Grace for the Race

Have you ever wondered why God the Father—who is perfect in every way—would use imperfect people to accomplish His purposes in this world? I have, and the answer God gave me was pretty simple: that’s all He has available to Him!

“Wait a minute,” some of you might object. “What about the great heroes of the faith in the Bible—giants like Abraham and Sarah, Moses, David, Peter, and Paul? How do they fit into this ‘flawed’ picture?” Let’s see:

• Abraham offered his wife to two different men in order to secure safe passage.
• Sarah offered her female servant to Abraham to conceive a son.
• Moses was a murderer.
• David was an adulterer and murderer.
• Peter was willing to deny Jesus to save his own skin.
• Paul was contentious and frankly admitted that he kept on doing “the evil I do not want to do” (Romans 7:19).

These are just a few of the numerous examples in sacred Scripture in which the word “imperfect” seems like an understatement of gargantuan proportions! Yet God choose to use these very imperfect people in the advancement of His kingdom in this world. Why? Because that’s all that He has available to Him! There is only one hero in the Bible: His name is Jesus Christ. Everyone else we read about in Scripture is just like all those we don’t read about—great sinners in need of an even greater Savior. In other words, they were imperfect in every way!

This should give you great comfort for two reasons: first, you can take anyone you have placed on a pedestal and set them right back on the ground where they belong! (Remember, the ground is always level at the foot of the cross.) And second, you are just as qualified as anyone else to be used by God, because you are no more “messed up” than these great saints were. God has been using imperfect individuals since the fall, in spite of their many failures, and His eternal purposes are being accomplished.

In addition to the fact that the only people available to God are imperfect, flawed people, there is another reason that He uses people like you and me: God delights in working through the kind of people whom the world could never imagine that God would pick to be on His team. Paul reminded the Christians at Corinth to . . .

Consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God. And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption, so that, as it is written, “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.”

(1 Corinthians 1:26-31)

I don’t know about you, but I am reassured when I pick up my Bible and read about people who struggled with self-protection, selfish ambition, and other kinds of sin—just like I do—and yet were still used by God. If Scripture only offered stories of those who walked on water and spoke from Sinai, it would be pretty discouraging! Far from being inspired to excellence and driven to serve God, I would be driven into the dust of despair.

Thank God that He uses the imperfect . . . and the flawed . . . of whom I am the chief!

This is the Gospel. This is grace for your race. NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!

When you hear the term “idol worship,” what comes to mind? Most people immediately picture a tribe of primitive people, bowing down to a sacred totem, a tree, or an animal. If that’s how you think . . . think again!

By definition, idolatry is succumbing to the worship of anything in creation, rather giving thanks and praise to the One who created it. Our fallen nature repeatedly induces us to replace our Creator with His creation. Take a look at the following list and see if any of these points resonate with you:

• We seek our identity in our work.
• We seek our power in our position.
• We seek our security in our finances.
• We seek our significance in our peer approval.
• We seek our purpose in our kids.
• We seek our pleasure in our spouses.
• We seek our meaning in our ministry.

Created things were never intended to do for you what only your Creator can do! Every promise that any idol makes smells like smoke and comes from the pit of hell, as Steve Brown likes to say. That idol simply cannot deliver on what it promises.

[Men] exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen!

(Romans 1:25)

Idols of the heart remove our Redeemer from the throne of our lives and replace Him with things that are infinitely smaller. We replace the supernatural with the natural. We replace the spiritual with the physical. We replace the eternal with the temporary. And you and I do these things more often than we would like to admit!

Think back over the past week: what have you been pursuing and praying for? What has caused you to get up early and stay up late?

Remember, as I have said before, many of the things we pursue are most definitely “good” things. Work is good. Family is good. Money is good. (Remember that 1 Timothy 6:10 warns that the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil; money itself is not evil, as some mistakenly believe.) Ministry is good.

These good things only become bad things when they become ultimate things and replace the only One worth pursuing: Jesus Christ. Everything we look to in creation can only be given to us in our Creator.

• We are to find our identity in Him and not in our work.
• We are to find our power in Him and not in our position.
• We find our security in Him and not in our finances.
• We find our significance in Him and not in the approval of others.
• We find our purpose in Him and not in our kids.
• We find our pleasure in Him and not in our spouses.
• We find our meaning in Him and not in our ministries.

We must make our lives all about Him!

The Gospel is the cure for putting the Creator back in His rightful place in our lives. The more we marinate in the truths of the Gospel and the finished work of Jesus Christ, the less we yearn for created things.

Please remember that everything we need we already have in Jesus. That is the root of all true joy and fulfillment!

This is the Gospel. This is grace for your race. NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!

Do you think that sacrificial living is reserved only for those great saints we read about in the Bible and in the written records of history? Not true! Everyone lives sacrificial lives. The question that must be asked and answered is this: For what are we sacrificing?

Each day is made up of countless personal sacrifices, from getting up early to staying up late and pouring out all day long. We sacrifice for whatever has captured and taken control of our heart.

• We sacrifice on the job
• We sacrifice for our families
• We sacrifice to build our retirement
• We sacrifice to buy that special outfit
• We sacrifice to be able to fit into it
• We sacrifice to go on that dream vacation
• We sacrifice to get an education

Remember that what rules your heart shapes your life. So . . . what are you sacrificing for right now? What is the shape of your life? The list of the things for which we willingly sacrifice could fill pages. The issue is not whether we are willing to sacrifice; rather, it is for what are we willing to sacrifice? Our first priority in living a sacrificial life should be found in our willingness to sacrifice for the One who willingly sacrificed Himself for us.

The soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the governor’s headquarters, and they gathered the whole battalion before him. And they stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him, and twisting together a crown of thorns, they put it on his head and put a reed in his right hand. And kneeling before him, they mocked him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” And they spit on him and took the reed and struck him on the head. And when they had mocked him, they stripped him of the robe and put his own clothes on him and let him away to crucify him.

(Matthew 27:27-31)

The sacrifice of our Savior was as radical as it was scandalous. There was no worse way to die than to be nailed to a cross. Our English word excruciating is drawn from the Latin root for to crucify. In Jesus’ day, crucifixion was reserved for only the worst of criminals; a Roman citizen, by law, could not be executed by crucifixion, no matter what the crime. As Jesus hung on the cross, broken and bleeding, the soldiers laughed, the spectators mocked, and His disciples hid. His history-altering sacrifice on Golgotha’s hill should inform, inspire, and ignite every sacrifice we make as His followers.

Jesus has called every Christian to live a cross-shaped life. “If anyone would come after me,” He said, “he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it” (Mark 8:34-35).

When we sacrifice in this way, we are no longer controlled by things that were never designed by God to control us. We fix our eyes on what is unseen, rather than on what is seen. We live for things above, rather than for things below. We live for the advancement of His kingdom, rather than for our kingdom. We lay our lives down for our Savior, rather than for ourselves, and we pursue His purposes and passions. When we do these things, we live sacrificial lives that echo in eternity.

This is the Gospel. This is grace for your race. NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!

How well do you deal with the winds of change that that seem to constantly blow through your personal and professional life? It has been well said that the only people who like change are wet babies. Kim and I can testify to this truth, having raised four children over the years. A baby cries for no apparent reason, but as soon as the wet diaper is removed and a dry one applied, calm returns . . . but not for long!

While the world around us seems to be unrelenting in the way it changes, Scripture testifies to One who is eternal and unchanging:

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.

(Hebrews 13:8)

The writer of Hebrews tells us that the only constant in the world is He who is the Cosmic Constant; His name is Jesus Christ. What a comfort for those of us who are facing disruptive change in our lives—to know that Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever. That doesn’t mean Jesus is manageable . . . or even predictable! But He is good; He is always, unfailingly, eternally good. He can be trusted to provide the good that inevitably results from every kind of change that occurs in the life of the Christian.

As our understanding of the Gospel deepens, we become better equipped to not only accept change, but to embrace it as God’s divine providence, which passes through loving, nailed-scarred hands and is delivered to make us more like Jesus. With Jesus seated on the throne of our lives, we can relinquish our need for control and predictability; we walk by faith, not by sight. At this level of living, we can love Jesus with zeal and serve Him with abandon.

Knowing that Jesus Christ is our only Constant means knowing that He always was, always is, and always will be. His finished work is still finished! We cannot enhance it by anything we do or diminish by something we don’t do. He is the Constant of all covenant blessings and the faithful Fountain who continually pours out blessings upon His people . . . even when they may not feel like “blessings” at the present time!

When change drops you into the middle of a Jordan River at flood stage, change which seems certain to remorselessly overwhelm you, the unchanging truth of Jesus Christ empowers you to say with David, “I will fear no evil, for You are with me.” When change drives you to the edge of the Red Sea, with no apparent way of escape and pitiless enemies thundering up behind you, the truth of our Redeemer empowers you to receive and respond to these words of Moses: “Fear not, stand firm, and see the salvation of the Lord” (Exodus 14:13 ESV).

The One who never changes is working through all of the changes in your life. God is bringing you to the end of yourself through those gale-force winds of change; He will not stop until His work is done. Christian, instead of complaining about the changes in your life (as we are all prone to do), let me encourage you to cry out to Jesus for the grace to embrace them, knowing that you are heading into an eternity where the winds of change will blow no more.

This is the Gospel. This is grace for your race. NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!

When you first read the title of today’s message, what came to mind? The word dash can mean many different things, from a splash (dash) of water, to a small amount of an ingredient for a recipe, to a footrace, such as the 100-yard dash.

I’d like to offer you an exhortation contained in the word dash that springs from a totally different meaning. Picture a tombstone; the inscription usually includes two dates, separated by a hyphen—a dash—between them. The date on the left is the date of birth; the date on the right is the date of death. The dash in between these two dates represents everything that occurred between birth and death.

Now that you understand the meaning of “the dash” that I intend to use throughout this brief message—that is, the space that you are currently inhabiting that lies between birth and physical death—let me ask you this question:

When all is said and done in your life, what would you like said about all you have done?

Whatever you would like said about you will not happen by accident! The Bible makes it crystal clear that we should deeply consider just how we are spending our dash. The number on the left side of our dash is already chiseled into the stone . . . but none of us knows when the number on the right side will come. It has been established—Scripture says that all the days ordained for us are written in God’s book before we are born (Psalm 139:16)—but we have no idea when that day will come.

Jesus calls us to consider the life we are currently living to see if we are living a life that truly matters. In the Bible we find only two different classifications of tombstones: one is inscribed WISE; the other bears the inscription FOOL. What is the distinction between these two classifications? In a word . . . GOD!

Then [Jesus] said to them, “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.” And he told them this parable: “The ground of a certain rich man produced a good crop. He thought to himself, ‘What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.’ Then he said, ‘This is what I’ll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I’ll say to myself, “You have plenty of good things laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.’” But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’ This is how it will be with anyone who stores up things for himself but is not rich toward God.”

(Luke 12:15-21)

As you read this passage, notice that Jesus is NOT teaching against acquiring possessions, planning for the future, and making provisions for retirement; the message in Jesus’ parable is rooted in His words, “all kinds of greed.” Prudent planning for the future, such as retirement planning, is wise and offers a good Christian witness, but to neglect planning for what comes after the dash (after death) is foolish and fatal.

The fool lives for self; the man God designates as a fool in Jesus’ parable thinks only of “my crops . . . my barns . . . my grain . . . my goods.” He does not even acknowledge that it was the Lord who granted him the ability to produce wealth (Deuteronomy 8:18). His only thought was the anticipation of ease and merriment and sensual pleasures.

The wise person lives for the Savior. Living for the Savior means that we live in the light of eternity. Jesus said that “a man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.” Our focus in life should not be on how much we acquire, but rather how much we live for God—how much “the dash” of our lives is spent with an eye toward the Savior—being generous toward God, rather than pleasing self.

So . . . when was the last time you gave any thought to how you want your epitaph to read? What will your dash represent for the brief time you are here on this earth? Right now, whether you have thought through it or not, you are leaving a lasting legacy for your loved ones. And even though you don’t know when the day on the right side of dash will come, it will come, as certainly as if it had already been etched into the stone . . . it could be this very night!

Have you placed your trust in the One who loved you so much that He came to die on your behalf? If you have already made that eternity-altering decision to believe in the Lord Jesus so that you may be saved, you need not fear hearing those dread words from heaven: “You fool!” But have you taken time to consider your dash . . . and thought about any course-corrections that may be necessary? Because there is a word that every Christian should long to hear at the end of his or her time on this sphere: “Well done, good and faithful servant!”

This is the Gospel. This is grace for your race. NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!    

My eldest son Brock absolutely loves fishing. He can spend hours casting out and reeling in with great joy, without ever catching a fish. At the beginning of this year’s Christmas break, instead of coming straight home from Stetson University, he visited the home of his new friend, Tyler, who lives on Florida’s west coast. They spent a great deal of time fishing and even went on an overnight trip. They caught their limit of red snapper, the fish they were seeking, having spent most of their time both casting and catching!

As Brock was telling me about his trip, it got me thinking: whether you and I ever pick up a fishing pole in our lives, we are all called to “cast”—not with a fishing pole—we are to cast our cares on God.

Cast all your cares on [God] because he cares for you.

(1 Peter 5:7)

How good are you at casting your cares? Notice the reason you are instructed to cast all your cares on God: “because He cares for you!” Do you believe the truth of this verse of Scripture? You might reflexively answer that question with an emphatic “Yes!” But let me say this: You can measure how much you actually believe it: It is only to the extent that you “cast your cares on God” that you truly believe this wonderful truth.

The Bible is chock-full with passages that demonstrate the care God has for His people. Here is just one example, taken from the story of the Exodus redemption:

• God sent a deliverer (Moses) into Egypt to tell Pharaoh to let the His people go.
• God sent ten miraculous plagues, demonstrating His power on behalf of His people.
• God led the Israelites out of bondage in Egypt after 400 years.
• God parted the waters of the Red Sea.
• God led the Israelites through the Red Sea on dry ground.
• God drowned every one of the pursuing Egyptians.
• God sent manna from heaven to feed them for forty years.
• God poured made water come forth from a rock to quench their thirst.
• God brought them into the Promised Land that flowed with milk and honey.

For forty years the Israelites wandered through the desert wilderness, with countless cares along the way. When they tried to deal with their cares themselves, things did not go well! You will remember when they grew impatient while Moses was meeting with God on Mount Sinai that—instead of casting their cares on God—they cast their gold into the fire and fashioned a golden calf to worship. God judged them for this grotesque evil, and as the people groaned under their judgment, they turned back to God and finally did cast their cares upon Him.

What are your cares today? What storm winds are blowing in your life right now? What obstacles seem to be blocking your way forward? You have only two choices in dealing with them: you can keep your cares to yourself and deal with them in your own way . . . or you can cast your cares on God.

Remember, God has promised to never leave you nor forsake you. So why not cast your cares upon God? He truly does care for you!

This is the Gospel. This is grace for your race. NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!    

From the womb to the tomb, life is a journey. The only way to truly make it a journey of joy is to walk it with Jesus  . . . every step of the way.

Now, to walk with Jesus is to walk like Jesus, and walking like Jesus is characterized by laying your life down for others. The key that unlocks the door leading to a journey of joy in this life is understanding the biblical truth that other-orientation is more blessed than self-focus.

Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

(Hebrews 12:2)

Did you see that? Jesus’ joy was you! The joy set before Jesus was the eternity He will spend with you . . . because of His life, death, and resurrection. Holding that truth in view, He endured the cross, scorning its unimaginable shame and horror. His journey was a journey of joy because He knew what the end result would be. And so do you! You have been promised an eternity in the new heavens and the new earth, where there will be no more tears, sorrow, pain, or death.

In a word, our Lord’s journey of joy was marked by giving; Jesus gave of Himself by laying down His life for you. Make no mistake, the most joyful people in this world are those who give the most. They give of their time. They give of their talent. They give of their treasure. They give just like their Lord gave, and they live a joyful life.

To be sure, we all like to get stuff. There is joy in receiving the good gifts our Lord gives to us, and there’s nothing wrong with that. But the Word of God makes it clear that there is infinitely more joy in giving. Remember, God’s economy is not like the world’s. By nature we are self-centered and self-absorbed; but after Jesus shows up, our hearts begin beating for Jesus (vertically) and for others (horizontally).

So . . . we’ve seen that Jesus’ joy was you; is your joy Jesus? Where in your life are you putting others first? Where are you laying down your life, your agenda, your preferences, and your expectations for the good of others? Take a look at this powerful truth as it relates to the journey of joy.

J          = Jesus – Make Jesus your first priority in both life and death . . .

O     = Others – Next comes others—all others—to serve and care for them . . .

Y         = You – After loving God and serving others, you will find that you are walking the joy journey!

When Jesus saved you, He saved you for service. Your salvation is not about you; it is about Jesus Christ and the life He has called you to live for His glory and the good of others. When “the joy set before you” is rooted in yourself, it is little joy indeed. But when the joy set before you is rooted in a cross-shaped life (vertically = lived for God / horizontally = lived for others), your joy will be full and satisfying all the way into glory.

This is the Gospel. This is grace for your race. NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!    

We all find ourselves feeling a bit down from time to time, which is simply a result of living as broken people in a broken world. Because of this truth, we need daily doses of eternal encouragement, which will lift us up when we are down.

Even if my father and mother abandon me, the Lord will hold me close.

(Psalm 27:10)

I have never forgotten a story my mom told me when I was a teenager about her parents abandoning her and her brother on the steps of a police station. As hard as that truth was for me to understand back then, after having four children of my own, it is truly beyond my ability to comprehend. Yet we hear awful stories like this frequently; many of those stories do not have a happy ending.

How excruciating it must have been for Jochebed, the mother of Moses, to float her infant boy down the Nile river to escape the death sentence pronounced on all Hebrew baby boys by Pharaoh (Exodus 1:22). Yet God directed Jochebed’s makeshift ark into the hands of Pharaoh’s daughter, who raised the baby in the court of Pharaoh. Later God would use Moses as the deliverer of His people.

In Psalm 27:10 above, we see that David knew well that no matter what happens in every earthly relationship, even if there were fractures in relationship with those closest to him, his eternal relationship with God was unwavering and secure. Parents may abandon you, family may betray you, friends may forsake you, but the Lord will hold you close, regardless of the cost or circumstance.

Jesus said of those who were His:

My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand.

(John 10:29)

What a comfort to know the One who is actually doing the holding! How many times I have crossed a busy street with one of my children’s hands clasped firmly in mine. To be sure, they were holding on to me, but I was the one who was truly doing the holding.

You see, being down is simply a part of life . . . part of being human! But no matter how down we may get, we are never out, because Omnipotence has a firm hold on us. When Jesus promised to never leave or forsake us, He meant what he said! Remember, He confirmed the truth of that statement with His own precious blood.

If you grew up in church, you probably heard in Sunday school that the Lord Jesus Christ, the King of kings and Lord of lords, went to the hill Golgotha, and there he looked at you and said clearly, “I love you this much!” He spread His arms wide to show you how much . . . and then those arms were nailed to the cross . . . and He died there, so that you and I would one day be raised up to meet Him in heaven.

You may be down, but you are never out.

So . . . how have you been feeling lately? Difficulties in your marriage?  Rancor with your relatives? Problems in your parenting?  Obstacles at the office?  Friction with your friends? Regardless of the challenges you have faced, are currently facing, or will someday face, God has promised to hold you close, even if everyone else lets you go.

Now that is a truth worth holding on to!

This is the Gospel. This is grace for your race. NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!    

A LOOK BACK

Today is the first day of 2016, and before you launch out on yet another year, why not take a moment today to look back and reflect on all that God has done for you over the past 365 days of 2015? Now, I certainly don’t know all that God did for you last year, but here is one universal that we all experienced that is easily missed:

ANOTHER YEAR OF LIFE!

God was pleased to give to us yet another year of life. Life was one of God’s great gifts to all of us this past year, and our gift back to God was simply this: how we lived it. The end of the year is a great time to reflect on the past year and examine just how we used—and at times, misused—the precious and unrepeatable time God was so gracious to give to us.

Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is.

(Ephesians 5:15-17)

Paul was telling the Ephesians, and he is telling you and me today, that it is critical to make the most of the time God gives us. It is so easy to major on the minor things of life that we can miss God’s best for us. We need to remember a few critical truths about life:

• When we spend a minute we have one less minute to spend
• When we spend an hour we have one less hour to spend
• When we spend a day we have one less day to spend
• When we spend a week we have one less week to spend
• When we spend a month we have one less month to spend
• And when we spend a year we have one less year to spend

We have been given many things in life which, if lost, we could get more of it back. We can get more money, more possessions, more jobs, more relationships, more opportunities. But we cannot get more time! Time is incredibly precious and limited; when something is precious and limited, its value increases. Compared to eternity, we are here on earth for only a fleeting moment, and none of us knows when that moment will come to an end. That is why we must make the most of every moment we have been given.

The devil will always try to convince you that you have lots more time, and those who believe his lie waste a great deal of time.

The great Reformer John Calvin wrote:

There are so many allurements which can easily lead us astray. Our society offers us an endless variety of allurements. We need to be rid from these temptations and thorns. We must abandon every hindrance and even hard work and toil may not be an excuse for neglecting the day of grace, or neglecting to do good.

God tells us to redeem the time, which simply means we are to value the time we currently have by rescuing the opportunities God gives us: opportunities to love unconditionally . . . opportunities to forgive completely . . . opportunities to do good . . . opportunities to serve others . . . opportunities to put God on display and advance the cause of His kingdom in this world.

So when opportunity knocks this year, will you be ready to respond to it and make the most of it? Your answer, of course, will be a resounding “Yes!” . . . IF you keep Jesus on the throne of your life and live in the light of eternity.

May God bless you as you make the most of every opportunity throughout this New Year!

This is the Gospel. This is grace for your race. NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!

With 36 hours and 15 minutes left until the end of 2015 and the beginning of a New Year, let’s close out the old year with Part II of this message on finishing well, rooted in these words from the apostle Paul to Timothy.

I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day–and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.

(2 Timothy 4:7-8)

In Monday’s blog I said I wanted to employ the three phrases that Paul used in this inspired passage to evaluate how well the past year has gone for us. We discussed “fighting the good fight” and “finishing the race” on Monday; today let’s take a look at Paul’s final phrase:

I have kept the faith . . .

Here Paul was talking about the faith that is found only in the truth of the wisdom of God. Paul had pondered it, preached it, practiced it, protected it, and praised it everywhere the Spirit of God directed him to go. He fought against those who sought to distort the truth of God and against those who watered it down.

“Keeping the faith” for Paul meant keeping in view the all-consuming call God placed on his life. He refused to let anything take him off course. He lived a life of fidelity to His faithful Savior and poured himself out in unwavering service to his Lord. Yes, he did it imperfectly, as any man will, but he did it with all of his heart. There was never anything “half-hearted” in the life of Paul!

Think about it this way. Everything he did as Saul, prior to his encounter with the Lord Jesus Christ on the road to Damascus, he did with all of his heart. Now, as Paul, with a heart that had been changed by grace, through faith, everything he did was done with all his heart for the glory of the One who had called him.

In closing out this year, let me suggest three key words that marked the life of Paul:

• Sold-out
• Steadfast
• Single-minded

Paul was able to fight the good fight because he was sold-out in fighting it. Paul was able to finish the race because he was steadfast in running it. And Paul was able to keep the faith because he was single-minded in focusing on it.

It is my prayer that you will look back on this past year and see all the good God has done both in and through you. Learn from the times you fell short of the intended mark and carry those lessons into 2016 with the confident assurance that He who began the good work in you will carry it on to completion, just like He did in the apostle Paul’s life.

Thank you for spending time with me this past year. God bless you and yours. Lord willing, we shall do it all again next year!

This is the Gospel. This is grace for your race. NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!