Our pastor preached a great sermon in church yesterday. Really great. I’m not going to rehash the whole thing here, but I will pass on just a little of what I took away.
The life of faith is not a sit-back-and-take-it-easy kind of thing. The life of faith is not without bumps and turns and knocks. The life of faith is hard. But the life of faith is also the most satisfying, comforting, peace-giving, joyful, growing, loving, successful, relationship-building, and intimate fellowship with Jesus.
The life of faith requires participation.
Being a spectator is easy. A participant, however, gets into the action. Decisions must be made. Messes must be cleaned up. Changes must take place. And every step has a purpose.
You’ve all been to the stadium and seen the athletes race. Everyone runs; one wins. Run to win. All good athletes train hard. They do it for a gold medal that tarnishes and fades. You’re after one that’s gold eternally. I don’t know about you, but I’m running hard for the finish line. I’m giving it everything I’ve got. No sloppy living for me! I’m staying alert and in top condition. I’m not going to get caught napping, telling everyone else all about it and then missing out myself. – 1 Corinthians 9:24-27 (The Message)
If you’re going to run the race, you’d better make sure that every step counts.
Inside the Writer 