Keep Running
By Emily Hollis, USA “But they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.” —Isaiah 40: 31, esv Last November, I was at the Indianapolis race. Dressed warmly in the breezy weather, I [...]
till death do us part …
By Isaac Tan, Singapore Many things that happen in our life are just beyond our finite human minds. This happens so often that quotes like “you win some, you lose some” and “life’s like that” become mere excuses for being blatantly obtuse. Death is just one of the many topics that receive such “preferential” treatment. [...]
(1 votes, average: 4.00 out of 5)
Loading ...Why Does Everything Have To Be So Hard?
By Betty Wambui, Kenya This is a question that all of us have asked ourselves at some point in our lives. Choices were presented and the main ones were: to give up or to keep on hoping. Many times, I have wanted to choose to throw in the white towel because I convince myself that [...]
(1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5) Loading ...Book Review: A Prisoner And Yet
By Eugene Seah, 23, Singapore Corrie Ten Boom loves everyone—friends or foes. She loves her fellow Jews as well as the German state secret police officers of the Nazi regime who beat and captured her and her family. She said, “I do so pity the man who beat me.” She loved by sharing precious rations with [...]
(No Ratings Yet) Loading ...ODB: longing for spring
April 23, 2010
READ: Ecclesiastes 3:1-13
Nothing is better for them than to rejoice, and to do good in their lives. —Ecclesiastes 3:12
It’s been a long, cold winter, and I am eager for warm weather. I’m tired of seeing bare trees and lifeless brown leaves covering the ground. I long to see wildflowers poke through the dead leaves and to watch the woods turn green once more.
Yet even as I anticipate my favorite season, I hear my mother’s voice saying, “Don’t wish your life away.”
If you’re like me, you sometimes hear yourself saying, “When such and such happens, then I will . . . or, If only so and so would do this, then I would do that . . . or, I would be happy if . . . or, I will be satisfied when . . .”
In longing for some future good, we forget that every day—regardless of the weather or our circumstances—is a gift from God to be used for His glory.
According to author Ron Ash, “We are where we need to be and learning what we need to learn. Stay the course because the things we experience today will lead us to where He needs us to be tomorrow.”
In every season, there is a reason to rejoice and an opportunity to do good (Eccl. 3:12). The challenge for each of us every day is to find something to rejoice about and some good to do—and then to do both. — Julie Ackerman Link
Every season brings a reason to rejoice.
Source: Our Daily Bread
(3 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5) Loading ...ODB: running the race
January 29, 2010
READ: 1 Cor. 9:19-27
Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it. —1 Corinthians 9:24
Spiridon Louis isn’t well known around the world, but he is in Greece. That’s because of what happened in 1896 when the Olympic Games were revived in Athens.
During the competition that year, the Greeks did quite well—winning the most medals of any nation. But the event that became a source of true Greek pride was the first-ever marathon. Seventeen athletes competed in this race of 40 kilometers (24.8 miles), but it was won by Louis—a common laborer. For his efforts, Louis was honored by king and country, and he became a national hero.
The apostle Paul used running a race as a picture of the Christian life. In 1 Corinthians 9:24, he challenged us not just to run but to run to win, saying, “Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it.” Not only did Paul teach this but he lived it out. In his final epistle, he said, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith” (2 Tim. 4:7). Having finished his race, Paul joyfully anticipated receiving the victory crown from the King of heaven.
Like Paul, run your earthly race to win—and to please your King. — Bill Crowder
The Christian’s race is not a sprint—it’s a marathon.
Source: Our Daily Bread
(No Ratings Yet) Loading ...ODB: power to persevere
December 28, 2009
READ: James 5:1-11
You have heard of the perseverance of Job and seen the end intended by the Lord—that the Lord is very compassionate and merciful. —James 5:11
Professional golfer Paula Creamer had worked all year long to earn a berth in the 2008 ADT Championship, the year’s final tournament on the LPGA tour. When the event began, however, Creamer was suffering from peritonitis, a painful inflammation of the abdominal wall. Throughout the four days of the tournament, she was in constant pain and unable to eat. She even spent a night in the hospital because of the condition. Still, she persevered to the end and, amazingly, she finished third. Her determination earned her many new fans.
The challenges and crises of life can tax us to the very end of our strength, and in such times it is easy to want to give up. But James offers followers of Christ another perspective. He says that while life is a battle, it is also a blessing: “Indeed we count them blessed who endure. You have heard of the perseverance of Job and seen the end intended by the Lord—that the Lord is very compassionate and merciful” (James 5:11).
In Job’s example, we find encouragement and the power to persevere in life’s darkest hours—power rooted in God, who is compassionate and merciful. Even when life is painful and hard, we can persevere because God is there. His mercy endures forever (Ps. 136). — Bill Crowder
God provides the power we need to persevere.
Source: Our Daily Bread
(No Ratings Yet) Loading ...The King Who Delivers: Deliberate Praise For Help Given
By Gregory Loh While many people can talk about the first time that they ran 15km with much thrill and accomplishment, my first was quite far from being an enjoyable episode. It happened when I accompanied a group of runners who was training for a 15km running competition. We were driven to a very ulu [...]
(No Ratings Yet) Loading ...ODB: running a marathon
September 1, 2009
READ: Philippians 3:12-21
I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. —Philippians 3:14
The Comrades Marathon, which began in 1921, is the oldest ultra-marathon. Covering 90 km (56 miles), it is held annually in South Africa. Bruce Fordyce completely dominated this marathon in the 1980s, winning it nine times between 1981 and 1990. His 1986 record of 5 hours 24 minutes and 7 seconds stood for 21 years before it was finally broken in 2007. It’s amazing to me that he has continued to run in this race every year.
In a sense, we as Christians are all in a marathon. It takes endurance to run and finish the race of life. When the apostle Paul wrote his letter to the Philippians, he spoke of how he was “reaching forward to those things which are ahead” (3:13) and pressing on “toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” (v.14).
Our Lord Jesus has set an example of how to run life’s marathon. The Bible tells us that Jesus “for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God” (Heb. 12:2). Despite “hostility from sinners,” He completed His race (v.3).
The secret to finishing well is to look forward to the joy that awaits us after life’s race—eternal life with Him. — C. P. Hia
The Christian’s race is not a competitive event but an endurance run.
Source: Our Daily Bread
(No Ratings Yet) Loading ...Book Review: Run To Glory—The Story of Eric Liddell
By Tracy Phua, Singapore Run to Glory, is a biography about Eric Liddell—evangelist, Olympic winner, speaker extraordinaire, man of faith and hope, and so much more. The book gave a rather concise overview about his life and showed how Eric stood firm in his beliefs. It also showed us how God led him through every [...]
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