In the ancient Greek games, a judge would stand at the finish line holding, in plain sight, the laurel leaves that would be rewarded to the victor. As runners came down the final stretch, they were exhausted, perhaps in agony, and feeling as though they couldn’t go another step. But suddenly there was the prize in sight, and a new burst of energy would kick in.

This is the picture behind the phrase “fix our eyes on Jesus” in Hebrews 12:2. We have to keep our eyes on Jesus Christ. And our prize is the privilege of standing before Him and receiving the crown of righteousness that He will give us.

That is why we try to live godly lives, and why we try to reach people for Him. It isn’t for brownie points. It isn’t for applause. It isn’t for notoriety. It’s so we can hear Jesus say to us on that final day, “Well done, good and faithful servant.” No, we can’t earn our salvation, because He has already provided it. But we want to please the One who laid down His life for us. Ultimately, we want to be able to say, “Lord, I took the life You gave me and tried to make a difference. Here it is. I offer it to You.”

THE KEY TO RUNNING THE RACE OF LIFE:

“Fix our eyes on Jesus…” That keeps you going, doesn’t it? After all, you can get discouraged at times. People will let you down. They will disappoint you. They won’t appreciate your hard work or notice your efforts. Not bothering to understand your real motives, they’ll criticize that which they don’t (or won’t) understand. And that is when you need to remind yourself, I am not running my race for this person or that person. I am running for You, Lord. And I will keep running … with my eye fixed on You.

(GREG LAURIE)

I heard a story once, of a chaplain who was speaking to a loyal soldier in the hospital. “Bless you son, you saved a fellow soldier’s life – and lost an arm in the great cause doing it,” the chaplain said. “No,” said the soldier with a smile. “I didn’t lose it … I gave it.”

We have so much. The Lord has blessed many of us with good health, the use of our eyes, ears, mouths, hands, feet and minds. He’s given us various talents of sorts. He’s blessed many of us with homes, cars and good paying jobs. Most importantly, He’s bestowed upon us the wonderful knowledge of His Son, Jesus.

We are all soldiers in God’s great army. In the same way this young soldier gave his arm to save a life, we should be offering our gifts toward God’s great cause of salvation for the world.

Let’s make it a point to start giving consistently of the gifts God has given us, whatever they may be. After all, Jesus did not lose His life – He gave it purposely for us, no strings attached. And there’s so much work to be done!            (Source Unknown)

“Lord, we have so much. Most of us have food, shelter, people who love us, jobs, nice clothes to wear, safety, and opportunities for growth and development. May we never take Your good gifts for granted. Help us to use our position of relative luxury to meet the needs of those less fortunate. Amen.”

(World Vision: Prayer For Christian Generosity)

Though hidden from the human eye, roots are the most vital parts of every plant. Without strong and deep roots, a plant will eventually die. Spiritually, the implications are quite similar. When we neglect to deepen the roots of our faith – when we take for granted our relationship with the Lord, our faith becomes shallow and superficial. That’s why Paul says, “just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in Him…” (Colossians 2:6)

A story was told about a man who went to his doctor and said, “Doctor, my wife and I have been fighting so much because I am having such a hard time doing household chores.” When the doctor finished his examination, the man said, “Now, Doc, tell me in plain simple English what is wrong.” The doctor replied,” Well, in plain English, you’re just lazy.” After a long silence, the man said, “Now Doc, can you give me a sophisticated medical term for that so that I can tell my wife?”

You see, friends, just like this man, many of us makes excuses for our laziness in matters of our faith. We are too busy with our family and career. We don’t like the Pastor or person handling the Bible Study class. We are too sickly. And the list goes on and on.

When we are spiritually lazy, we fail to develop fundamental and basic disciplines that will help us get through this life. Worse, we pass on to our children and grandchildren, a very shallow and casual view of a Christianity that Christ Himself never taught.

The fact is that we don’t see the consequences of these things immediately. Life can actually go on smoothly and normally for some time. But when the storms of life start coming – when the waters begin rising and when the winds start pounding strong against us and our family, those who have neglected their faith are shaken, overwhelmed and uprooted.

(REV  BERNADETTE  AMISTOSO-MORALES)