The Good Fight

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 his superiority over his foe. Ali never imagined losing because it was not in his DNA to process losing. The only good fight Ali planned was a knockout!

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The Apostle Paul was in many ways just like Muhammad Ali. Every time Paul entered into spiritual combat he had only one goal in mind: complete victory through His Lord Jesus Christ! Throughout Paul’s ministry he was often persecuted, tossed in prison and finally executed and yet He boldly stated that he ended his life a victor. When Paul wrote to his young friend Timothy; he was in effect tag teaming his successor in the ongoing battle. Timothy later passed that fight onto the churches under his care. If we listen we will hear the bell is ringing for the first round of our own match to begin. Centuries have passed and the world is a different place, but God’s challenge remains the same. It is our turn to fight our own good fight with that same boldness and faith. When we trust in Christ in our fight we will win, because we are tag teaming with the greatest heavyweight champion of all time: our Lord Jesus Christ!

Waymaker

So blessed to see William McDowell and Darlene Zschech sharing this song not only as a way to worship Jesus but as a way to unite us at this time. When we worship in separate sanctuaries we are all poorer for it but together we are the people of God!

Whatever Happened to Mercy?

Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy Matthew 5:7

Whatever happened to mercy in our political arena and in our community? Where is forgiveness clearly messaged towards people who don’t agree with us, live up to our standards or fit in with our tight knit circle? When we are anxious to pick up stones to throw at people we might want to be careful of whom we hit. The person who is today’s vicious opponent may one day become a missionary like Paul. The liar we contend with at work could one day become a pillar of our church like Peter. Skeptics who question all we believe in could one day be like Thomas who traveled all the way to India bringing the message of the gospel!

Looking at racism, looting, and violence it is easy to begin to feel that some of those people really don’t deserve mercy. But that misses the point. Mercy cannot be deserved! Mercy is the attitude that reflects the undeserved second chance that God has given to anyone who comes to Him. Mercy is the action that says there is always hope for someone else’s life. Especially for we who call ourselves Christians, mercy should always be our first response rather than our last resort. Jesus teaches us that mercy unlocks God’s blessing. There is still hope for God’s blessing on our community because of mercy. No one is too far away for God to reach. God’s mercy can reach every hard angry and rebellious heart … even our own!

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