Sunday, March 19

I AM CALLED TO FOLLOW CHRIST

28And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.29For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.Rom. 8:28-29 (ESV)

I AM CALLED TO:______

HOWDOIFOLLOW CHRIST?

RunningYourMarathontoMaturity:Hebrews 12

1. ______

“…let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,” Heb.12:1(ESV)

2. ______

“looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith,” Heb.12:2a(ESV)

“And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.” 2Cor.3:18(ESV)

3. ______

“…looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.3Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted.” Heb. 12:2-3(ESV)

“And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.” 1Peter5:10(ESV)

MEMORY VERSE

“And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.” Romans 8:28 (ESV)

4.______

“And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, 25not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.” Heb. 10:24-25(ESV)

5.______

“Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. 13Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, 14I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” Phil. 3:12-14(ESV)

6.______

“Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. 26So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air.”

1Cor.9:25-26(ESV)

“Therefore lift your drooping hands and strengthen your weak knees, 13and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be put out of joint but rather be healed.”

Heb. 12:12-13(ESV)

7.______

“And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.” Phil. 1:6(ESV)

“Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is!” 1 John3:2(ESV)

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Sunday, March 19

I AM CALLED TO FOLLOW CHRIST

Two weeks ago welookedat the Call to Discipleship. God calls each Christ follower into a life of discipleship. That’sthebedrockofeverythingthathappensinyourlife as a Christ follower. Lastweekwelookedat how the call to discipleship begins with a relationship with Christ. We said that we are called to “Know Christ”.

Today we will see that as people who have been called into a relationship with Jesus Christ we have a responsibility to begin the process of following Christ. Now many of us don’t understand what it means to follow Christ. And many of us probably had a picture in our mind of what being a follower of Jesus looked like, only to find out that it is something far different from what we originally thought it would be like. We need to understand that following Christ simply means becoming like Jesus.

It’sveryinteresting. Aslittlekids,weoftenwanttobecomesomethings…we have an idea in our mind of what we would want to become. Do you remember what you wanted to become as a child?

  • Howmanyofyouwhenyouwereakidyouwantedtobeafireman,apolicemanoranastronaut?
  • Howmanyofyouwantedtobeanursewhenyouweregrowingup? HowmanywantedtobeBarbie?
  • Here’sthemorelikelyquestion:Howmanyofyoudidnotbecomewhatyouthoughtyouwouldbecomewhenyouwereeightyearsold?

That’suniversal. None of us ended up exactly what we wanted to become as children. Our calling by Jesus to know him and become like him has altered what we thought we would be as well.

  • Whatisacalling? How did we define a calling in the last couple of weeks?

Wesaidthat’sthesamethingasapurpose. Godhasfourpurposesforyourlife. Godhasfourreasonsforcreatingyou. Godhasfourassignments. Fourmissions. Fourrationalesforyourlife. ThecallingsofGodarethepurposesofGodforyourlife. TheBibleusestheword“calling”atleasttentimesmoreoftenthantheword“purpose”whenittalksaboutyourlife.

Oneofthethemeversesforthisseriesonlivingoutyourcalling,God’spurposesforyourlife,isRomans8:28intheBible. We’velookedatthisverseeachweekandIwantustogobacktoitbecauseofitssignificance. Romans8:28-29fromtheBiblesaysthis“And weknowthatfor those who love God, all things work together for good…[It’snotallgoodbutGodcauseseverythingtoworktogetherforthegoodofthosewholoveGod.]for those whoarecalled[there’sthatword]accordingtohispurpose[there’sthatword]. [Callingandpurposegotogether. Yourcallinginlifeisyourpurposeinlife.]Forthose whom he foreknew[BeforeyouwereevenbornGodknewyou. Hethoughtyouup. Youwerehisidea. You’renotanaccident. ForGodknewhispeopleinadvance]he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son… [TalkingaboutJesus. Whydon’tyoucirclethatphrase“conformed to the image of hisSon.”That’syourthirdcallinginlife. OnceyougetintoGod’sfamilyGodwantsyoutogrowupandbecomelikeyourolderbrotherJesusChrist. HechosethemtobecomelikehisSon]in order that he[Jesus]mightbethefirstbornamong many brothers.”

Writethisdown:MythirdcallingistofollowChrist.

  • I follow Christ by becoming like Him. Whatdoesthatmean? What does it mean to become like Christ?

You’renotgoingtobeagod. You’reneverevengoingtobealittlemini-megod. GodisGodandyou’renot. That’sanantidotetostresswhenyourealizethat. ButGodwantsyoutobecomegodly. Inotherwords,hewantsyoutotakeonthecharacteristicsofhisfamily. LikeFather, likeSon. TheBiblesaysthatGodislovingandGodisjoyfulandGodispeacefulandGodispatientandGodiskind. TheBibletellsusthatGodisself-controlled. Godismerciful. Thesearecalledthefruitof theSpirit. They’reaperfectpictureofJesus.

Ifyou’regoingtobecomelikeJesusitmeanstobefilledwithlove. Tobefilledwithjoy. Tobefilledwithpeace. Tobefilledwithpatience. Allof thoseotherqualities.

FivetimesintheBibleitcomparesbecominglikeJesustorunningarace. Itistheraceoflife. Lifeisnotafifty-yarddash. It’samarathon. And you’rerunningthisracerightnow. AndyourgoalistobecomethemanGodwantsyoutobe. ThegoalistobecomethewomanGodwantsyoutobe.

Sowhatwe wanttodotodayistakeseveraldifferentpassagesoftheBiblethatcomparelifetoaraceandcomparebecomingwhoGodwantsyoutobetoaraceanddrawoutfromthemsevenprinciples. We’ll callthistheMarathontoMaturity. ThisishowyougettowhereGodwantsyoutobeinlife. Goddoesn’twantyoutostaythesame. Hedoesn’twantyoutobeinspiritualdiapersyourentirelife. Hewantsyoutogrowup.

Andwhatisfullmaturity? LookatJesusandyouknowthatiswhatGodwantsyoutobecomelike. HowdoIdothis? HowdoIrunthemarathontomaturity?

Aswelookatthesepassageswe cansummarizetheminsevenstatements.

  1. Run my own race.

Imustrun my own race. If the process of becoming like Jesus is compared to running a race, I have to take some steps that will make me most effective in doing so. Hebrewschapter12isoneofthechaptersoftheBible thatdealswiththismetaphorof life as arace. Verse1saysthis, “let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely...”

First, Ihavetocutoutandcleanoutanddiscardallthejunkthat’sholdingmebackfromrunning the race in the first place, the things that are keeping me from becomingthepersonGodwantsmetobecome. I’vegottocleanouttheclutter, I’vegottocleanoutmymind, my schedule, my relationships. I’vegottogetridofunnecessarybaggage, anything that is slowing me down.

  • What baggage is weighing you down and holding you back from becoming more like Jesus?

The second part of Hebrews 12:1 says this, “and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,”So, secondly,you need to recognize that this race is going to take your entire life. You’renot going tofinishitinaweek, amonthorevennext year. God’splantomakeyouthepersonhewantsyoutobeisalifetimeplan. It’s going totakeyouyourentirelifeandyoucan’t run therace quickly. It’snotashortfifty-yarddash. It’samarathon, and to run a marathon you must have endurance.

Any marathon runner can tell you that you must quickly learn thatif you’re going toruntenmilesorfifteenmilesorifyou’re going torunamarathonyouhavetopaceyourself. Youcan’tstartoutreally, really fast, becauseifyoudoyou’llgetwinded. You’llrunoutofsteam. You’llrunoutofenergy. Yougetfatigued. Yougiveupandyoudon’tfinish. You’vegottopaceyourself.

WhenyoubecomeaChristianyoustartgrowingreallyfast.It’slikebabiesintheearlymonths. Theygrowenormouslyfast. They’lldoubleinsize theirfirstyear.But that growthslowsdown because it isn’t sustainable. Butit’sstableandit’ssecureandoveraperiodoftime. GodsaysI’mnot inahurrygrowingyoutowhereIwantyoutogrow. Godisnotinahurry. Youarebuthe’snot. WhenGodwantstomakeamushroomhetakessixhours. WhenGodwantstomakeanoak treehetakessixtyyears. What doyouwanttobe? Amushroomoranoaktree?

We can show one another how to become like Jesus but we cannotteachyouhowtodoitquickly. It’s going totakeyourentirelife. YouspellmaturityT-I-M-E. We getinahurrybutGod’snotinahurry. Soyouneedtojust relaxandrealizethathe’snotimpatientwithyou. Championsknowhowtopacethemselves and champions know that endurance wins the race.

  • Runners endure marathons by keeping a steady pace throughout the race. How can you keep a steady pace in your growth toward Christlike maturity?

The third part of Hebrews 12:1 says this,“and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us.” The race that is set before us.I must run my own race. Godhasaparticularraceforyourlifeandonlyyoucanrunit. Yourmomcan’trunit. Yourdadcan’trunit. Yourboyfriendcan’trunit. Somebodyelsecan’trunyourrace. Andby the wayyoucan’trunanybodyelse’s. Youhaveaparticularrace thatGodwantsyoutoruninlife. AndeverybodyelsehasaracethatGodwantsthemtorun.

Ican’tdoGod’splanformylifeandmyplanatthesametime. AndIcan’tdoyourplanformylifeandGod’splanatthesametime. Sothestartingpoint,ifyou’regoing towinattheraceoflife,you’vegottodecidewhichraceareyougoingtorun? Everything I do must be focused on which race I’m going to run.

Which alsomeansyou’regoingtohavetoletgoofsomeexpectationstoo. Becauseyoucan’tpleaseeverybodyelseandpleaseGod. You’vegottodecide whodidGodputmeonthisearthtoplease? So often in life we get overcome by the expectations of other people. We get bogged down in what our parents, siblings, spouses and friends want us to be instead of focusing on who God wants us to be.

Soyouhavetosay,I’mnotjustwillingtoletgoofsins. I’mnotjustwillingtoletgoofweights. I’mwillingtoletgoofwhat everybodyelseexpectsmetodoinmylife.Whenyou’redoingthat,you’resayingGod,I’mreadytobecometheman or womanyoumademetobe.

  • Am I running my own race? Or am I trying to run someone else’s?
  1. Focus on Jesus.

If I want to endure, if I want to finish my race, I must have a focus in my race to keep me going. That focus according to Hebrews 12 is to be Jesus himself. As I cooperate with God in my transformation into the image of Jesus, Imustspendafair amount oftime–I’mnottalkingaboutanhour,twohours,threehours,tenhours—but at least some time with Jesus. Startwithfiveminutes. Tenminutes. Fifteenminutes. Spendsome timefocusingonJesuseveryday. That’swhatthenextverseis talkingaboutwith regard to thisraceinlife.

  • WhydoIneedtospendsometimefocusingmythoughts and mymindonJesus?

Becausewhateveryouwanttobecomeyouneedtothinkabout and to focus on. Ifyouwant tobecomelikeJesusyouneedto thinkaboutJesus. When youwanttobelikesomebody,youbecomelikewhoeveryouspend themosttimewith. Ifyouhangoutwithpeoplewhohavenoambition,you’regoingtohavenoambition. Ifyouhangoutwithpeoplewhoarecritical,you’regoingtobecomecritical. Whoeveryouspendthemosttimewithiswhoyou’regoingtobecomelike.

We must spend time with Jesus daily. Wecall thisaquiettime. YoureadtheBibleforfiveminutes,thenyou talktoGodaboutstuffthat’sonyourheart–God,here’sthestuffthatI’mworriedabout. Lord,here’sthestuffI’mconcernedabout. Here’smyscheduletoday. I’mreallystressed;Ineedyourhelp. AndthenyoubequietandyouletGodtalktoyou. Andyousay. God,isthereanythingyouwanttosaytome? Andyoubequiet.

ThereasonwhyGod’snevertalkedtoyouisyou’veneverbeenquietlongenough. You’vegottheradioon. You’vegottojustsithereandbequiet. SometimesGodwillputa thoughtinmymind. Sometimesit’slikeeverythingisA-OK. Goonwithyourlife. Andyoumoveon. Goddoesn’thavetospeakaloudtome. He’stheonewhocreatedradiowavesandtelevisionwaves.Hecanputathoughtinmymind. Wecallitinspiration.

You’ve got to spendsometimefocusingonJesuseveryday.

Here’swhattheBiblesays. Hebrews12:2,“looking to Jesus,[That’sfocusingonhimeveryday]the founder [the one who initiated the race]and perfecter of our faith [the only one to finish the race perfectly].

Here’sthe thing. Themore timeyouspendwithGodthemoreyou’regoingtobecomelikehim. ThemoretimeyouspendreadingtheBibleandstudyingaboutJesus,themoreyou’regoingtolearnhislove, hispatience,hispeace, hischaracterinyourlife.

Second Corinthians 3:18 says this, “And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.”Soasyou spendtimefocusingonJesuseverydayitsayswe“are being transformed into the same image” [that of Jesus], from one degree of glory to another [we become like him more and more].”

  • What steps do I need to take in my daily life to spend more time focused on Jesus?
  1. Remember my Reward!

Whenlifegetshardyouneedtorememberthereward. This goal for God to make you the man he wants you to be, for God to make you the woman he wants you to become, it’s a lifetime process. It’snotafifty-yarddash. Soyou’regoingtogothroughalotofproblemsandpressuresandtrialsanddifficultiesandupsanddowns. AndGod’sgoingtouseitalltomakeyoumorelikeJesus.

SinceGod’snumberonegoalistomakeyoulikeChrist,that’swhathewantstodo. Hewantsyoutobeloved. Hewantsyoutobelong. AndhewantsyoutobecomelikeChrist. And ifGod isgoingtomakeyoulikeJesushe’sgoingtotakeyouthrougheverythingthatJesuswent through.

  • Do you think there weretimeswhenJesuswaslonely?
  • Were theretimes whenJesuswascriticized?
  • Were theretimeswhenJesuswasbetrayed?
  • Were theretimeswhenJesuswaswornoutwithfatigueandyethadtokeepgoing?
  • Were theretimeswhenhewasmisunderstood?

The answer to all of these questions is YES! IfGoddidnotsparehisownSonfromthosethingswhydoyou thinkhewouldspareyou? Hewon’t. Thenext timeyoustarttoask,whyisthishappeningtome? YouneedtorealizethatGodwantstouseittobuildyourattitude, your character and to make you more like Jesus. TheBiblesays thatJesuslearnedobedience throughsuffering. TheBiblesaysJesuswasmadecompletethroughsuffering. You’regoingtolearn thesameway.

Soyoushouldn’tbesurprisedwhenproblemscomeintoyourlife. Hebrews12:2-3saysthis““…looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.3Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted.” Theproblemsarepartoftheplan.

But God doesn’t leave us alone in our difficulty. Here’sagreatpromise. 1Peter5,“Afteryousuffer[forawhile]fora shorttime, God,whogivesallgrace,willmakeeverythingright. [That’sagreatpromise.] Hewillmakeyoustrong. Hewillsupportyou. Hewillkeepyoufromfalling. [That’sgoodnewswhenyou’reinthemiddleofaproblem.] HecalledyoutoshareinhisgloryinChrist, aglory thatwillcontinueforever.”Sowehaveshort-termproblemsonearthforlong-termgloryinheaven.

Goddoesnotpromiseaneasylifehereonearth. HedoespromiserewardinheavenforthethingsyoulearnfromitifyoubecomemoreandmorelikeChrist. Anybodywho tellsyoulifeiseasyisoutoftouchwithreality. Thefactislifeishard. Why? Becausethisisn’theaven. Thisisearth. Everythingonthisplanetisbroken. Istherepleasureonearth? Ofcoursethereis. Aretherehappytimesonearth? Ofcoursethereare. Are there momentsofjoyonearth? Yes. Are there timeswhenthingsaregoinggreat? Yes. Butasageneralrulelifeishard. You’renotoneasystreet. Everythinginlifeyouhavetostrugglefor. Youhavetoworkfor. It’snoteasy.

Thisisintentional. You arelearningthroughtheschoolofcharacterdevelopment thecharacterthatyou’regoingtocarrywithyouintoheaven. Remember your reward that will produce eternal blessing after a short time of difficulty.

Our memory verse for the week conveys one of God’s greatest promises. Romans 8:28 says, And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.

  1. Stay Connected.

Gather a team to run with you. It isyourrace and nobodycanrunyourrace. Butpeoplecansupportyouinyourrace. And you aregoingtoneeddifferentpeopletorunalongwithyou at different stages of the race. Nobodyisgoingtorunyourentirelifewithyou.Butatdifferentstagesoflifeyouhavepeoplerunningwithyou throughlife. Helpingyou. Encouragingyou. Supportingyou. We call thatasmallgroup. Ifyoudon’thaveanybodyrunningwithyou, you’renotgoingtomakeitto theendoftherace. You aregoingtogiveup. You aregoingtobediscouraged. And you’renotgoingtobecome thepersonGodcreatedyoutobe. Youneedsomeotherpeopleinyourlifewhoareencouragingyou, spurringyouon, helpingyourunyourrace.

There’sanoldproverbinAfrica thatsays“Torunfastrunbyyourself. Buttorunfarrunwithotherpeople.” Wedon’twantyoutojustrunfastandburnout. Every oneofusknowspeoplewhostartedoffgreatinlifeandthey’renowheretobefound today. Theyhadsomuchpotential. Theyhadsomuchability.Now todaythey’residelined. They’redoingnothing. They arewasting theirlife. Why? Theydid nothaveanybodyrunningwiththem. Youneedasmallgroup.

Hebrews10says this,“And let us consider how we may stir one another up to love and good works. [Stirup meansencourage. Howtoencourageeachothertodotherightthing.] not neglecting to meettogether,[It’stalkingabouta smallgroup. Letusnotgiveupmeetingtogether], as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.”

  • What are some reasons peopledo notmakeittothefinishline? Whydowegetstuck?
  • Whydowestopgrowing? WhydowesettleforsecondbestandlessthanGod’splaninourlife?

Onereason. Fear. Alotoftimeswedon’tevenrealizehowfearfulweare. Butwhatwethinkis,“Iamsoafraidoffailing…I’msoafraid thatIwon’tbeabletomeasureup…I’msoafraidthatIcan’tkeepthiscommitment,Iwon’teventry.” Anditisfearthatcausesyou tomissGod’sbestforyourlife.

Butwhenyoubelongtoasmallgroupandthatsmallgroupbelievesinyouandthatsmallgrouplovesyou,thenwhenyouarebelovedandyoubelongyoucanbecome. Theygiveyouthecouragetodothings. Havingasmallgroupwholovesyouunconditionallygivesyouthecouragetostarttherace. Givesyouthecourage to stayintherace. Givesyouthecouragetofinishtherace. Andgivesyouthecouragetogetupandstartoverwhenyou’ve stumbled andreallyscreweditup. Theysay,youcando this. Youcandoit.

Thatisasafeplace. Whenyougetinasmallgroupwherepeopleloveyouunconditionally,thatdoesn’thappenovernight. Asmallgroupdoesn’tbecomesafein threeweeksorfiveweeksorsixweeks. It takestime. Asyoubegintoknow thesepeopleyoubegintotrustthem. Youknow theirweaknesses. Theyknowyours. Youbegintobemoreopen. YoucansayIreallyhadatoughtimetoday. And youbegintohavemoreopennesswiththembecauseyou’resafe. Andyoucangrow.Youneedtogatherateamtorunwithyou.

  • Am I running my race alone? If not, who is running with me? Who are the members of my small group?
  • Share a time with the group of how your small group has benefited your growth in Christlike maturity.
  1. Press on toward the goal.

IneedtorealizewhenI’mrunningtheraceoflifetobecomethepersonGodwantsmetobe,thatGodischeeringmeateverystageoflife. Someofus havethemistakenidea thatGodonlysmilesat uswhenwedothingsright. Or thatGodonlysmilesatusoncewe’vereachedthefinishline. Oncewe’vearrivedatmaturitythenGodisgoingtolikeus.

Deadwrong! Godsmilesatyouateverystageofyourdevelopment. He’snotwaitingforyoutogettoacertainlevelofmaturitybeforehesays,You areokay! You’realreadyokayinhiseyes. BecauseChristdiedforyou.

Nobodyshamesababyfornotbeingmature. Youneedtonotbeashamedatwhateverstageofspiritual growthyouareinrightnow. Alotoftimeswesecretly think“Ishouldbefurtheralong than this. GivenmyageIshouldbealotmoremature. Ishouldn’thave theseproblemsanymore. I’mthisnumberofyearsold. WhyamIstillhavingthishang-up? WhyamIstillhavingthisproblem? WhyamIstillhaving thisdifficulty?” WestartshamingourselvesbecausewethinkGodisashamedofus. Godisnotashamedofyou. Thereisnocondemnationfor thosewhoareinChristJesus.

Whyit is important thatyourealizeGodischeeringyouateverystageofyourlife? Because themajorreasonyoudon’tbecomethepersonyou’resupposedtobeisshame. Whathappensisthatinsteadofadmitting thatwedon’thaveitalltogetherwespendallofour timeandenergytryingtopretendthatwehaveitalltogether. Fakingit.Pretending. Actinglikeyou’vegotitall together. Butinsideyouknowthat youdon’thaveitalltogetherbyalongshot.

Philippians 3 is another one of these classic passages on the race of life. Paul, the guy who wrote most of the New Testament part of the Bible, says this, “Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect,”This is the guy who wrote the Bible and he is going, I do not have it together. I am not saying I have already achieved all this. I am not saying I have already done all this. But, he says “…I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. One day I’m going to be all God wants me to be, the man God wants me to be. One day I’ll be that. I am still not there. I am still not all I should be. “Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind[all those dumb decisions that really messed me up. It’s gone. My past is past. I’m going to forget the past.] and straining forward to what lies ahead,I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. [There is that word – call, I press on to become what God has called me to be].”

He says I just keep on going. I don’t have it all together. But I keep straining ahead.

Ihatetoshockyoubuteverybodyintheworldknows thatyoudon’thaveittogether. Infact, you’retheonlyonewhodoesn’tknowit. Godknowsyoudon’thaveitalltogether. Yourpastor knows youdon’thaveitalltogether. Allyourfriendsknowyoudon’thaveitalltogether. Theyjustwantyoutoadmitit.

Whenyoustartbecomingvulnerableandyoustartadmitting“Mylifeisreallyscrewedup.Mylifeisreallyamess. There’salotofareasthatjustaren’tright.” Thenyoucanstopspendingallthatenergyonfakingitandpretendingandconvertthatenergyintobecoming. YoucaneitherbecomewhatGodwantsyoutobeoryoucanpretendyou’vealreadygotittogether.

Thoseofyouwhoareparents, haveyoueverwatchedyourchildrunaraceatschool? Atwhatpointdidyoustartcheeringthem? Whentheycrossedthefinishline? No. Youstartcheeringyourkidsthemoment theystartedtherace. Whenthewhistlewasblownorthegunwasshotand theygetoutofthestartingblockyou’regoing,Let’sgo! Let’sgo! Youcandoit! You’recheering themateverystageoftherace.

Godisdoing thatwithyourightnow. Let’sgo! Iknowyoucandoit! Keepgoing! You’redoinggood. You’redoinggreat. Keeprunning. Godischeeringyou. He’snotwaitingforyoutocrossthefinishline. Whathappensifyouhaveachildwhostumblesintheraceandfallsflatontheirfaceandembarrassesthemselves? Whatdoyoudo? Youcheermore! Comeon! Iknowyoucandoit!Getup! Ibelieveinyou! Youcheermorewhentheystumble.

The fact that God is cheering us on at every stage of our race, even when we stumble and fall, should cause us to make every effort to get back in the race and give our best effort to complete it. Paul said he wasn’t perfect, that he hadn’t succeeded in all he set out to do, but what he focused on was not his past failures or his current dilemmas, but his focus was on the finish line. He strained to reach the finish line. He pressed on to become what God called him to be in the first place. We should have that same focus.

  • What past failures are you allowing to hold you back from becoming what God has called you to be?
  • What steps do you need to take today to get back in the race and press on toward the goal?
  1. Live intentionally.

Live intentionally. Takeeverystepwithpurpose. Don’t waste your energy, don’t waste your words, don’t waste your breath, don’t waste a step! Why? Because youdon’tknowhowmanystepsyouhaveleft. Youdon’tknowifyou’regoingtoliveaweek,amonth,ayear,orwhat. Youdon’tknow. Sowhateverstepsyou’regoing totakeyoubettertakethemonpurpose. Andyouneedtobemoredisciplined. Andyouneedtobemoreself-controlled. Andyouneedtotakeeverystepateverymomentofyourlifewithpurpose.

If you’regoingtobecomethepersonGodwantsyoutobe,I’llbehonestwith you, therearesomethingsyou’regoingtohavetodenyyourself. You’renotgoingtogettodoeverything thateverybodyelsedoes. BecauseifyouwanttobeGod’swoman,God’sman, ifyouwanttobewhatyou’recreatedtobe,youjustcan’tgoout and dowhateverybodyelsedoes. Youcan’tfollowtheirplanandyourplanandGod’splanallatthesametime.

  • What things am I allowing to sidetrack my focus on becoming what God has called me to be?

AnybodywhotrainsfortheOlympicsgivesupanenormousamountof thingstobeawinner. Theyeatacertainway. Theygotobedatacertaintime. Theydon’tdocertainthings. You’regoingtohavetodenyyourself. Youcan’tjusttackonGod’spurposetowhatyouwanttodowithyourlife. SoyouhavetosayI’mgoingtobedisciplined. Ihaveto takeeverysteponpurpose. LikeSt.Paul,youhavetobepurposedriven.