Vol. 6, No. 39 – September 26, 2021
Race without a Finish Line
2 Corinthians 5:17f
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. . .. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making His appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our sake He made Him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God. –2 Corinthians 5:17, 20-21
Paul David Tripp, the wonderful author of Come Let Us Adore Him, says in his introduction:
When writing this devotional, I was brought to a new place of wonder and worship as I considered that the baby boy in the manger was not only a real human baby but also fully God. For the months it took to write this collection of meditations, it was wonderful to consider day after day that God knew that the only way to fix everything sin had broken was to give us the ultimate gift, the gift of Himself!
We are almost racing to the end of 2021. God has always expected us to commit to excellence from the start. What was not so clear, is that our race does not stop while we live on the earth. What is clear from the Scriptures is that our commitment to excellence, biblical in foundation, is in direct proportion to who we are in relationship to Christ.
It is a funny thing about life; if you refuse to accept anything but the best, you very often get it. –Somerset Maugham.
I have learned over the years that it takes less time to do something right than it does to explain why you did it wrong, or do it over again.
There is an infinite difference between a little wrong and just right, between fairly good and the best, between mediocrity and superiority. –Orison Marcen.
Some questions or observations we ought to contemplate, noted by Frank Outlaw:
- Why should my boss hire me instead of someone else?
- Why should people do business with me instead of my competitors?
- Watch actions; they become habits. You really do not have habits, they have you!
- Habits become character; watch your character!
- Character influences your destiny!
Sin has many tools, but a lie is the handle that fits them all. –Oliver Wendell Holmes.
We observe politicians who are given to lying do not stop at white lies, they soon become color blind. Lies have no legs to support themselves, they require other lies. When one stretches the truth, there will be the outcome of a snapping back. Notice that it is not only politicians who are given to lying. It is a character flaw of the many. We live in a world of deceivers, and only want to blame the devil for what is going on that we have contributed toward.
Life Application
What do we see in the sentences above? It is that outside forces do not control our character. We do. We are not the victim; we are the choice-makers in our race of life. When we head to the finish line, we have to ask what is there that I should gain. The race in our Christian life has no finish line, we are to continue to run toward the upward call. As long as we live on this earth, we are in the race. God expects us to compete with biblical truth and for winning others to faith.
How are we doing?
