faith

Heavyweight Champ

/ pastorpete51 / Leave a comment

I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, and I have kept the faith.                   2 Timothy 4:7

In 1964 Muhammad Ali became the youngest challenger to ever win the heavyweight boxing title when he beat Sonny Liston. Every time Ali stepped into the ring he brashly proclaimed that he was the greatest. His bravado not only incensed his opponents but it had many in the crowd rooting against him. But other people’s opinions  didn’t worry Ali  He never even imagined losing. The only outcome he planned for was a knockout!

The apostle Paul was spiritually a heavy weight champion. He also entered the ring with only one goal in mind: the complete victory of His Lord Jesus Christ! Throughout Paul’s ministry he battled persecution, prison and a death sentence, and then ended his life a champion. But the bell that rang signaling the end of Paul’s match was the opening bell for Timothy.

Today the bell is ringing the opening round for you and me.  Centuries have passed and the world is a different place but just as Paul and Timothy fought their battles we must fight our own. When we brazenly trust Christ He will give us His strength to score a knockout over sin and death. He was the champion of the universe long before Paul was born and He fights by our side. He is the one and only who can truly say He is,  “The Greatest”. He is the all time heavyweight champion. He is the Lion of Judah and our Lord Jesus Christ!

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Eye of the Storm

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Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me, for in you my soul takes refuge; in the shadow of your wings I will take refuge, till the storms of destruction pass by.       Psalm 57:1 ESV

Vital to a hurricane’s formation is the occurrence of a center around which its winds gain strength. Its existence in the middle of the chaotic destruction all around is because the winds cannot penetrate the protective wall that the winds form around the eye.  To get into that calm center of the hurricane, such as the one currently bearing down on our state, means its leading edge have already passed over you. As it passes the winds calm and the blue sky appears for a little while, but it is only a temporary respite. Soon thunder, lightning and dark clouds move in, the wind direction reverses and chaos descends again.

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Maybe your life feels like you are in the hurricane of a catastrophic event, a broken relationship or a health crisis. But God has promised you and me us a real calm and a shelter that is way better than the eye of a storm. This refuge is called, “The shadow of His wings.” For us to hide under God’s wings means getting close to Him. His wings can only cover us when we are near enough to touch Him. So remember that when life spins out of control, He offers a refuge greater than the temporary peace at the eye of the storm. His peace will protect and keep us until every storm of destruction has completely passed us by.

 

Avoiding Red Lights

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This is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome. 1 John 5:3 NKJV

Choosing circuitous routes around the downtown area used to be my specialty. Traffic lights in our city were painfully long especially around the six railroad crossings that went right through the city center. A red light was an enemy and a frustrating obstacle designed to hold me back.

Then I got older. My vision, hearing and joints conspired to slow me down. The prospect of pulling out into three lanes of speeding cars no longer seemed like such a cinch. Then I began to see that traffic signals were an opportunity and not a barrier.

In the daily rush of our Christian life it is no different. God does not set up the traffic signals of commandments to be obstacles but rather to direct and protect us. John who had been the youngest disciple learned that Jesus never taught us anything to hold us back but only to help us run our race at a pace that will lead us to heaven!