I will share about Christian books I have read or listened to.
I will be sharing about my life before and after Christ. I will include stories about my pet and other pets I have encountered.
Finish Well
One of the most important parts of running a race is keeping your eyes on the finish line. If you happen to look at the other competitors, it can ruin your focus, causing you to slip up. Staying focused is crucial.
The writer of the letter of Hebrews uses this same idea when talking about our own spiritual lives. The writer encourages his readers to keep their eyes focused on Jesus while running the race of life.
When we keep our eyes on Jesus and our thoughts focused on Him, we are reminded of His great love and goodness. Keeping our eyes on Jesus helps us to not grow discouraged.
When we take our eyes off Jesus, we can lose focus on what really matters. We can become fixated on the priorities of the world around us rather than the mission of God. We can also lose our sense of value and worth if we lose sight of the love of God.
One of the reasons the author encourages his readers to focus their eyes on Jesus is because Jesus is the author and perfecter of our faith. He is the reason we have faith, but He is also the one who continues to sanctify our hearts and strengthen our faith.
Jesus endured the pain of the cross with joy because He kept His own eyes on the finish line—sitting in a place of authority next to God the Father, and achieving salvation for His followers. We now experience the benefit of salvation because of His endurance.
Jesus’ example allows us to run the race of life with endurance and focus. So if you find yourself tired and wanting to give up, take some time to pray and think about Jesus who gave everything for you. Ask God for endurance so that you can continue to grow in your faith, and finish well.
Undeserved Mercies
When someone hurts you or, worse, hurts somebody that you love, revenge can seem appealing. After all…
They were mean.
They were selfish.
They talked behind your back.
They broke a vital promise.
They lied about you.
They criticized you.
They ignored you.
They did the unthinkable.
They walked away.
They deserve to be punished, right? To feel some of that same pain? They deserve a consequence that will not only help them learn, but will be just as severe as the inflicted wounds.
And yet—because God sees things differently, both His standards and tactics can be surprising. And that’s why the apostle Paul, writing to the believers in Thessaloniki, said:
“See that no one pays back evil for evil, but always try to do good to each other and to all people.”
1 Thessalonians 5:15 NLT
Paul’s words sound a lot like Jesus’ words—to love your neighbor as yourself; to do to others what you’d like them to do to you. (See: Matthew 22:38-40)
God’s ways ...
