Training for The Wreath

As you know, tonight's the Superbowl.  So, at the Superbowl party tonight our new student minister led a devotional during halftime.  I wanted to share.

1Corinthians 9:24-27

24 Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it. 25 Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. 26 So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air. 27 But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.

It's fitting that our halftime devotional be about athletes! In this passage, Paul is using the illustration of a race.  Now, he notes that even though only one runner wins, they all run to win. While that doesn't mean only one of us will get to heaven, Paul is telling us we need to run as fervently as these athletes. Paul encourages us by pointing out that the athletes of the time competed and trained for a "perishable " wreath, but the Wreath we get is imperishable - that's company with our God,  that's Jesus.   So we have quite a prize in store for us!

In verse 26, Paul says he doesn't run aimlessly. Rather, he disciplines himself so that he doesn't disqualify himself from preaching. In other words, why should people not partake in underage drinking? Sure it's illegal but so is speeding.  Well, the reason why not is that when you drink underage, you disqualify yourself from being able to share Christ with others. So,  you need to discipline yourself in order to preserve your witness. 

In short, run to win. We have an imperishable prize. Don't disqualify yourself. Train for The Wreath.

-Special thanks to John Lambuth and the Apostle Paul.

What is a Man? Intermission

A friend shared this on facebook.  I think it's an interesting exposition between manhood and movies.

More about Time

Let me elaborate on this idea.

We spend so much time focusing on the past.

As people, we tend to either look back on our mistakes or to bask in past accomplishments.  I guess it's fine to do so from time to time, since one often learns from mistakes and accomplishments are experiences to be remembered.  But it is only fine as long as you don't wallow in the past thus incapacitating you for anything else...

From a Christian perspective, we can't settle in our old sinful selves. If our decision to follow our LORD was sincere, we cannot continue to live in that time when we didn't follow Him.


We spend so much time thinking about the future.

We're the same way with the future.  Looking ahead too far and trying to systematically plan out everything in your life will only stress you out when things don't go as planned.  Likewise, constantly predicting things like the end of the world (2 days, y'all) doesn't get you anywhere either...

On top of that, thinking too much about the future creates a lack of faith in our LORD.  Of course, I would say that it's good to have a general direction to go in, and goals are good too.  However, if you put so much into all of your own plans, you leave no room for His plan.


We spend so much time living in the "now"

Finally, we also tend to focus on the present day so very much.  Of course, one should focus on what's going on presently, lest they be swallowed up into the past or future like the above cases.  However, many people "live in the now," adopting phrases like "You Only Live Once" and "Nothing ventured, nothing gained," and like "It's five o'clock somewhere" and a "now or never."  These people act on impulse, doing things they may regret, but doing it for the sake of the present.
We are told that our "now" should be spent on following Jesus and preparing for his return (throwing a little bit of future in there, but the "now" is preparing).  We're not really called to pay so much attention to "living in the now."


What about the "Forever"?

So what about "Forever"?  Do we spend enough time thinking about eternity? Do we spend enough time anticipating the complete and satisfying joy that awaits us with God?

Are we ready for "Forever"?  Since people are bound by time, we cannot even begin to comprehend all that the word "Forever" entails.  But, somehow, "Forever" covers the whole spectrum of the past, the future and the "now." 

In the past, we were so bad--so dirty, so sinful-- that we could be nowhere near our Perfect God.  But we cannot stay in this sinful past, for in the "now,"  we are cleaned up by Jesus Christ, our Perfect God's Perfect Son.  Because we are clean, we can get close to God and feel His Love for us.  And in being clean now, we can prepare for the future, when Jesus will come back so that we can not only be near God, but so that we can be with God!  And once we are with God, we will be with Him FOREVER.

We spend so much time focusing on the past.

We spend so much time thinking about the future.

We spend so much time living in the "now"

What about the "Forever"?

Time

We spend so much time focusing on the past.
We spend so much time thinking about the future.
We spend so much time living in the "now"

What about the "Forever"?

All our being through the Cross

Way back a long time ago when such establishments existed, my dad and I were walking around Blockbuster. Looking down the rows of movies, I saw a one about the life of Christ and yelled, "JESUS!" My dad spun around, this incredible look of excitement on his face, and asked, "Where!"

A number of years later, though still a while from today, there were sounds of loud explosions outside our house. My mother ran outside looking up into the heavens. When I ran out after her, she said, "I thought it could be Jesus coming back!"

Well in fact it was just a movie called 'Jesus' that I had seen, not my Savior. And it was not the second coming making explosive noises; it was the neighborhood's grand opening of the pool house, celebrating with fireworks (which happened to be echoing off the houses in a strange end-of-the-world way). 

These moments could have easily have been lost in my mind. Or vaguely remembered with a little laugh. Recently though, I have thought on the treasure each of these moments holds. 

Oh to be so in love with the God of All...

What would you have thought? I can ashamedly say that I am not sure if my immediate thought would have gone to my Lord in either of these cases. Of course with the "JESUS" one, maybe, but still....

Do I expect my Lord to come at any moment? Am I ready to bow before the Glorified Son? When I am at a Redbox (to draw a parallel with modern application) going about my weekend, am I preparing my heart for Him to come at any moment? 

I am of course in no way going to start preaching that the world is ending in approximately a month and a half. As Christ himself speaks, only the Father knows the exact time He shall come back to Earth. I do however want to grab the beauty that comes with living in the certainty that Christ WILL come again. That could be soon. Relatively speaking, soon could be 4 years or 45 years (relatively to God that is...I guess if we're gonna go there we could say 45 THOUSAND years!) 

I think the most practical application is this: Christ is the forefront of our thought every minute, second, instant. Then when He does come, we don't waste a second getting our thoughts to HIM. They are already there. 

Him as the forefront of our mind is not a burden, though it does take some adjusting to. I could understand how it may be difficult to see how one thinks about every day life when also considering the magnitude of the Cross. That's why we work for the Cross to become the lens in which we live all our life through. All our being through the Cross. 

All our being through the Cross. 

This is my prayer. 

All our being through the Cross. 

Introducing.....VOGUEMIND!

Very soon, Voguemind from www.voguemind.blogspot.com is going to become a guest blogger on here. Even though Voguemind is my only official follower, I think there are some more of you guys who just occasionally glance at this page and haven't had the chance to follow me. (Now is your chance! )

Look forward to that. Voguemind will rock your socks off.
In other news, my finger hurts. And it's good to have friends

Daily Recitation

Today is the very first day of the rest of my life.

I have been given this day to use as I will.

I can waste it...or use it for good.

But what I do today is important because I am exchanging a day of my life for it!

When tomorrow comes, this day will be gone forever, leaving in its place something that I have traded for it. 

I want it to be gain, not loss; good, not evil; success, not failure; in order that I shall not regret the price that I have paid for it.

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In 7th grade, I had a teacher who had us memorize this recitation.