Hebrews 12:1-3
Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer, and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.
Wouldn't it be nice if things were easier? If we didn't struggle? If there were no obstacles to overcome? God never promised us an easy road. In fact, he promised us just the opposite. Following Jesus isn't easy... but..
He promised us something else too. He promised to always be with us. To laugh with us, and to cry with us, and to hurt with us, and long for something better right alongside us. He tells us, and more importantly showed us, that no matter what he will be there to give us strength, to give us power, to fill us with His love so that when things get hard, we have the strength to keep on going. To keep running our race.
What challenges are you facing today? This week? This year? What challenges will you still be facing 20 years from now? No matter how hard things get. Rely on Jesus to give you the strength to keep running your race.
Run Your Race
April 13, 2020 • Kaydee Bundy
Stress
April 27, 2020 • Will Bundy
1 Peter 5:6-7 Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. It's not always easy to lay our burdens down. Thankfully we serve a God who has promised us to be with us, to rejoice with us, and to mourn with us. We can rest in his promise that if we lay our burdens down, he will carry them for us. What burdens are you carrying right now? Are you ready to lay them down?
Yearning
April 20, 2020 • The Boren Family
Romans 8:19-23 For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the children of God; for the creation was subjected to futility, not of its own will but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to decay and will obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. We know that the whole creation has been groaning in labor pains until now; and not only the creation but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly while we wait for adoption, the redemption of our bodies. Are you yearning for things to get back to normal? As we endure together one of the most bizarre times in any of our lives, we face an unsettling truth. Things may never be "normal" again. We may have to adapt ourselves to a new normal. And that's not necessarily a bad thing. We know that God is good and that he is in control. So, as we wait out this time of uncertainty, we can hold on to the promise that God works for the good always. We may not know what the future is going to look like, but we can rest in the knowledge that God will work. God will restore. And God will provide. Maybe our new normal is a deeper faith, a truer trust, and a firmer hope.