Worthy Race
As followers of Jesus, we are to run a race worthy of the grace in which we now stand.
“Go,” the Lord said to me, “and lead the people on their way, so that they may enter and possess the land...what does the Lord your God ask of you but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in obedience to him, to love him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to observe the Lord’s commands and decrees that I am giving you today for your own good?...Circumcise your hearts...For the Lord your God is God of gods and Lord of Lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who shows no partiality and accepts no bribes. He defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow, and loves the foreigner residing among you, giving them food and clothing. Fear the Lord your God and serve him. Hold fast to him and take your oaths in his name. He is the one you praise"
Deuteronomy 10:1-2, 11-18, 20-22
Have you ever paid attention to how God is always moving and never leaves you where you are? There will be periods where you need rest, need to wait on the Lord, or have a season where things slow down. Yet, the message the Lord gives us is to keep moving forward. Move forward through our trials and tribulations. Move forward through our mountain top moments or joyful memories. How many times did Jesus bring healing then tell the person to go, share, and give thanks?
The Lord said the same thing to the people of Israel. He said to Moses to keep the people moving forward and make sure they run the race of faith the right way. It does not help anyone to be extremely fast if they head in the wrong direction. No one wants to arrive quickly at the wrong destination. God knows where He is leading us and how to best get there. What does He ask of us? Listen to Him, let Him have control, love fully through how you serve Him and the community, and let the wisdom of the Lord lead you. How would you evaluate the race you are running based on God's instructions from the text above?
One reminder God has for us is to be aware of the people we meet along the way. God does not want us to race so quickly that we miss the opportunities He has divinely created for us to make a difference. He specifically says that He defends the fatherless and the widows, the hurting and the poor. How does He most often do this? By using people with devoted hearts and willing hands. Are you open to God using you today?
“How long, Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? Look on me and answer, Lord my God. Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep in death, But I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation. I will sing the Lord’s praise, for he has been good to me.”
Psalms 13:1, 3, 5-6
Have you ever been driving down the road when you got stuck behind a car that was driving below the speed limit but you could not pass? How difficult is it to remain patient? David is sharing the same feelings that we all get when we our prayers are not answered in our timing. There is a way that we can travel through life and get frustrated by God's timing. We can be impatient or rush through things. Typically this does more harm than good. Some of the most common issues that we cause are when we are impatient. What does it say about our faith when we are telling God to hurry up?
David does not deny that he is frustrated by God's timing. In fact, he openly shares his frustration, but the difference with David is how he chooses to think about the delays he faces. He declares God I trust you. If it is better for me to wait, then I wait with expectation that you know best. David doesn't shy away from how he is feeling. He shares how he feels and keeps moving forward by choosing to praise through the delays. Can you do the same?
“Lazy hands make for poverty, but diligent hands bring wealth. Blessings crown the head of the righteous...The wise in heart accept commands, but a chattering fool comes to ruin...Hatred stirs up conflict, but love covers over all wrongs. The wages of the righteous is life, but the earnings of the wicked are sin and death. Whoever heeds discipline shows the way to life, but whoever ignores correction leads others astray. The lips of the righteous nourish many, but fools die for lack of sense. The blessing of the Lord brings wealth, without painful toil for it."
Proverbs 10:4, 6, 8, 11-12, 16-29
God never says that life on earth is going to be easy. He never says that once you choose to follow Jesus that the work you have to do is finished. Jesus came to equip and empower you through the work you do as you run your race. You are uniquely gifted and God has work for you to do as you bring the kingdom with the gifts you have been given.
Solomon calls out people for not doing their best. It is important to note that there are many types of poverty. Financial poverty is only one type of poverty. There is emotional, physical, mental, relational, and spiritual poverty that can occur as well if we do not put in the effort to do our best.
Where are you poorest? Where have you been negligent in doing the work or do you know that if you put in greater effort you would see fruit? Where would you most like to see fruit produced in your life?
“In the twenty-fifth year of our exile, at the beginning of the year, on the tenth of the month, in the fourteenth year after the fall of the city—on that very day the hand of the Lord was on me and he took me there. In visions of God he took me to the land of Israel and set me on a very high mountain, on whose south side were some buildings that looked like a city. He took me there, and I saw a man whose appearance was like bronze; he was standing in the gateway with a linen cord and a measuring rod in his hand. The man said to me, “Son of man, look carefully and listen closely and pay attention to everything I am going to show you, for that is why you have been brought here. Tell the people of Israel everything you see.”
Ezekiel 40:1-4
Pay attention to how intentional God's plan and His timing are. He gives the exact time and place for Ezekiel to receive what God has planned for him. Further, God reminds him that the vision is never just for him. God wants to teach him and guide him so that he can do the work he is called to do. He can run his race.
What race was Ezekiel called to run? He was called to be a truth teller and life giver. Any one of us who shares the words of God does the same. It is easy to fall into a pattern of thinking that sharing the words of Scripture are for paid professionals or people with podcasts. This is not what the Bible says. The word of God is alive and active and never comes back void. As you are faithful with sharing how God is working in your life, you can give fuel to other people's faith. How will you share your story of the race you have run and how God has guided you?
“I presented to them the gospel that I preach among the Gentiles. I wanted to be sure I was not running and had not been running my race in vain...All they asked was that we should continue to remember the poor, the very thing I had been eager to do all along...For through the law I died to the law so that I might live for God. I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me."
Galatians 2:2, 6, 10, 14, 16, 19-2
Are you running your race in such a way that God is glorified with every step? Paul essentially asks us a tough question. How well are you running the race? There is a transformation that occurs in our lives, just like it did in Paul's, when we experience the grace of God. It changes us. We live by the grace given through our personal relationship with Jesus. Gratitude and grace become our fuel.
We no longer live or run by measuring our performance against the law or other people. We run our race for Christ alone. Our old lives are crucified. Paul tells us to realize that we do not run for ourselves, but we run for Christ. We do not run in our own strength. We run with the strength that Christ gives us. You might feel weak. You might feel unworthy. You might look around and see people who can run faster. Those ideas are all lies from the enemy. None of those ideas will help you as you stand before Jesus and answer His question of what you did with what He gave you personally. God is moving. God calls us to move. Listen to the Lord and let His grace give you all the strength you need to run His way, in His timing, for His purposes, as you live for Him alone.