach, Lysol, Febreeze…everything I had to try and get the odor out of our garage. Finally, satisfied with my de-odorizing, I went back inside.

What I realized though when I went back inside was that the odor was following me. Then it dawned on me that it was me. The smell was in my hair and had absorbed into my clothes. So even though I had just freshly showered and dressed, the odor (my odor) was unbearable. I had to start all over again.

As Christians, we may be “clean,” washed by the blood of Jesus, and forgiven of our sins. But what do we smell like? Who or what are we surrounding ourselves with that may affect how we smell? II Corinthians 2:15-16 says, “For we are to God the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing. To the one we are the smell of death; to the other, the fragrance of life.” Are we the “aroma of Christ,” the “fragrance of life,” to those around us? Or is our odor unbearable?

I laughed as a friend told me recently that she has a co-worker who is a Christian like herself. But because of the way her co-worker interacts with others and speaks to them on the phone, she said, “I just want to pull her aside and say, ‘Don’t tell anyone you are a Christian. Let it be a secret.’”

You know we really shouldn’t have to tell anyone we are a Christian. Jesus said, “By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” (John 13:35) He goes on to say, “My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.” (John 15:12) If we do this, love others as Jesus did, then they will catch the fragrance of Him when they are around us.

Do you want others to know that you are a Christian? One of Jesus’ disciples? Then don’t tell them, love them.

“…if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.”

(I Corinthians 13:2)

In his book Windows of the Soul, Ken Gire describes how there are many different avenues and opportunities through which God speaks to us. In these moments He gives us a glimpse of Himself, or speaks some spiritual truth into our lives. But do we notice them? Are we aware enough to see and hear how He may choose to communicate with us, often through very ordinary, everyday experiences?

Gire says, “We reach for God in many ways. Through our sculptures and our scriptures. Through our pictures and our prayers. Through our writing and our worship. And through them He reaches for us.

            His search begins with something said. Ours begins with something heard. His begins with something shown. Ours, with something seen. Our search for God and His search for us meet at windows in our everyday experience.

            These are the windows of the soul.

            In a sense, it is something like spiritual disciplines for the spiritually undisciplined. In another sense, it is the most rigorous of disciplines—the discipline of awareness. For we must always be looking and listening if we are to see the windows and hear what is being spoken to us through them…

            We must be aware, at all times and in all places, because windows are everywhere, and at any time we may find one.” (Page 17)

            Solomon knew the importance and value of looking for and listening to God. God appeared to Solomon in a dream at Gibeon and told him he could ask for anything he wanted. Solomon asked for a “discerning heart” so he would have wisdom to rule God’s people. (I Kings 3:7-9) Gire says, “It’s interesting to note that the word discerning comes from the Hebrew word that means ‘to hear.’ A ‘hearing heart’ is what Solomon literally asked for, a heart that could look at an overgrown field or an ant at work and see windows of the soul.”  (Page 206)

            God speaks to us in many ways, if we are looking and listening. It isn’t always through a sermon or a verse of scripture. He knows each one of us intimately and the individual language of our hearts. “That is what God does when He speaks to us through the images that are most dear to us… The images may be so personal as to mean little, if anything, to anyone else. But they mean everything to us. He searches our heart for just the right image, as a mother would search her child’s toy box for just the right stuffed animal that would dry the child’s tears and bring a smile to the child’s face. That is how well He knows us. And how much he loves us.” (page 155)

            It may be a redbird in the snow that reminds us our sins were like scarlet, but He washes them white as snow. (Isaiah 1:18) Or maybe the colors of a rainbow remind us that God will never leave us or forsake us. (Joshua 1:5) Maybe it is the image of a sheep that comforts us by reminding us, “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not be in want.” (Psalm 23:1) Or maybe it is rejoicing when we find something valuable we lost that reminds us how Jesus searches for us when we are lost and rejoices when we are found. (Luke 15:11-24) He is speaking. Are we listening?

Gire asks the question, “How many windows have I missed because I was too busy to look? And how much wisdom have I overlooked because I was too behind in my schedule to even see what was being offered? The problem is not entirely in finding a quiet nook in this roller rink world of ours. The problem is quieting the soul in the midst of the noise.”  (Page 32)

            As I was reminded of these windows of the soul, these moments when God speaks to our hearts through the ordinary, I realized that this is my hope and prayer for these “Life Lessons.” That somehow through them, you may begin to see the spiritual in the simple and the eternal in the everyday.

Lord, help me practice the discipline of awareness that I may have a hearing heart. I pray that your Spirit would quiet my soul in the midst of life’s noise so that I may hear what you are saying to me. Thank you that you know the language of my heart, the images that are most dear to me. Thank you that you love me that much. Amen

In January, along with the rest of the country, I decided it was time to re-commit to regular exercise. I began walking/running on my treadmill, and worked up to about 3 miles, four days a week. Then in the spring, I started swimming two mornings a week. So I thought I was getting into pretty good shape.

            Then one morning in June, I decided to go run outside instead of on my treadmill. (Did I mention that I live in Houston, Texas? Just last week it was 92 degrees at 7:30 in the morning.) I had a very rude awakening shortly into my run.  In addition to the heat outside, the humidity was about 95%. I was amazed at how much more difficult it was running outside than in the comfort of my own home. There was no air conditioning, no cold water bottle in my cup holder, or sweat towel hanging over the hand rail.

This got me thinking about life in general. Some of our most challenging times, but greatest growth opportunities, are those we experience when we leave the comforts of our home. Whether it is going off to college, getting married, taking a new job, or going on the mission field. Sometimes it can be much more difficult than we expected.

            I think this applies to our spiritual life as well. It is much easier to be a Christian and speak about our faith while in the comfort of our church. But it becomes much more challenging and sometimes uncomfortable for us when we leave the church building and go into our schools, sports, and work, or even choose to talk with the Mormon that knocks on our door.

Outside the church, we no longer have the comfort of everyone believing just like us, and we don’t have anyone feeding us the Truth. We must begin to find the Truth in God’s Word for ourselves and stand up for what we believe even when nobody else agrees. We may even be ridiculed or punished for voicing what we believe. It is happening more and more as our world is turning away from God.

Paul knew what it was like to endure hardship when he left the comforts of church and home. He tells us, “Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea, I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my own countrymen, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false brothers. I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked. Besides everything else, I face daily the pressure of my concern for all the churches.” (II Corinthians 11:24-28, NIV)

It’s interesting that Paul also compares living the Christian life to running. He says, “Don’t you realize that in a race everyone runs, but only one person gets the prize? So run to win! All athletes are disciplined in their training. They do it to win a prize that will fade away, but we do it for an eternal prize. So I run with purpose in every step”. (I Corinthians 9:24-26, NLT) Then at the end of his life Paul confidently says, “You take over. I’m about to die, my life an offering on God’s altar. This is the only race worth running. I’ve run hard right to the finish, believed all the way.” (II Timothy 4:6-7, The Message) Did you hear that? He’s passing on the baton. “You take over.” Will you accept the challenge? Will you run with purpose in every step?

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. (Hebrews 12:1, NLT)