Enjoying the Journey
Posts Tagged ‘running’
The Next Leg of the Race
Life is a marathon, not a sprint. Each phase of the race is both distinct and essential to the whole. We have begun, in many respects, the next leg of our race. What will we do with this part of our race? In this race you must know how to push yourself. There is no good time to quit this race. God put you in it and it is not over until you cross the threshold of His throne room. That is where the crowns will be handed out. An aged Paul wrote, “I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:14). So must we. In this race you must…
Read MoreAre You Still Running?
The other day a friend I had not talked to for some time asked if I was still running. Yes, my times have not been quite as good as I would like but I am still running. Travel schedules and winter weather pose challenges – but, if it is not one thing it is always another. The key is to put on the shoes again and just keep running. As I have reflected on our conversation the Holy Spirit has stirred my heart about a race that is far greater than any physical exercise (1 Timothy 4:8; Hebrews 12:1). New believers often come out of the starting block with great enthusiasm. They run! And then…they don’t. Are you still running?…
Read MoreWhy I Started Running & Why I Plan to Continue
A little over two years ago I started running. I didn’t plan to do it. In fact, I’m not sure why I went out that first day. I remember saying to my wife, “I’m going for a run.” Her loving, tender answer was, “You’re not a runner!” And she was right. In fact, I’ve never been a runner. But I became one. One run at a time. When I came home that first day I felt better. My mind was clearer. So I did it a second day, and a third, and…you get the point. Now, these many months later I can say it was one of the best things I have ever done. And it’s not just physical. There…
Read MoreLessons Learned on My Daily Run
Running has become for me many things. It is a means to stay in shape, a stress reliever, time to think. Recently it has become a classroom in which the Teacher has been showing me so many important lessons. It is not by accident that God refers frequently in the New Testament to our life as a race to be run. Henry Drummond wrote a great deal about how the physical world mirrors so many spiritual realities. This should be no surprise to us, for the creation simply reflects the Creator. This is why the Lord Jesus so often used parables – physical, earthly, every day things – to speak of much higher truth. In this way, running has begun…
Read MoreRun Your Race!
About five months ago I did something I have never done – I started running. I should have started years ago. While physically it has helped me, I am amazed at how much clarity and quiet it provides to think and pray. But this is not a blog about running. It is about life. Many times in the last few months I have realized the similarities between running and the daily disciplines of life. The Apostle Paul spoke frequently of this parallel… “…that I might finish my course with joy, and the ministry which I have received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of the grace of God” (Acts 20:24). “Know ye not that they which run in…
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