Devotional 2/18/13
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mom4life5
Posts: 11 Member
I press on toward the goal to win the prize
for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 3:14
When asked about the secret of his success, an Olympic gold-medal runner gave an answer that has profound implications for those running the race we call the Christian life. "The only way to win a race is to forget all the previous victories which would give you false pride and all former failures which would give you false fears. Each race is a new beginning. Pressing on to the finish tape is all that's important!" And in that medal-winning runner’s words we find precious wisdom: In order to run the race effectively, we must let go of both past accomplishments and past resentments; both the things that drag us down and the things that puff us up.
The question we must all ask ourselves then becomes, "What elements of the past keep me from having a vibrant relationship with God? Is it my past failures that lead to false fears, or my past accomplishments that give me false pride?” Today is a new race, and pressing on to the finish line is more important than anything good or bad that lies in our past. We are either moving forward or we are moving backward. We are in harmony with life, or we are aligned with death. There is no middle ground. The victor's crown is not awarded on past accomplishments; nor is it withheld because of past failures. The Christian race is not a competition where only the swiftest, surest runner wins. We are only called to press on toward the mark, unhindered by the past---whatever that past may be.
Each day God invites us to leave the past behind and press heavenward! Not just on those “bad” days when we have made poor choices, but also on the “good” days when we have been faithful to our Christian commitment. No matter what yesterday looked like, today we start a new page. God’s mercies are new every morning and His faithfulness is great. (Lamentations 3:23) Just for today, we are called to press on, to run the race, to leave our past behind and move forward. Each day is a new segment of the race; a new segment that both stands alone and becomes a part of the whole. Yes, today we can use the strength and endurance we built yesterday to help us face today’s challenges, but we cannot rerun yesterday’s lap.
Today will bring new hurdles and new challenges. The Christian walk is not a one-day event; it is a lifetime process, lived one day at a time. Today is the day to run the lap God has set before us with confidence that can only come from knowing that God will complete the good work he has begun in us. (Philippians 1:6) Praise God! We can be certain that we will all reach our goals as we strive to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of us!
And in the end, it’s not the years in your life that count.
It’s the life in your years.
--Abraham Lincoln
An archive of past winning words is available on my website: www.mywinningwords.org
for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 3:14
When asked about the secret of his success, an Olympic gold-medal runner gave an answer that has profound implications for those running the race we call the Christian life. "The only way to win a race is to forget all the previous victories which would give you false pride and all former failures which would give you false fears. Each race is a new beginning. Pressing on to the finish tape is all that's important!" And in that medal-winning runner’s words we find precious wisdom: In order to run the race effectively, we must let go of both past accomplishments and past resentments; both the things that drag us down and the things that puff us up.
The question we must all ask ourselves then becomes, "What elements of the past keep me from having a vibrant relationship with God? Is it my past failures that lead to false fears, or my past accomplishments that give me false pride?” Today is a new race, and pressing on to the finish line is more important than anything good or bad that lies in our past. We are either moving forward or we are moving backward. We are in harmony with life, or we are aligned with death. There is no middle ground. The victor's crown is not awarded on past accomplishments; nor is it withheld because of past failures. The Christian race is not a competition where only the swiftest, surest runner wins. We are only called to press on toward the mark, unhindered by the past---whatever that past may be.
Each day God invites us to leave the past behind and press heavenward! Not just on those “bad” days when we have made poor choices, but also on the “good” days when we have been faithful to our Christian commitment. No matter what yesterday looked like, today we start a new page. God’s mercies are new every morning and His faithfulness is great. (Lamentations 3:23) Just for today, we are called to press on, to run the race, to leave our past behind and move forward. Each day is a new segment of the race; a new segment that both stands alone and becomes a part of the whole. Yes, today we can use the strength and endurance we built yesterday to help us face today’s challenges, but we cannot rerun yesterday’s lap.
Today will bring new hurdles and new challenges. The Christian walk is not a one-day event; it is a lifetime process, lived one day at a time. Today is the day to run the lap God has set before us with confidence that can only come from knowing that God will complete the good work he has begun in us. (Philippians 1:6) Praise God! We can be certain that we will all reach our goals as we strive to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of us!
And in the end, it’s not the years in your life that count.
It’s the life in your years.
--Abraham Lincoln
An archive of past winning words is available on my website: www.mywinningwords.org
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