Category: running the race

Throw Away the Measuring Stick

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6 Tips for Success for the Godly Woman

(When my church, GFBC, was doing the Rachel & Leah study, by Nicki Koziarz, this fall, I wrote some encouragement notes to the ladies that were going through the study with me.  One of those notes developed into this blog post.)

In the study we took a deep look into the lives of Rachel & Leah and learned how to combat comparisons in our own lives.  The last week topic or truth was “Let the success of others encourage you, not discourage you.”

So how do you measure success?

Do you measure it by the worlds standards of Fame and Fortune?  Do you let the success you see around you discourage you in pursuing your own desires and goals?  Has your road to success become your idol?  We are all constantly taking out a measuring stick and measuring our lives up against those around us.  The problem is, we use the world’s standards as our measuring stick instead of God’s standards.   Here are just a few things to remember when you are looking at your measuring stick:

  1. God already has a successful plan mapped out for your life; you just have to be obedient and follow it. When King David was dying he told his son, Solomon, “Do what God tells you. Walk in the paths he shows you: Follow the life-map absolutely, keep an eye out for the signposts, his course for life set out in the revelation to Moses; then you’ll get on well in whatever you do and wherever you go.” (1 Kings 2:3 The Message) We have to do things God’s way not the world’s. God’s course is always the best, and we will succeed when we follow His plan.
  2. You have to start somewhere. Don’t forget it is your journey. Not your neighbors’, friends’ or the person that is doing exactly what you want to succeed in doing.   Zechariah 4:10 says “Do not despise these small beginnings, for the Lord rejoices to see the work begin.”  If God has called you to do something, don’t be discouraged when you see others succeeding more rapidly in the same task. Their journey may have a different purpose in God’s master plan.  You will never progress on your journey unless you start.  God rejoices when you take the steps of obeying and following His plan.
  3. You have to stay focused on the Goal and know that God is the source of your success. Don’t let the success of others remove your focus from what God has called you to accomplish.  Paul says in Philippians 3:13-14 “Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and reaching forward to what is ahead, I pursue as my goal the prize promised by God’s heavenly call in Christ Jesus.”   Don’t look back – keep your eyes focused forward and know that God is the source of “every good and perfect gift (James 1:17)”
  4. Let the success of others spur you on in your journey, not hinder you. “And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds.” (Hebrews 10:24)  “This saying is trustworthy. I want you to insist on these things, so that those who have believed God might be careful to devote themselves to good works. These are good and profitable for everyone.” ( Titus 3:8 )  “Therefore, since we also have such a large cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us lay aside every hindrance and the sin that so easily ensnares us. Let us run with endurance the race that lies before us.” (Hebrews 12:1)  Look in Hebrews 11 to see all that have come before us, to encourage us in our walk of Faith.  We can see how God used each one in his plan, but don’t stop there, look around you and let the success of others encourage you to succeed.
  5. God has gifted you with all you need to succeed. God gifted you with talents when he formed you in the womb.  When you became a believer, He gifted you with a Spiritual gift.  He has already equipped you with all you need to bring Him Glory and become a success in His eyes.
  6. Your Ultimate Goal is for your success to bring Glory to God. Success is knowing that you have done everything you can do, both in thoughts and actions, to become the best that you are capable of becoming.  Colossians 3:17 says “And whatever you do, in word or in deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”  When you pull out that measuring tape to measure your success, ask yourself, “Am I doing everything I possibly can to bring glorify to God?”

So throw away the measuring stick with the world’s ideas of success, and pick up your Bible and study God’s idea of success.

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Stay In It!

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“Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, 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, 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.”  Hebrews 12:1-2

We have heard it said so many times that, as believers, we are in a race. It’s a race that has many twists and turns. The terrain is sometimes rough and the road is long. We all face challenges as we are going through life. There are losses and there are gains. Jesus endured these same things to be the example for us as we are on this race that is set before us. We must look to Him, the founder and perfecter of our faith to get through the race. One version says that He is the author and finisher of our faith. If He is the author and finisher, that means He is writing the story. He is aware of where we are in the race at all times.

We have runners in our family. They love to run. My husband ran a marathon a few years ago. My daughter ran cross-country in high school. They have done sprint triathlons and 5k races. There are also others in our extended family who participate in these different types of races. They run for exercise. They love it. Depending on the type of race that they are preparing for determines the type of training that they participate in.  Intense, daily, endurance-type cross-training such as swimming or biking for the longer races. For the shorter races, running and conditioning several times a week. Regardless of the race, they have to stay in focus and keep their eyes on the finish that they want to accomplish.

running-runner-long-distance-fitness-40751The race that is set before you right now may be parenting a house full of children, or caring for an aging parent. It may be a major illness or the grieving process in losing a loved one. A wayward child. An unfaithful spouse.

Many factors can determine the outcome of a physical race and whether you complete it or not: being prepared, proper shoes, stretching, lightweight clothing, proper hydration and food.

We need to condition ourselves in our journey as believers:

  • Study God’s word. He says that we show ourselves approved by studying. “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth.” II Timothy 2:15
  • Pray earnestly, without ceasing. (I Thess. 5:17)
  • Don’t give up. Build endurance (Heb 12:1)
  • Be intentional in your spiritual life. Every. Day.
  • Trust God. Exercising your faith. It will strengthen you.
  • Look to Jesus. He is our kind and loving savior who is with us every single step of the way. “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.” Deut 31:6

I love that before mentioning the race that is set before us, scripture refers to the great cloud of witnesses that are surrounding us as we are on this journey through life. It reminds us that we are not alone in this race. Many have gone before us and have just finished before us. Real people, with human strengths and weaknesses just like us that have left their examples to the value and blessing of living by faith. Read about these inspiring saints in Hebrews 11.

Honest confession. I don’t like to run. Period. My feelings are that the only good thing about running is that it is faster than walking.  I did do a 5k several years ago, but nothing else. I have stood on the sidelines and cheered them all on for years and wanted to participate, but I’ve never managed to stay in training long enough to do it again.  I’ve made excuses and let other things hinder me from participating in a race.

pexels-photoBut…I’m done with being a spectator. In a few weeks, I will be a participator in the race.  I am scared and intimidated and frankly, I want to go the opposite direction from where everyone else is going. But guess what! My family will be cheering me on at the finish line. They have encouraged me and have run with me and even pushed me at times when I thought about giving up. I have trained, probably not enough, but I am getting into that race with these guys. I’m getting stronger and more sure of myself. It has not and will not be easy, but I’m going to do it. My goal is to cross the finish line!

Keep on even in your race of faith, even if you don’t feel like it. There is a place where you get your second wind and push past the pain or the heat or the hard to breathe time. My husband says it’s there, but I haven’t gotten there yet in running. Some days life is very hard. Some days it’s easy and you wish it wouldn’t end. The struggle is real. But the reward of crossing that finish line and entering our eternal reward is real. I believe that those who have already completed the race that was before them are watching from heaven and cheering us on in our own race that is set before us. They will be meeting us at the finish line. As Rick and Bubba so famously say, “Stay in it!”

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