Three-legged Race
Theme of the Week: Marathon Mindset
Friday, February 5, 2010
 1 of 1
Key Bible Verse: Let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. (Hebrews 12:1-2) Bonus Reading: Hebrews 12:3-11
At a family reunion, my then seven-year-old son entered a three-legged race. When the whistle blew, he and his buddy took their first step only to tumble in a tangled heap. They helped each other to their feet—laughing the whole way to the finish line. The same son joined a ninth-grade cross-country team. I remember once watching him emerge from a woods on a rainy day, all alone and splattered with mud. He didn't laugh once that season; he hated it.
In 1 Corinthians 9:24, Christians are urged to "run in such a way that you may win" (NASB). The problem is, many interpret running as performing for God. Unfortunately, the tragic effect of performance running is lots of exhausted and discouraged Christians. We look very much like my son on his cross-country run. Some quit the race altogether.
But faith is the opposite of performance. Faith means letting go of self-reliance—acknowledging our inability to run well on our own—and binding our legs to Christ. Running by faith is more like my son's three-legged race than his lonely cross-country run. Yes, we may stumble and trip, but we are tied to Jesus. And ultimately, it's he who will carry us victoriously over the finish line.
—C. D. Baker in 40 Loaves
My Response: I commit to inviting Jesus into each day of my race of faith.
Thought to Apply: Jesus Christ is God's everything for man's total need.—Richard Halverson (minister, chaplain to the U.S. Senate)
Adapted 40 Loaves (WaterBrook, 2009). All rights reserved by the copyright holder and/or publisher. May not be reproduced.
Copyright © 2010 by the author or Christianity Today International/Men of Integrity magazine.
Click here for reprint information on Men of Integrity. 1 of 1
 share this page
Heavenly Father, I turn to you for the strength to endure; pick me up when I fall; may I give you the honor and the glory when I succeed.
Men of Integrity
Connect with God | Transform my Mind | Live by His Power
Relate Better | Make an Impact
Home | Archives | Contact Us
 |
|
 |
|
|
|
|
Try an Issue of Men of Integrity
Free!
|
 |
|
No credit card required. Please allow 4-6 weeks for delivery. Offer valid in U.S. only. Click here for International orders.
If you decide you want to keep Men of Integrity coming, honor your invoice for just $19.95 and receive five more issues, a full year in all. If not, simply write "cancel" across the invoice and return it. The trial issue is yours to keep, regardless.
Give Men of Integrity as a gift
Buy 1 gift subscription, get 1 FREE!
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 |
| 
RSS Feed
