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.
Run to Win
Have you ever trained hard to compete in something you really wanted to win? You probably have a goal when working hard to win: status, fame, validation of your hard work, a sense of accomplishment, even a trophy or medal. There’s a prize at the end. The harder the road, the bigger the prize may feel.
In 1 Corinthians 9:24-25, Paul says, “Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever.”
Paul had his eyes fixed on the end goal: an eternity with Jesus and an eternal crown of reward for the life he lived on earth!
Have you ever started in on a new challenge, only to bail quickly once things became difficult? Think about that time and ask yourself, did you have a clear picture of what waited for you at the finish line? How does knowing an eternal reward waits for you at the finish line of this life encourage you to give this race everything you’ve got?
It’s incredible to witness the intense training athletes endure and the sacrifices they make when their aim is to win. How much more so can the eternal value of the race we run as believers motivate us? When it feels like living a life of faith is too hard, ask yourself, “What’s the prize?” Like Paul, let it fuel you to RUN.
Luke 12
“In the mean time, when there were gathered together an innumerable multitude of people, insomuch that they trode one upon another, he began to say unto his disciples first of all, Beware ye of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy. For there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; neither hid, that shall not be known. Therefore whatsoever ye have spoken in darkness shall be heard in the light; and that which ye have spoken in the ear in closets shall be proclaimed upon the housetops. And I say unto you my friends, Be not afraid of them that kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do. But I will forewarn you whom ye shall fear: Fear him, which after he hath killed hath power to cast into hell; yea, I say unto you, Fear him. Are not five sparrows sold for two farthings, and not one of them is forgotten before God? But even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not therefore: ye are of more value than many sparrows. Also I say unto ...
Our Good Shepherd
Jesus’ “I Am” sayings are powerful statements that give us a look into Jesus' nature and His mission on earth.
First, each statement reveals something about Jesus’ mission on earth. But second, they connect Jesus to God the Father. Jesus’ “I Am” statements connect theologically to Exodus 3:14, when God revealed HImself to Moses as “I Am.”
In John 10, Jesus tells the people that He is the good shepherd. The mark of a good shepherd is that he must be willing to lay down his life for his sheep. Jesus says He is willing to do that.
Jesus’ statement is in contrast to the religious leaders of His day. The religious leaders would often make things very difficult for followers of God. They would add laws and regulations that would keep people from God. Ultimately, they were selfish leaders, considering themselves as more important than the people they were leading.
Jesus points out that the highest qualification of a shepherd is selflessness. Jesus is the ultimate...
