More comfortable

"The Israelites said to them, "If only we had died by the LORD's hand in Egypt! There we sat around pots of meat and ate all the food we wanted, but you have brought us out into this desert to starve this entire assembly to death."" Exodus 16:3

Let's face it. Whether you have just started running or have been doing it for a while, there are times when running is simply no fun. You hurt, you have lead in your legs and your mind tells you to quit. To help combat that, Activebeat published "13 Tips to Make Running more comfortable." Among the suggestions listed were to pace yourself, schedule your runs, invest in comfortable shoes, concentrate on the positive, choose a scenic route, vary your workout times, don't time your runs, make running your refuge, and stretch well. And while every workout will have its' moments of discomfort, following these tips, they say, will make your runs a little smoother and more comfortable.

And while getting more comfortable in our running can actually help us get better, doing it in our spiritual lives can be detrimental. Consider the Israelites. They had personally seen God do a lot of miraculous things in saving them from the Egyptians, including sending the 10 plagues and parting the Red Sea. The Lord had proven Himself faithful time and time again - but when it appeared that there was no food to eat, they wanted to immediately trade the amazing future God had promised to go back to the place where they would have "all the food" they wanted. In other words, they were willing to give up going into the promised land to be more comfortable in their old land - willing to trade the promises of the future for the comforts of the present. 

I wonder today, how many of us have done that very same thing though? How many of us have gotten so comfortable where we are that we are hesitant to step out and go where God is leading us? 

Heavenly Father, thank You for loving us so much that you would promise to not only lead us in the best direction for our lives but to provide for us along the journey. Help us to have faith in that promise and step out of our comfort zones to go anywhere you may be beckoning us. It's in your precious name we pray Jesus. Amen. 

Happy Running!!!

Don't get comfortable - Brandon Heath

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1qlTlawI4t8

Run away quickly

"The prudent see danger and take refuge, but the simple keep going and pay the penalty." Proverbs 27:12

The Tampa Bay ABC Action News reported yesterday that police were searching for a man who tried to kidnap a woman at gunpoint while she was running along Coffee Pot Blvd near downtown St. Petersburg, FL early Wednesday morning. Allie, whose last name we aren't using to protect her identity, tells ABC Action News she had only one thought when a man pointed a gun at her and demanded she get inside his car: "I’m not getting in," she said. Instead, she ran away as fast as she could, "I was sprinting away thinking this guy is going to shoot me!" St. Pete police officers later said that Allie's brave decision to run away in the face of danger most likely saved her life.

And while running from danger is always wise, it is always wise to remember that danger, or the possibility of suffering harm or injury, can come in many different forms and from many different sources. As in Allie’s case, danger came in the obvious form of a gun-toting madman. But danger can come in more obscure ways too - from any source of temptation, great or small, that might lure us to sin. And while "the prudent see danger and take refuge.. the simple keep going and pay the penalty." In other words, if we are truly wise, we will run - and I mean in a dead sprint as if our lives' depended on it - from temptation to a safe place. But if we're stupid, we will walk right into trouble only to suffer the consequences from it later. 

So today, let us follow the example of Allie and run away as fast as we can from any thing, person or situation that threatens to harm us either physically or spiritually. Doing so might just save our lives. 

Heavenly Father, thank you for your Word that so clearly warns us of the consequences of sin. Please help us to remember that the danger to stray from the right path is always looming. And Lord, please give us the discernment to recognize anything that might harm us and the strength to immediately run from it. It's in your precious name we pray Jesus. Amen. 

Happy Running!!!

Trouble - The New Respects
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7BHoHVoMbbs

Pursue peace

"Make every effort to live in peace with everyone and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord." Hebrews 12:14 NIV

In 2005, when he was just 10 years old, Yiech Pur Biel, who is set to compete in the 800m event in the 2018 Olympics, was forced to flee the war in South Sudan, leaving his parents behind. Knowing the devastating effects of conflict first-hand, this young man, who will be competing as part of the Refugee Olympic Team, arrived on the divided Korean Peninsula this week with a special message, “Peace is the fundamental of everything that a state can do. A person needs many things – shelter, food, water, education and medical services – to survive, but what do they all mean without peace? As a refugee who fled from a country in conflict, I know and have experienced for myself how important peace is.”

And you know, Yiech is not the only one who understands the importance of world harmony. Time and again, the Bible tells us that we are to pursue peace and to “make every effort” to live in it with everyone. But doing that starts with making “every effort” to “be holy.” You see, it's only when we tenaciously strive to achieve holiness, or become more like Jesus, that we will love others the way He did. And it’s only when we love others the way He did - unconditionally, understandingly and forgivingly - that we can lay aside our differences to join in our one commonality... our love for Christ.

So may you and I make it our priority to pursue a closer relationship with our Creator today, making every effort to be holy, so that we might be able to live in peace with those around us and inspire others to do the same. Because a shared love for Jesus is the only thing that will ever bring peace to our world. 

Heavenly Father, thank you for showing us time and again the benefits of living in peace with every person. Help us to pursue holiness that others might come to know You because of it. It's in your precious name we pray Jesus. Amen.

Happy Running!!!

Bleed the same - Mandisa

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UEzCQBwQkdA

That peace

"Then, because you belong to Christ Jesus, God will bless you with peace that no one can completely understand. And this peace will control the way you think and feel. " Philippians 4:7 CEV

Seven years ago, at the age of 37, Julie Pannel was swimming with a friend, training for a triathlon. Fit as she could be, she never expected that she would almost die that day. But that's exactly what happened. Julie survived what's commonly referred to as a widow maker heart attack that, statistics say, kills 95% of those who experience it. And in those moments of distress which should have been extremely frightening, Pannell said, "I had Psalm 23 running through my head. The Lord is my shepherd I shall not want, and then, even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil. So I was just, you know, kind of had that peace of knowing God was with me and he was going to carry me through whatever the outcome was." 

Isn't it amazing how, in the midst of what should strike total fear, someone could be so calm? It truly defies reasoning doesn't it? But that's exactly the peace that those who "belong to Christ Jesus" can have in the midst of conflict and trouble. It's a "peace that no one can completely understand" because it cannot be explained. It simply defies logic because it's not found in the absence of burdens, suffering or difficulties but in the midst of them - it's a state of utter tranquility that allows us to "think and feel" in total contradiction to what our circumstances warrant. And it's a peace that "God will bless you with" when you decide to follow Him. 

So if you don't have that peace today, I urge you to seek it in the only One who can provide it. Seek the Lord my friend. You will be so glad you did.

Heavenly Father, thank You for the precious gift of knowing that You have been, are, and always will be in control - and for that, we have no need to worry. Help us to remember that no matter what happens to us here, we will one day spend eternity with You free from the pressures and the worries of this world. It's in your precious name we pray Jesus. Amen.

Happy Running!!!

The peace of Christ - Tommy Walker

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WN9bEkGe6ss

To your Name be the glory

"Not to us, LORD, not to us but to your name be the glory, because of your love and faithfulness." Psalm 115:1

Not much of a football fan, I did chores around the house Sunday as my family watched Super Bowl LII, periodically checking the score and watching the occasional commercial. What happened after the game though, at the awards ceremony, had me sitting down with my total attention and eyes transfixed on the screen. Of Philadelphia’s win, Eagles' Coach Doug Peterson said, "I can only give my praise to my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ for giving me this opportunity." Tight end Zach Ertz, who made the game-winning catch, then told the millions of people watching, "Glory to God first and foremost." And the Superbowl MVP, Nick Foles, followed Ertz to the microphone and said the same. Talk about making the most of opportunities to declare God's praises!

You know, while athletes, actors and other famous people often get unique and large platforms in which to praise the Lord for his "love and faithfulness," you and I have opportunities each and every day to do it. And although it might be to a smaller audience, the effects are still far-reaching. Did you get that promotion at work? Boldly declare, "to your name be the glory." Did you get that PR you've been training for? Boldly proclaim, "to your name be the glory.” You see, since God is the provider of all good things, we can take credit for nothing. And when others see our acknowledgment that success comes only from the Father, they will be drawn to know Him more. 

So today and every day, may we never deny our Lord the honor, glory and praise that He is due. And may we, like the Psalmist, say, "Not to us, Lord, not to us but to your name be the glory..." 

Heavenly Father, thank You for allowing us to achieve great things through Your strength and by Your grace. May we continuously acknowledge that all good things come from You that others might come to seek You because of it. It's in your precious name we pray Jesus. Amen,

Happy Running!!!

Every praise - Hezekiah Walker
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UuuZMg6NVeA

By our actions

"Dear children, let's not merely say that we love each other; let us show the truth by our actions." 1 John 3:18

Saturday morning was perfect running weather. So perfect, in fact, that I decided to finish up my long run with some speed-work. And as I was clipping along, lost in worship music with a flood of endorphins coursing through my body, it happened. My toe nicked a portion of the uneven sidewalk and I came down fast and hard on my side, tearing my gloves and ripping a hole in my tights over my left knee. Laying there in pain and shock, I could hear the cars passing me by. "Didn't anyone see me fall?" I wondered. "Why isn't anyone stopping to help?" Finally summoning the courage and strength to get up, I smiled as one passerby finally slowed and rolled down her window to check on me. "I'll be okay, " I said gratefully. "Thank you for caring."

As Christians, we are called to really care about and love each other, not to merely say that we do right? But what does that look like? Well... love, as Merriam-Webster defines it, is a strong affection for another arising out of kinship or personal ties - indicating that for love to be felt between people, they must have a relationship of some kind. But God calls us to a deeper love for others, one that flows out of our love for and relationship with Him. You see, the more we love Jesus, the more we will love others, even strangers or those we have no personal ties with - and that love will be so evident that it will be revealed by the way we care for and treat those around us. 

So today, and every day, "let's not merely say that we love each other" but "let us show the truth by our actions." May we always stop to help those in need and really look to make a difference in a world that so desperately needs to feel the love of the Savior. 

Heavenly Father, thank you for loving us even though we are so undeserving of it. Thank you for caring about us each time we fall and for helping us rise to our feet again. Help us to love others in the same way Lord, that they might come to know You because of it. It's in your precious name we pray Jesus. Amen. 

Happy Running!!!

Kingdom-Kristian Standfill

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BFIznhuMiXU

Get up and go

"But after the disciples had gathered around him, he got up and went back into the city. The next day he and Barnabas left for Derbe." Acts 14:20

Did you know that yesterday was National Get Up Day? And if you've never heard of it before (I hadn’t), National Get Up Day on February 1 is an opportunity to share inspiring stories of perseverance; it’s a reminder to pick ourselves up when we’ve fallen and give it (whatever it may be) another go! The day was actually inspired by figure skaters who have to learn very quickly that falling down is an unavoidable part of training and that learning to get up repeatedly is the key to success. This day isn’t just about skating, though. It’s about celebrating that Get Up spirit that applies to every aspect of life and inspiring others. 

And if anyone had that Get Up Spirit, it was the Apostle Paul. In fact, the Bible tells us that while Paul and Barnabas were preaching the Gospel in Lystra, some Jews who came from Antioch and Iconium persuaded the the crowd to stone Paul and then drag him outside the city (thinking he was deceased). "But, after the disciples had gathered around him, he got up and went back into the city." Wow! Not only did Paul miraculously get up after being left for dead though... the very next day, he and Barnabas preached in Derbe, gaining a large number of followers. They then returned to Lystra, the very place Paul had been stoned and thrown out of, to strengthen and encourage the disciples. And all this happened because one man had learned to get up... even when it appeared impossible.

So when life knocks you down - and you can be sure that it will in more times, and in more ways, than you could ever imagine - remember the words of Vince Lombardi, "It's not whether you get knocked down, it's whether you get up." You see, it's only when we "get up" that people around us will want to know the secret of our strength. And it's then my friend, that you and I can tell them about the Lord, the One who provides the fortitude, resilience and backbone to overcome any situation. 

Heavenly Father, thank you for giving us the strength, determination and courage we need to get up from anything that has knocked us down. Lord, remind us that you never promised us a life free from tests, trials and tribulations but that you promised to always be with us through them. May others come to know you God by the resilience and faith we display when life doesn't go as planned. It's in your precious name we pray Jesus. Amen.

Happy Running!!!

The Comeback - Danny Gokey
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qvr64VsNT-s