Run your Race

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us” – Hebrews 12:1

God has given us a body and soul. Same God has provided us a purpose of living. Each of us have been put into a race and our opposition is only just our tasks. We are here in the world not to run others race, but we are here to run our own race. There is no point in competing with others in any walk of life. Compete with your provisions. Each one have their tasks and they need to carry on doing it. Some of them might have many more than us, some have less. 

When you study or work with someone, they might be brighter than you. It only means that God have much more tasks to him then you, so he need to run the race much faster. If you run that race, then who is going to run your race? You will be the failure.

Same way if you find anyone competing with you, or others, try convincing them not to try running others race, but to concentrate their tasks and come up victorious. And more over encourage everyone who are depressed, weak and who is a failure to understand their tasks and run their race and finish it. I pray God will provide you with the grace and spirit to run your race properly and encourage others to run their race and give glory to God. 

“And we urge you, brothers and sisters, warn those who are idle and disruptive, encourage the dishearted, help the weak, be patient with everyone” – 1 Thessalonians 5:14.

Patient in Affliction

“Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer” – Romans 12:12

Today’s world believes against patience. Each and every thing, people wants instantly. For standing in a queue at a grocery shop, people get so frustrated that they think they may lose some seconds. They try to walk over other person and get into trouble. This happens in every walk of life. Even the character of people does not support patience. They get angry and in that anger do lots of things which should never be done. If you go and enquire about how the prisoners ended up there, you will find out, if they had little patience, they wouldn’t have been there.

“Do not be quickly provoked in your spirit, for anger resides in the lap of fools” – Ecclesiastes 7: 9

There are times when people lose patience. When their child irritates, same in the case of his boss, when his spouse irritates him, and more and more, even the traffic block which can be seen daily.

If you are in need for patience, then the only place to ask for it is to God. God is patient with us, even for the people who haven’t trust in Christ and failed to repent. God is patiently waiting for unbelievers to repent and accept Christ. God shows patience even when his children are tortured by unbelievers and are waiting for the same unbelievers to repent and accept Christ.

If God can show these degrees if patience, we who are his creation should also show the same. But the choice is always yours.

“And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful” – 2 Timothy 2:24.

Be a Worm

God has chosen to use human beings as his vessels through which to flow. Through the ages, each one of God’s choice men and women have had to deal with an area that has a tendency to rise up when any type of accomplishment is realized.

Sometimes, when a miracle occurs from your hand, in comes the army of inquisitive onlookers. They begin to interrogate everyone you know. “How did it happen? How he got it”. Everyone points to you whom God used. At that moment, you have the sole responsibility of deflecting any honour and glory off yourself and onto the one who is the rightful recipient of the praise – Jesus Christ.

Herod relished the praise of man. He sought the honor of man above the honor of God, which brought deadly results. The worms of pride and conceit began their destructive work the moment he ceased to give God the glory.

Never forget, God is the one who gave you breath. If you sing magnificently it is because he gave you the ability. If someone pays you a compliment on your physical attractiveness, remember that it was God who knit you together in your mother’s womb. If God uses you mightily in healings, remember that Jesus took the beatings. He was bruised; He was wounded; He was the one hurt for our healing.

Humble yourself with the knowledge that our great and mighty God chooses to let us participate in his plans and purposes. Be a worm.

Conditions

A condition is a provision upon which the carrying out of an agreement depends. Conditions of employment might be that you must have a degree or must not have a criminal record. If you qualify in meeting these requirements, there is a chance you could be employed by the company. Most every promise in the Bible exists with conditions. 

If you exercise and eat right, your body will last longer and work better. If you don’t drink alcohol, you won’t be arrested for drunk driving. If you bathe regularly and brush your teeth, you won’t cause people to avoid you. These are all results of conditions being met.

God’s promises are full of conditions. “If my people, which are called by my name , shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land” – 2 Chronicles 7:14. Here are some conditions the Lord sets before us: I will allow you to find me, if you will search for me with all your heart (Jeremiah 29:13, 14); I will draw near to you if you draw near to me (James 4:8);; I will save your soul if you will call out to me (Romans 10:13)

If you want to see more on God’s conditional promises, read Deuteronomy 28. Throughout the Bible we find God saying, “I will if you will”. Be prepared to get something from God if you are willing to do something for him. If your choice.

Rejoice

Everyone wants to be happy. If you ask people around what their ambition in life is, most of them will say, they want to be happy. For that happiness, people are working hard, some going to the extent that they break laws. Always having to appear happy creates stress. Many people fake happiness than living reality. Not everyday scores a perfect 10. Some days are disasters. Let’s be honest about it. 

Happiness depends on happenings. Joy goes deeper. It is an attitude, a choice. It is your choice to rejoice. Joy is what makes life well, enjoyable. It is one of the fruits of Holy Spirit. Since it is the fruit, you need to have it to go ahead in your spiritual or earthly life.

“But the fruits of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control” – Galatians 5:22

To have Joy in our life, you need to have Hope. For a believer in Christ, no situation is completely hopeless. The hope we have in Christ is the first reason we can rejoice, even in difficult situation. “Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer” – Romans 12:12.

 

If you believe in Christ, you rejoice because you know God has a purpose in every situation. “We also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance” – Romans 5:3. Joy is learning to enjoy life in spite of problems. It is not the absence of suffering, but the presence of God in the midst of sufferings. 

The trials and sufferings have value. It is easier to handle sufferings when you know there is a purpose in it, that it is not in vain. No matter whether a problem is brought on by you, by other people, or by the devil, God allowed it. Grasping the fact that there is a purpose behind the problems is vitally important. Perseverance, character and hope are produced in us only when we choose the right attitude. 

You can rejoice in any circumstances because God is always with those who believe in him, no matter where you are or what you are facing. “We rejoice because of what God has done through our Lord Jesus Christ, who has now made us God’s friends” – Romans 5:11. Since God is with you, should thank him all circumstances, the attitude of gratitude. 

Two ways to overcoming the trials and tribulations, and achieve joy is to serve and share. Give your life to help others in the midst of problems also. Help someone to get out of their problems and rejoice in Christ. There is rejoicing in heaven when a person comes to faith in Christ. Commit your life to Christ and introduce others to him. Feel the joy in you which will override all your problems.

“When you pass through deep waters, I(God) will be with you; your troubles will not overwhelm you. When you pass through fire, you will not be burned; the hard trials that come will not hurt you” – Isaiah 43:2.