ODJ: let it run
June 17, 2011
Pray that the Lord’s message will spread rapidly and be honored wherever it goes, just as when it came to you (v.1).
READ: 2 Thessalonians 3:1-18
One truly thrilling moment in sports is the last quarter mile of a horse race, when “down the stretch they come!” Spectators are mildly interested in the initial legs of the race, as the horses jockey for position and conserve their energy for the home stretch. But their roar is deafening when the horses turn the final corner and break into a full gallop for the finish line.
Paul had a race in mind when he asked the Thessalonians to pray that “the Lord’s message will spread rapidly” (2 Thessalonians 3:1). The Greek term for “spread rapidly” is trecho, which means to run at full speed. As spectators rise to their feet and scream “Go! Go! Go!” so Paul commands us to cheer the spread of the gospel in our lives and across the world.
We let the gospel run in our lives when we humbly receive the forgiveness of sin and then patiently forgive those who have sinned against us. The gospel surges through us as we celebrate our Father’s love and then pass it on by serving the least among us. In sum, we unleash the gospel when we gladly confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, and then live out that reality in daily experience.
We let the gospel run in the world when we follow Paul’s instructions to pray for its progress. We can’t force others to submit to the lordship of Jesus, but we can ask God to open their eyes so that they might “see the glorious light of the Good News” (2 Corinthians 4:4). We can ask our Father to bring His kingdom soon, so that His will is “done on earth, as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:10).
The only thing sadder than a throttled thoroughbred is a gospel that is kept in check. Let it run. —Mike Wittmer
What specific attitude or activity has held back the gospel in your life? What do you need to do, with God’s help, to release the freedom of Jesus in your life?
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