Run With Purpose

Last evening, as the sun sank low in the western sky and the temperature outside started to cool off, I headed out for a run. Everything went as planned, except that I was inspired to push hard and run the last mile as my fastest of the three I ran that evening. That can be tough, but I noticed something interesting that really helped me out: as long as I stayed completely focused on the task at hand, I ran strong and didn't falter. However, the second I let my concentration waver I slowed down.

It is easy to let your thoughts drift while running. I noticed how my shoe was feeling a bit loose, which reminded me that I had just retied it before running. Clearly it shouldn't be loose already. By the time I had processed all of that and then briefly wondered whether I should stop and retie, I noticed that my pace had dropped off considerably. As I picked the pace back up, I prayed for strength to finish strong. That is when God stepped in and let me know He was trying to teach me a lesson.

In life we often find ourselves drifting, sometimes to the point of losing our focus. However, God wants our worship. That is, He wants to be the Center of our world. If we allow ourselves to be distracted by the things of this world, then He cannot work in us and through us as powerfully as if we were fully committed. The choice is ours, but we cannot do this alone.

"For it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure" (Philippians 2:13, NKJV, emphasis added). Each and every day, I must invite Jesus into my heart and yield my will to His saving grace. This is what each and every Christian needs to do. We cannot fight in the conflict against evil alone.

Jesus said, "Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you" (Matthew 7:7, NKJV). We have the promises of God to give us the assurance that He hears our prayers and will answer them as long as we stay within the Father's will. By yielding our hearts and wills to God, we can strive to always stay within God's will.

Running the race of life with purpose will have some hiccups along the way. Just like my evening jog, things both large and small will come along to distract us from our purpose. Ultimately, that purpose as Christians is to prepare the world for His soon return. Are you ready? Are you encouraging others to be ready? Is your will one with His?

"Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God" (Hebrews 12:1-2, NKJV).

Jesus is both the author and finisher of our faith. We do not have to run alone. So get out there and run the race of life with purpose and endurance. Then we can each say, along with the great apostle Paul, "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing" (2 Timothy 4:7-8, NKJV).

"Then you shall call, and the LORD will answer."

This morning, while out on the creek just after sunrise, I was treated to a special moment when the sun's rays finally began to pierce through the fog and morning shadows. The humidity that lingered in the mountain valley captured the light and lit up in distinct shafts that sliced through an otherwise gloomy forest. This was a special moment because part of my goal on this trip to the mountains was to spend extra time with God. The scene reminded me of a favorite passage in Isaiah 58:6-11.

“Is this not the fast that I have chosen: To loose the bonds of wickedness, To undo the heavy burdens, To let the oppressed go free, And that you break every yoke? Is it not to share your bread with the hungry, And that you bring to your house the poor who are cast out; When you see the naked, that you cover him, And not hide yourself from your own flesh? Then your light shall break forth like the morning, Your healing shall spring forth speedily, And your righteousness shall go before you; The glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard. Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer; You shall cry, and He will say, ‘Here I am.’ If you take away the yoke from your midst, The pointing of the finger, and speaking wickedness, If you extend your soul to the hungry And satisfy the afflicted soul, Then your light shall dawn in the darkness, And your darkness shall be as the noonday. The Lord will guide you continually, And satisfy your soul in drought, And strengthen your bones; You shall be like a watered garden, And like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail."

 This reminds me a lot of a passage in Matthew 25:31-40. The verses that are particularly relevant are verses 34-36 which says, "Then the King will say to those on His right hand, 'Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.'" Further on, Jesus summarizes the whole principle by saying, "'Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me'" (verse 40).

Jesus is explaining how we are called to serve others. As Christians, we should always be seeking to serve. The whole point of these verses is to demonstrate that a life of service is strictly about giving. In each of these examples, it is impossible to have an ulterior motive. None of the people described are capable of giving anything back to the person helping them. No, service is about helping others simply because we have God's great love living in us and that is what life is all about.