Dawn 2 Dusk Running to Win, Not to WanderPaul pictures the Christian life like a race: plenty of motion, plenty of effort, but only one way to run that actually honors the finish line. The call isn’t to a casual jog of good intentions—it’s to purposeful, focused faith that aims for what matters most. Run like you mean it “Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way as to win.” (1 Corinthians 9:24) That’s not pressure to earn God’s love; it’s an invitation to stop living distracted. Grace puts you on the track—then grace teaches you to run with intention. Ask yourself: Am I spiritually busy, or spiritually directed? God didn’t hand you a random lane. “Let us run with endurance the race set out for us.” (Hebrews 12:1) There is a “set out for us” race—assignments, relationships, temptations, opportunities—where faith becomes real. And endurance isn’t glamorous; it’s choosing obedience when nobody applauds. Train for what lasts Races aren’t won by wishful thinking; they’re won by training. “Rather, train yourself for godliness.” (1 Timothy 4:7) Training sounds intense because it is—habits, self-control, repentance, saying no to what dulls your love for Christ. The question isn’t whether you’re being shaped; it’s what’s shaping you. This kind of training isn’t about cramming more into your day; it’s about putting first things first. “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added unto you.” (Matthew 6:33) When the kingdom is first, lesser things find their place—or they fall away without stealing your peace. Press on with the finish line in view The race gets clearer when you remember the prize. “Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize of God’s heavenly calling in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 3:13–14) Yesterday’s failures don’t get to define your pace, and yesterday’s wins don’t get to make you coast. The gospel gives you a clean heart and a forward lean. And the finish is worth it. “Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love Him.” (James 1:12) Trials don’t mean you’re losing; they can be the very training ground where God strengthens love, deepens faith, and steadies your steps. Father, thank You for calling me into Your race and for giving me strength in Christ. Help me run today with endurance, say no to distractions, and obey You quickly and gladly. Amen. Morning and Evening by Spurgeon 1 Kings 19:4 And he requested for himself that he might die. It was a remarkable thing that the man who was never to die, for whom God had ordained an infinitely better lot, the man who should be carried to heaven in a chariot of fire, and be translated, that he should not see death--should thus pray, "Let me die, I am no better than my fathers." We have here a memorable proof that God does not always answer prayer in kind, though he always does in effect. He gave Elias something better than that which he asked for, and thus really heard and answered him. Strange was it that the lion-hearted Elijah should be so depressed by Jezebel's threat as to ask to die, and blessedly kind was it on the part of our heavenly Father that he did not take his desponding servant at his word. There is a limit to the doctrine of the prayer of faith. We are not to expect that God will give us everything we choose to ask for. We know that we sometimes ask, and do not receive, because we ask amiss. If we ask for that which is not promised--if we run counter to the spirit which the Lord would have us cultivate--if we ask contrary to his will, or to the decrees of his providence--if we ask merely for the gratification of our own ease, and without an eye to his glory, we must not expect that we shall receive. Yet, when we ask in faith, nothing doubting, if we receive not the precise thing asked for, we shall receive an equivalent, and more than an equivalent, for it. As one remarks, "If the Lord does not pay in silver, he will in gold; and if he does not pay in gold, he will in diamonds." If he does not give you precisely what you ask for, he will give you that which is tantamount to it, and that which you will greatly rejoice to receive in lieu thereof. Be then, dear reader, much in prayer, and make this evening a season of earnest intercession, but take heed what you ask. Tyndale Life Application Daily Devotion And some of the wise will fall victim to persecution. In this way, they will be refined and cleansed and made pure until the time of the end, for the appointed time is still to come.Insight God's messenger described a time of trial when even wise believers may stumble. This could mean (1) falling into sin, (2) being fearful and losing faith, (3) mistakenly following wrong teaching, or (4) experiencing severe suffering and martyrdom. Challenge If we persevere in our faith, any such experience will only refine us and make us stronger. Are you facing trials? Recognize them as opportunities to strengthen your faith. If we remain steadfast in these experiences, we will be stronger in our faith and closer to God. Bible in a Year Old Testament Reading2 Kings 23, 24, 25 2 Kings 23 -- Josiah Renews the Covenant and Passover; Jehoahaz and Jehoiakim Follow NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB 2 Kings 24 -- Jehoiakim; Deportation to Babylon; Jehoiachin; Zedekiah NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB 2 Kings 25 -- Nebuchadnezzar's Siege, Burning and Plunder of Jerusalem; Jehoiachin's Release NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB New Testament Reading John 7:1-31 John 7 -- Jesus Teaches at the Feast of Tabernacles; Diverse Opinions of Him among the People NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB Reading Plan Courtesy of Christian Classics Etherial Library. Bible League: Living His Word Happy is the man who finds wisdom, and the man who gains understanding.— Proverbs 3:13 NKJV Do you want to be happy in life? Do you want to be truly happy? Then you need to find wisdom and understanding. What does it mean to be wise? According to the Book of Proverbs, the first thing it means is that a person fears the Lord: "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge" (Proverbs 1:7). Wise people know the most important thing you could ever know. They know that the creation and everything in it is, indeed, a creation. It is a creation of the Lord God. If you don't know this, or, more accurately, if you refuse to acknowledge this (see Romans 1:18-23), then you can't be wise in any meaningful sense of the term. Even more, if you don't fear the Lord God, then you're a fool according to the Bible: "The fool says in his heart, 'There is no God'" (Psalm 14:1). You're a fool not only because you fail to know, or fail to acknowledge, the most important thing you could ever know, but you also fail to know or acknowledge the will and ways of the Lord. As Proverbs puts it, "fools despise wisdom and instruction" (Proverbs 1:7). They despise, in other words, the way things are meant to be in the Lord God's creation. They despise the way He designed things to go. If you want to be happy, then, you must become wise and leave your foolishness behind. You must come to know and acknowledge the Lord God for who He is and you must come to know and acknowledge His will and ways. Proverbs tells us that having wisdom is better than having all the silver, gold, and precious rubies you could ever want. Indeed, "all the things you may desire cannot compare with her" (Proverbs 3:14-15). It only makes sense. If you know the way things are meant to go in the world, then you're going to do well in it. How well? Proverbs says that those who are wise are blessed with long life and with riches and honor. They walk in ways that are pleasant and peaceful. Wisdom is "a tree of life to those who take hold of her" (Proverbs 3:16-18). In other words, the wise are blessed with a happy life well-lived. Daily Light on the Daily Path Philippians 1:5 in view of your participation in the gospel from the first day until now.1 Corinthians 12:12,13 For even as the body is one and yet has many members, and all the members of the body, though they are many, are one body, so also is Christ. • For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free, and we were all made to drink of one Spirit. 1 Corinthians 1:9 God is faithful, through whom you were called into fellowship with His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. 1 John 1:3 what we have seen and heard we proclaim to you also, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ. 1 John 1:7 but if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin. John 17:1,20,21 Jesus spoke these things; and lifting up His eyes to heaven, He said, "Father, the hour has come; glorify Your Son, that the Son may glorify You, • "I do not ask on behalf of these alone, but for those also who believe in Me through their word; • that they may all be one; even as You, Father, are in Me and I in You, that they also may be in Us, so that the world may believe that You sent Me. New American Standard Bible Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, Calif. All rights reserved. For Permission to Quote Information visit http://www.lockman.org. |
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