Endurance.
With the Winter Olympics about to begin, we will see many different competitions of daring, speed, and power. Downhill skiing, the luge, bobsledding, curling . . . okay, not curling . . . are competitions of velocity and either insanity or guts. People love these events and they are often packed with many “ooos” and “ahs.”
One of the least televised events here in the U.S. is one that I find the most fascinating: the biathlon. (You thought I was going to say curling again didn’t you?) The biathlon has its roots in the exercises of the Norwegian military and combines cross country skiing with target shooting. The individual biathlon is a twelve mile race that requires twenty targets to be shot and gives penalties for targets that are missed. This sport requires great physical endurance. Not only do the competitors need to be fastest, they need to be accurate. They have to have enough stamina to arrive at the target range and settle themselves enough to shoot accurately.
Endurance always amazes me. Yes, the blast of power that the ski jumper employs is amazing, but it’s a moment, then it’s done. The distance skiers display a whole different kind of power and strength.
That kind of power is similar to the Gospel. Sometimes people act like God’s forgiveness is for a moment. It’s as if we confess our sins on Sunday and God blasts them away. Boom! “You’re forgiven. Go in peace. Serve the Lord.” Then when you walk out of the room, you’re on your own, baby! “You better make sure you have everything in order. Don’t you dare stumble this week! In case you do, though, we’ll be here to give you more forgiveness next week.” It’s almost like going to church is going to your spiritual dentist for a cleaning. But that’s not the way the Gospel works.
The Gospel endures with us. Jesus promised, “I will be with you always.” As we go about life, he is constantly pouring out the power of his salvation in our lives. Really, that’s what keeps us going! We have endurance in the faith, because Jesus is there with us every step of the way. And as he goes with us – or better, we with him – he encourages us through the Scriptures.
In God’s Word, the Holy Spirit both builds up our faith to give us endurance, and he also encourages us.
Can you imagine an Olympic event without fans there to cheer their athletes on? God cheers us on and encourages us to stick to the course. There will be obstacles, difficulties, stumbles, even falls, and all along the way God speaks to us – cheers for us – from His Word to say, “Keep going! Don’t give up!” And all the while He is the one who supplies the strength we need to respond to his cheers.
Endurance races are tough. Sometimes the athlete pushes so hard that he/she misses the target, and we too “miss the target” life. That’s literally what “sin” means – it’s an old archery term for a miss. But we have hope when that happens because of Jesus’ death and resurrection. Our righteousness before God is from Him, and not based on our own performance.
Keep striving to follow God’s will. Keep pressing on. Endure. But be encouraged, God is cheering for you, encouraging you, and empowering you because of his great love for you.
Father, thank you for giving me the strength to endure in this world. Sometimes I feel like giving up the race, sometimes I fall, and sometimes I miss (sin), fill me with you powerful Gospel and keep me moving in Jesus. Amen.
With the Winter Olympics about to begin, we will see many different competitions of daring, speed, and power. Downhill skiing, the luge, bobsledding, curling . . . okay, not curling . . . are competitions of velocity and either insanity or guts. People love these events and they are often packed with many “ooos” and “ahs.”
One of the least televised events here in the U.S. is one that I find the most fascinating: the biathlon. (You thought I was going to say curling again didn’t you?) The biathlon has its roots in the exercises of the Norwegian military and combines cross country skiing with target shooting. The individual biathlon is a twelve mile race that requires twenty targets to be shot and gives penalties for targets that are missed. This sport requires great physical endurance. Not only do the competitors need to be fastest, they need to be accurate. They have to have enough stamina to arrive at the target range and settle themselves enough to shoot accurately.
Endurance always amazes me. Yes, the blast of power that the ski jumper employs is amazing, but it’s a moment, then it’s done. The distance skiers display a whole different kind of power and strength.
That kind of power is similar to the Gospel. Sometimes people act like God’s forgiveness is for a moment. It’s as if we confess our sins on Sunday and God blasts them away. Boom! “You’re forgiven. Go in peace. Serve the Lord.” Then when you walk out of the room, you’re on your own, baby! “You better make sure you have everything in order. Don’t you dare stumble this week! In case you do, though, we’ll be here to give you more forgiveness next week.” It’s almost like going to church is going to your spiritual dentist for a cleaning. But that’s not the way the Gospel works.
The Gospel endures with us. Jesus promised, “I will be with you always.” As we go about life, he is constantly pouring out the power of his salvation in our lives. Really, that’s what keeps us going! We have endurance in the faith, because Jesus is there with us every step of the way. And as he goes with us – or better, we with him – he encourages us through the Scriptures.
In God’s Word, the Holy Spirit both builds up our faith to give us endurance, and he also encourages us.
Can you imagine an Olympic event without fans there to cheer their athletes on? God cheers us on and encourages us to stick to the course. There will be obstacles, difficulties, stumbles, even falls, and all along the way God speaks to us – cheers for us – from His Word to say, “Keep going! Don’t give up!” And all the while He is the one who supplies the strength we need to respond to his cheers.
Endurance races are tough. Sometimes the athlete pushes so hard that he/she misses the target, and we too “miss the target” life. That’s literally what “sin” means – it’s an old archery term for a miss. But we have hope when that happens because of Jesus’ death and resurrection. Our righteousness before God is from Him, and not based on our own performance.
Keep striving to follow God’s will. Keep pressing on. Endure. But be encouraged, God is cheering for you, encouraging you, and empowering you because of his great love for you.
Father, thank you for giving me the strength to endure in this world. Sometimes I feel like giving up the race, sometimes I fall, and sometimes I miss (sin), fill me with you powerful Gospel and keep me moving in Jesus. Amen.
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