Finding the Finish

December 1, 2007

Bible Reading: 14 For we have become partakers of Christ if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast to the end, 15 while it is said: “ Today, if you will hear His voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion.” ~Hebrews 3:14-15 (NKJV)

Bonus Reading: Joshua 14:6-12

In the 1972 Munich Olympics, runner Dave Wottle, wearing his trademark baseball cap, was dead last in the 800-meter race throughout much of the race. As the final lap around the track began, Wottle seemingly charged through the pack. “Watch out for Dave Wottle’s kick!” the TV announcer screamed. Wottle overtook the leaders in the last 20 meters to win the Gold by three-tenths of a second!

Many think, “That’s how I want to run. It doesn’t matter if I fall behind; I’ll make it back with a big kick as everyone cheers me on.” But in remarks at a prep-school chapel service in Chattanooga, Tennessee, Wottle set the record straight. “The other runners went out so fast at the beginning that they slowed down at the end; I was able to maintain the same pace that I started with. … Even though I looked like I was kicking on them, they were coming back to me.” Wottle, one track expert explained, was “just maintaining in a dying field.”

Endurance is maintaining our walk with Jesus even when no one else is. In a society of flash-in-the-pan celebrities and trendy spirituality, endurance is putting our faith to work by showing up for Christ every day, in every circumstance until the race of life is done.
~adapted from Tod Bolsinger in Show Time

What a lesson for our Christian life—are we running well from the beginning to the end—or counting on a strong finish to carry us? Doesn’t that imply we KNOW when we will finish? After all, who among us can tell when we will face our finish line—the end of our life here on Earth? Isn’t it rebellion not to run our best pace from the beginning?

Contemplative Prayer: “Holy Spirit, please show me Your adjustments to help me maintain even pacing in a field dying about me!”

Think about it: To become a champion, fight one more round. ~JAMES CORBETT (world champion boxer)

All love in the Beloved,
Chip+

Posted by Father Chip | Filed Under Devotionals