running

Crossing the Finish Line

/ pastorpete51 / 3 Comments 
My running days are over
Now slow walks are more my style
Though some days God is asking me
To go the second mile

And He’s teaching me His patience
To be kind in what I say
With truthfulness spoken in love
Forgetting hurts from yesterday

He reminds me of Golgotha
Where all His strength had failed
And how love held Him steady
As His hands and feet were nailed

That kind of love means courage
That will trust in God’s design
And when all else has failed goes on
To cross the finish line!

Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails. 
1 Corinthians 13:4-8a NKJV

Crossing the Finish Line
By Peter Caligiuri
Copyright © 2023
All rights reserved
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The Finish Line

/ pastorpete51 / Leave a comment

Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.  Philippians 3:13-14 ESV

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In the middle of this crisis the danger that we as Christians face is to long to go back to that what we considered normal rather than a longing to go forward into the new path that God is opening ahead.

A long time ago I used to be on our school’s track team. While I was never really very good I learned a few valuable tips about how to run a long distance race.

The first thing is to pace ourselves and conserve our strength for the final lap. In the Christian life we are also in a race and we must run with the finish line in our minds. As we are in the heat of this Covid-19 war maybe we should ask ourselves a simple question, “What is God wanting to change in my life and where might He be leading?” As Paul said; in order for us to run well we need to forget what lies behind us. If we are planning and strategizing how to get back to once was we will never be able to set our eyes on where God wants us to go.

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Secondly in order to pace ourselves properly we need to just run our own race. Everyone has a different way of running and we must not try to keep up with what other people are doing. Even though God calls all of us towards His heavenly goal, the way He has designed for each of us to run is unique. Just as Peter talked even when he didn’t know what to say, and Thomas wouldn’t take anyone else’s word for things so we are also all different, but together we form a team.

Last of all Paul encourages us to press towards the goal. The United States and the world at large will never be the same after this Corona virus fades into history. But God’s purpose of bringing men and women to His kingdom remains unchanged. If we waste all of our energy at trying to go back to what once was we will miss the opportunity to discover what might be. So like Paul, let’s keep our eyes fixed on the prize because the finish line is in sight!

Running to the Finish Line

/ pastorpete51 / 3 Comments

Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. Hebrews 12:2 KJV

As a long distance runner in high school, I learned early on that my toughest competition came from my own body and mind. At the starting gun my mind wanted to race ahead but our coach had taught us to start slowly. When I paced myself I discovered that later on in the race, I still had the strength to press on to the final lap. My recent retirement followed by our move to Florida brought on far more stress and anxiety than I had imagined.

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Suddenly I had no lunch to pack, no schedule to keep and no one coming by. It felt as if the road I had been traveling on for most of my life was a dead end. I found myself sleepless with anxiety and fear swirling around me. There I remembered that Jesus as He had hung alone on the cross, had cried out, “My God My God why have you forsaken me?” With no one who could understand and no deliverance at hand He endured it all for me. Humbled and grateful I remembered His example and loving sacrifice. In that dark hour long ago, another man on a cross next to Jesus cried out in pain and fear. Then Jesus, put aside His own suffering, forgave him and promised to personally welcome him to paradise that day.

Prayer: Father – Help me to remember that You endured the terrible cross for me. Remind me that I don’t need to be afraid because just You are the beginning of my faith You have also promised to help me run all the way to its finish line.