Through the Storm with Jesus

And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. Matthew 7:25 ESV

Today’s verse is part of the story Jesus told of two neighbors: one had built on a rock; the other on sand. For both men, the weather was the same. Rain fell, flood waters rose, and the wind beat on their houses. Their two homes had the same windows and doors, same flooring, and even the same roof. The only difference was the foundation. One was laid directly on the sandy soil. It might have been a quick build, because everything was level, the footers were easy to dig and before you knew it that man’s home was finished. The builders of the second home, decided to dig down far deeper in that sandy soil until finally they hit sold rock. Then slowly, but surely, they built back up from that footing, to even reach ground level. Both neighbors seemed happy with their new homes. But then one morning, dark clouds rolled in, and thunder echoed in the distance. Both men headed home, shut the door, and covered the windows. Rain fell all day and that night, both men drifted off to sleep in their beds. But sometime during the night, something terrible happened. The river not far from their doorsteps began to rise and water flooded their homes, and the wind turned from a gentle breeze into a howling tempest. Both men and their families fled to higher ground to stay with friends. They all shivered through the night, wondering what the morning would hold. By dawn, the storm had passed and the two neighbors headed down the path to their street. The man whose foundation had been laid on the rock discovered quite a mess. Mud was everywhere, some of their clothing and furniture had been ruined by the water, but thankfully, their house was standing. Perhaps thinking that things weren’t so bad after all, the other man headed to his home. As he walked down the street and turned the corner, he gasped in shock as he saw the pile of loose boards, shingles, and other debris where their home had once proudly stood.

None of us skate through this life without a devastating storm or two. Jesus tells us that our outcome won’t be because of how much work we put in to building our homes. All that matters is whether we have put in our faith in Jesus not by where we attend church, but by whether we have built our foundation on the promises of God and trusted Jesus all through the storm.

Running to the Finish Line

I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. 1 Timothy 4:7

Sharing this message at Life Care Center last week was a moving experience for me, both as I watched the faces of the residents and thought back over the years of God’s grace and faithfulness in my own race. In long-term care, we have so very few minutes to share the message of Jesus. Each minute matters. Run your race, not someone else’s, and be patient with the other runners. Run with all your strength. There is not another life in which you can give your best. Today is the day of salvation, healing and deliverance, and another day on this planet is not promised. Last of all, we are not running to the finish line. We are running to Jesus who waits beyond the end of our race. He is calling out, “Don’t give up! Don’t turn back! You can do it!” And He waits with the crown of righteousness, not only for those we consider, “The Saints”, but as Paul says, in 2 Timothy 4:8 “For all those who love His appearing.” I pray that the seven short minutes of this video will be an encouragement, a challenge and a blessing. Have a great week everybody!

Running Your Race

Running Our Race

Run one step at a time – “…and let us run with patience, the race that is set before us.”

When I was in eighth grade, I decided to try out for our high school’s track team. Though I never ran well, our team was second in the state, so I learned quite a lot about running a race. In this first scripture we discover that in order to run well, we must be patient. Even a sprint isn’t won or lost in the first couple of steps. For long distance runners, it is vital to set the right pace. It is common for rookie runners to burn out during the first few laps, because they are setting too fast a pace and aren’t running their race. The Bible says we must be patient to run the race that God sets before us. Trying to run our race at someone else’s pace is sure to leave us exhausted, discouraged and defeated.

Secondly, Run with all your strength – I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us. Philippians 3:14 NLT

On the first day of practice, our coach liked to challenge us to a long-distance run, just to see who would stick with it and who would drop out. Some of the guys, were throwing up in the locker room afterwards, a few of us stumbled near the end and many of us pulled up with leg cramps before the end of the 2 ½ mile course. Coach didn’t care yet who was fast or slow. What he was looking for is who would quit and who would press on. At the start of our Christian life, God often allows us to have some nice easy laps so we can get warmed up. But as the Christian race progresses, so do the difficulties. Paul tells another church that he was shipwrecked, beaten with rods, stoned, and then thrown into prison, and that was just for starters! It took all of Paul’ strength to keep going, but he did so because he had his eyes on the prize that God was keeping reserved in heaven for him. If we are going to be on God’s team, we may have different challenges than Paul, but we will all be asked to give our best, and run with all our strength, until the very end.

Near the end of his life, Paul wrote to his young friend Timothy: I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, and I have remained faithful. 2 Timothy 4:7 NLT

As Paul awaited execution, he didn’t complain, or cast blame for his situation on others. Instead he told Timothy plainly, “I have finished the race.” Paul had run every mile that God had set before him. He had patiently kept up the pace, he had given it all the strength that he had and now he knew that something far better lay in store beyond the finish line. When we ran, there was always a tape stretched across the finish line, and our coach used to tell us, “Run through, not to the tape. Don’t give up, no matter what keep going, because your prize in Jesus Christ, lies a just few steps beyond the finish line!

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