Worrying

Matthew 6:27

Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?

Last summer I downloaded some songs that I had not heard in years and then set out for a long run with my iPod. As soon as the songs began to play, I felt like I was transported back to years ago when I had first heard them.

As I listened to the songs, I began to think about all I had experienced over the years. I had gotten married, moved across the country, changed jobs, had kids, watched them grow. So much had changed but looking back, it was obvious God had been with me through it all.

Yet, I also considered that when I was actually experiencing those events of my life, I so frequently failed to see God in the circumstances and wasted time worrying about things. Yes, there were difficult, depressing, and even tragic circumstances over the past years, but my worrying had not altered a single moment or event.

Jesus asks us a critical question in today’s Bible verse: Who of you, by worrying, can add a single hour to his life? Our Lord knows that we are prone to worry, and He also knows the devastating effects that worrying has on our emotions, our bodies, and our spirits. What good has been accomplished in my life by worrying? Nothing. How much has worrying extended my life? Not at all.

But how do we stop worrying? Apart from God, we are inclined to do it, and cannot control that part of our lives. The good news is we are told to bring our worries to Him. He tells us to concern ourselves first with the things of Him and His kingdom, for He is the one who supplies our needs.

Bring your worries to your Father in Heaven and leave them there. The One who is faithful has promised to take care of the circumstances in your life.

Lord God, I know You have commanded me not to worry, but sometimes I feel as though I have no control over my thoughts. But You, Lord, are perfect in power. Lord, make my thoughts obedient to you so that I may not worry over the circumstances of my life. Increase my faith and trust in You, and give me Your peace. In Jesus’ name I pray, AMEN.

Finding Courage

John 14:16-17a

And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate

to help you and be with you forever—the Spirit of truth.

One of my favorite running authors is John Bingham. He began running in the middle of his life and transformed himself from a junk-food-eating smoker to a marathoner. Bingham has written several books and many magazine articles about his experiences and joys as a runner.

Though Bingham appeals to all runners, he focuses primarily on people who are either just starting out or starting a new phase of running. He understands the problems associated with changing a lifestyle. He sympathizes with runners as they face obstacles. In his book, The Courage to Start, Bingham encourages runners to move their focus away from their situation and complications, and to simply summon the courage to begin a new program.

Bingham stays with new runners once they have gathered that bravery. Through his teaching, he runs alongside them and guides them through the process. He provides wisdom, guidance, and encouragement from start to finish. New runners find hope in his writings and if they stick with his programs, they usually find success.

In our walk of faith, we too need courage to start. We may feel called to begin a new activity or to change an old habit. Maybe we know that God wants us to change an attitude or to forgive someone. Perhaps God is calling us to make a connection with a nonbeliever and to share our faith. Maybe we struggle with trusting God in a particular circumstance. For me, all of these things require courage.

We can be assured, though, that when God calls, He also equips. That equipping comes from the Holy Spirit. John Bingham uses his human talents and abilities to coach and motivate runners, but we are perfectly coached and motivated through God Himself. He promises in today’s verse that He will be with us and help us forever. He promises to be an advocate; this means He will be a counselor, a helper, an intercessor and a strengthener.

John Bingham does a great job with runners, but he, like any other running expert, is merely human. He cannot climb inside our hearts to guide and encourage us. He cannot comfort us in dark hours when we cannot find hope. But the Holy Spirit does this and more. He promises to help us all of our days. Let’s thank and praise Him for that and ask Him for what we need today.

Faithful Father, through the Holy Spirit, You promise to be with us and help us forever. Thank You for that wonderful truth. Lord, please remind us that You are always with us, especially when times are difficult. Help us to share that wonderful promise with others. In Jesus name we pray, AMEN.

Praying for Faith

2 Peter 1:5-7

For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith, goodness;

and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance;

and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness;

and to brotherly kindness, love. 

Interval training is an important part of a running program. During intervals, we run hard for a specified distance, jog or walk for a short time, and then run hard again. The process is repeated several times. The goal in interval running is to run consistently. The first hard segment should be equal in pace to the final segment, and each segment in between should be equal as well.

New runners often find intervals to be a challenge. They take off faster than they can handle and end up with no stamina to finish. Heavily burdened, they either quit, or they finish feeling both physically and mentally defeated. If they never learn to run intervals correctly, their races will have the same negative results; they will take off too quickly at the start and never be able to keep up the pace.

Those of us who have been running for awhile may have great consistency when we put on our running shoes, but what about when we take them off? I have to admit that in life I am not always consistent with my actions and attitudes. I often rush into things – projects at home or work, attitudes about the circumstances in my life, even assumptions about people. I start off with bursts of energy and determination but I soon find myself physically and mentally exhausted. I’m unable to finish what I’ve started because of my lack of self-control. I look at the qualities that Peter talks about in today’s Bible verses, and I find that my life doesn’t resemble much in this list. Godliness, kindness, and love? I can’t seem to summon these things within myself when I’m spent.

The important thing to realize is that the qualities Peter speaks of are the fruit of a healthy life in Christ. They aren’t summoned from within; they come from God. And Peter puts faith first in the list because faith in Christ alone produces the rest of the qualities in the list. Faith is the instrument through which we receive God’s gifts. Let’s pray for that faith today.

Gracious God, You promise to give good gifts to your children when they ask. Father, please give us the gifts that Peter speaks of. Please increase our faith, and add to that goodness. Give us knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, kindness, and love. Then show us how to use these gifts to glorify You and to satisfy our hearts, both on and off the running track.

Being Prepared

Ephesians 6:13

Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes,

you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.

A recent article in Runner’s World magazine told the unfortunate story of a runner packing her duffle bag on race morning. She gathered everything she needed and set out for the race. Only after it was too late to go back did she realize she had grabbed her dress shoes out of her dark closet rather than her running shoes that morning. Her only choice was to wear the dress shoes or the flip-flops that were on her feet.

You may have most of what you need when you are about to run, but as the example demonstrates, most is not enough. As runners, each part of the uniform is essential. If you have a shirt and shorts but no shoes, you are not ready to run. If you have a shirt and shoes, but no shorts, you probably will be too embarrassed to step up to the start line.

The armor of God is similar. It is critical that we put on the full armor of God. Paul tells us, “Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.” We are not ready for our spiritual race without this full armor. What good is righteousness, if we do not have truth? Can we have peace if we are not able to extinguish the flaming arrows of the evil one?

Just as you approach the start line of a race with everything you need for running, begin each day by dressing in the armor of God. Only then will you be fully prepared. Start by asking him to show you what you lack. Then ask Him to supply your every need.

Lord God, thank you for equipping us for the work you have called us to do. Please help us to come to the race prepared with everything we need for victory. Show us what we lack, and then supply those needs. In Jesus’ name we pray, AMEN.

Suffering

Romans 5:3-5

…We also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.  And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.

Your resting heart rate triples and your blood pressure goes up. Your breathing becomes rapid and you perspire excessively. Do these conditions sound like the symptoms of a heart attack? They are. But they are also the response of the physically fit body during an intense workout. 

As runners, we know that to achieve our goals, we have to put our bodies through rigorous training. Mile repeats, hill workouts, and fast strides at the end of a long distance run will cause the body to work more efficiently and achieve faster race results. Regular interval running helps us to persevere and to be successful during the goal event. We willingly endure it and deliberately work it into our schedules. But ultimately it’s a form of suffering, and the irony is that it strengthens us.

In our lives off of the running track, we also will endure suffering. Maybe you suffer from loneliness, grief, illness, or conflict. Maybe you are suffering through feelings of doubt or misunderstanding. Perhaps a job or a relationship causes suffering in your life.

Suffering, whether on or off the track, feels lonely. When you are in the midst of it, you doubt that it could possibly have a purpose. But God does not allow us to suffer alone nor in vain. Instead, during times of suffering, we have a unique promise from our Lord that suffering produces something good: perseverance. And when God teaches perseverance, He develops character. And when He develops character, He gives the gift of hope.

It seems like such an unusual chain, but just as the runner can lower his blood pressure by raising his blood pressure, God can develop something positive by raising something negative. And just as it is a scientific fact that speed training improves the cardiovascular system, it is an undeniable spiritual truth that suffering can produce hope, which does not disappoint. Let’s thank God for that gift and pray that He will open our eyes to it in the midst of suffering.

Lord God, thank you that your ways are amazing. Thank you that you can produce something as beautiful and valuable as hope out of something as difficult as suffering. Please let me know Your presence during times of suffering, and teach me through the Holy Spirit to persevere. In Jesus’ name I pray, AMEN.