Sound the alarm

“Sound the trumpet in Jerusalem! Raise the alarm on my holy mountain! Let everyone tremble in fear because the day of the LORD is upon us.” Joel 2:1 NLT

If we learn something new every day, I, like the writer of the Runner's World article I read yesterday learned something new about "the outsole test”—it’s not as accurate as I thought in determining when to replace my running shoes. It’s exactly what you’d assume—I’d give the soles of my shoes a quick eyeball and look for areas where the tread had worn away. If the flex grooves had all but disappeared into the surrounding rubber, it was time for a new pair. I’ve since learned that my outsole test was a pretty bad way to tell if I needed new shoes. Depending on the type of materials used, running shoes won’t always show signs of the deterioration consistent with the amount of mileage you’ve put on them. Your shoes can be shot even if the rubber still looks decent. Conversely, a shabby-looking pair may have a solid hundred-plus miles of running left in them. The best way to know for certain when you need to retire your current pair is to track your shoes’ mileage. There are several ways to do this. You can keep a tally by hand on a page of your training log, but the easiest way is to use an online platform. Many websites and apps will let you add multiple pairs of running shoes. Every time you track a workout, you can select the pair you wore, and your shoes’ mileage will update automatically. You can even set an alert to remind you once a pair passes the 400-mile mark.

And you know, when it comes to setting an alert or sounding an alarm that causes someone to take action, the prophet Joel said to “sound the trumpet” and “raise the alarm” because judgment would be coming against all those who have not repented and turned back to God. As you can only imagine, those who are right with God then, are looking forward to this day the Bible calls “the day of the LORD” with hopeful anticipation, knowing it will be a time of celebration like no other. On the other hand, those people who are not right with God, are not only NOT looking forward to it but are most likely oblivious to it. . 

So knowing that there will be no second chances on the day when God’s judgment is poured out on all those who have not turned from their sin and turned to Him, let us sound the alarm now my friend. Let us boldly share the Message of Salvation regardless of the consequences. Let us be the reason someone makes it to heaven!

Heavenly Father, thank You for reminding us that You are coming back again. And by the looks of our world, it could be very, very, very soon. Cause us to understand this fully Lord so that we would view all the world and our every encounter as our missions field— and unashamedly and without hesitation share the Good News with all those in our path. It’s in your precious name we pray Jesus. Amen. 

Happy Running!