Scott Downard set off to win a Marathon. He trained and conditioned his body. He kept a strict diet and shed pounds. Great sacrifices were made in favor of being able to compete in this16.2 Mile Journey.
The day of the race came and Scott was ready to run. He wore the right gear, showed up on time, and took every precaution to give him the best chance of success on this day.
The starter gun fired and Scott and all the other runners were off. Scott ran his race. He stayed focused. He did the little things like drink water and eat a protein bar a long the way. He didn't expend all his energy in a mad dash, but he kept his strides methodically under control for maximum efficiency. He breathed deeply and steadily from his diaphragm and stayed focused.
At the time of 2 Hour 37 minutes Scott crossed the finish line. As he broke the tape the crowd cheered. He had won the marathon! What a moment! All that sacrifice had paid off - not only had he finished the marathon he had finished it first.
Wait a moment... there seems to be some confusion...
You said your name is Scott Downard...? A Scott Downard never signed up for this race... At 2 Hours, 40 minutes, 54 seconds Kolin Styles ran across the finish line and was given the first place finish Scott thought he had earned. Kolin had signed up for the race...
Scott's story speaks to me on several levels... I'll share a few observations.
SALVATION
Matthew 7 21 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. 22 Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ 23 And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me
These people ran the race of religion... but they never signed up. This is one of the saddest thoughts presented in scriptures!
WE MUST make sure the people working hard in the church are ACTUALLY SAVED! That sentence might sound silly to you... You should re-read Matthew 7!!
If my Lead Guitarist does a flawless job on stage week in and week out, but doesn't end up in heaven... That could be my fault. Do we spend more time thinking about peoples talents than their souls?
OBEDIENCE
1 Samuel 15:22 To obey is better than sacrifice
All that Sacrificing Scott did... before and during the race... Mental and Physical preparation... and in the end he has the exact same finish as you and I. I didn't sign up to run this marathon and I'm assuming you didn't either. According to the race officials, we tied with Scott.
Because we didn't obediently agree to the Marathon it didn't matter how much or how little we sacrificed.
We may be knocking ourselves out in ministry right now. We may be logging huge hours and doing impressive and even beneficial work. But are we Obedient? Is there something God asked us to do that we aren't doing? Could it be that your work isn't winning the race with God because you are lacking obedience?
It reminds me of Cain. He brought a sacrifice... But he didn't bring obedience. God is serious about obedience.
Let's get HARDCORE!!
Matthew 5:23-24 “Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother or sister has something against you, 24 leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to them; then come and offer your gift.
What if you are leading worship and remember someone that is angry with you... you should stop leading worship...!?! Yes. Hand the mic over and go take care of the issue of obedience before you offer sacrifice.
There have been times I should have stopped and done this... how about you.
CROWN
1 Corinthians 9:25 Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever.
The Apostle Paul is very clear here. It's all about that crown that will last forever! Do we sometimes lose sight of that crown? Are we so wrapped up with sermon prep, setlists, and bumper videos that we forget about the ONLY REASON we are doing this in the first place?
1 Corinthians 9:27 I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.
QUALIFY
The great Apostle Paul tells us that after he has done ministry, after he has preached to others, he focuses on not being disqualified for that Crown. Paul told us himself that we don't qualify through works of righteousness... We qualify because Christ saves us and shows us mercy, and we receive the renewing that comes by the Holy Spirit! (Titus 3:5) Christ is actually the only one who was ever qualified... We were all disqualified in the Garden of Eden Marathon...
How about that Renewing of the Holy Spirit? We need that continually.
--------------------------------
Am I great at all of this. Not even close. I often find myself running and realizing I forgot to sign up...
These questions might help us.
Do we spend more time thinking about peoples talents than their souls?
Do we take care of the issues of obedience before we offer sacrifice?
Do you need to spend some time thinking about the Crown?
Are you being renewed by the Holy Spirit?
The day of the race came and Scott was ready to run. He wore the right gear, showed up on time, and took every precaution to give him the best chance of success on this day.
 |
| Poor Scott |
The starter gun fired and Scott and all the other runners were off. Scott ran his race. He stayed focused. He did the little things like drink water and eat a protein bar a long the way. He didn't expend all his energy in a mad dash, but he kept his strides methodically under control for maximum efficiency. He breathed deeply and steadily from his diaphragm and stayed focused.
At the time of 2 Hour 37 minutes Scott crossed the finish line. As he broke the tape the crowd cheered. He had won the marathon! What a moment! All that sacrifice had paid off - not only had he finished the marathon he had finished it first.
Wait a moment... there seems to be some confusion...
You said your name is Scott Downard...? A Scott Downard never signed up for this race... At 2 Hours, 40 minutes, 54 seconds Kolin Styles ran across the finish line and was given the first place finish Scott thought he had earned. Kolin had signed up for the race...
Scott's story speaks to me on several levels... I'll share a few observations.
SALVATION
Matthew 7 21 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. 22 Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ 23 And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me
These people ran the race of religion... but they never signed up. This is one of the saddest thoughts presented in scriptures!
WE MUST make sure the people working hard in the church are ACTUALLY SAVED! That sentence might sound silly to you... You should re-read Matthew 7!!
If my Lead Guitarist does a flawless job on stage week in and week out, but doesn't end up in heaven... That could be my fault. Do we spend more time thinking about peoples talents than their souls?
OBEDIENCE
1 Samuel 15:22 To obey is better than sacrifice
All that Sacrificing Scott did... before and during the race... Mental and Physical preparation... and in the end he has the exact same finish as you and I. I didn't sign up to run this marathon and I'm assuming you didn't either. According to the race officials, we tied with Scott.
Because we didn't obediently agree to the Marathon it didn't matter how much or how little we sacrificed.
We may be knocking ourselves out in ministry right now. We may be logging huge hours and doing impressive and even beneficial work. But are we Obedient? Is there something God asked us to do that we aren't doing? Could it be that your work isn't winning the race with God because you are lacking obedience?
It reminds me of Cain. He brought a sacrifice... But he didn't bring obedience. God is serious about obedience.
Let's get HARDCORE!!
Matthew 5:23-24 “Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother or sister has something against you, 24 leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to them; then come and offer your gift.
What if you are leading worship and remember someone that is angry with you... you should stop leading worship...!?! Yes. Hand the mic over and go take care of the issue of obedience before you offer sacrifice.
There have been times I should have stopped and done this... how about you.
CROWN
1 Corinthians 9:25 Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever.
The Apostle Paul is very clear here. It's all about that crown that will last forever! Do we sometimes lose sight of that crown? Are we so wrapped up with sermon prep, setlists, and bumper videos that we forget about the ONLY REASON we are doing this in the first place?
1 Corinthians 9:27 I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.
QUALIFY
The great Apostle Paul tells us that after he has done ministry, after he has preached to others, he focuses on not being disqualified for that Crown. Paul told us himself that we don't qualify through works of righteousness... We qualify because Christ saves us and shows us mercy, and we receive the renewing that comes by the Holy Spirit! (Titus 3:5) Christ is actually the only one who was ever qualified... We were all disqualified in the Garden of Eden Marathon...
How about that Renewing of the Holy Spirit? We need that continually.
--------------------------------
Am I great at all of this. Not even close. I often find myself running and realizing I forgot to sign up...
These questions might help us.
Do we spend more time thinking about peoples talents than their souls?
Do we take care of the issues of obedience before we offer sacrifice?
Do you need to spend some time thinking about the Crown?
Are you being renewed by the Holy Spirit?
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