"may he equip you with all you need for doing his will. May he produce in you, through the power of Jesus Christ, every good thing that is pleasing to him. All glory to him forever and ever! Amen." Hebrews 13:21
Samuel Kosgei crosses the finish line as the first male finisher in Sunday’s Marine Corps Marathon. (Alex Brandon/AP)
This was yesterday's headline at the Marine Corps Marathon: Army Spec. Samuel Kosgei took first place with a time of 2:22:12. Even more amazing is to find out that this is only his third marathon. After seeing his finish line photo, I had to find out more about him. Was he merely raising his fingers in acknowledgement that he was the first to cross the finish line? Or was he acknowledging the One who gave him the strength to do so? While there's not a whole lot of information listed about him yet, I do believe there will be. He is originally from Uganda and ran track at Lamar University in Texas. He hopes to compete in the 2016 Olympics and I wish him well. I was more than happy to find that, in every one of his finish photos (see below), he was indeed giving praise to the Lord. Oh, how I love to see a bold Christian!
The bible tells us that, "Everyone who acknowledges me publicly here on earth, I will also acknowledge before my Father in heaven." Matthew 10:32. There's a key word there... publicly. It's not good enough to simply believe and keep it to ourselves. What good is that anyway? Matthew 5:16 instructs us to let our "light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven." Every "good thing" we have is produced "through the power of Jesus Christ". Plain and simple - God gives us our abilities, gifts and talents (they are different for everyone) and we use them to bring Him glory.What a wonderful arrangement.
Revelation 3:5 gives us this promise, "The one who is victorious will, like them, be dressed in white. I will never blot out the name of that person from the book of life, but will acknowledge that name before my Father and his angels." Being a follower of Christ is not a "secret club". Are you treating it like one? Make today the day that you boldly proclaim your faith and achieve the triumph through Christ Jesus. Talk about a victory we can all achieve!
Heavenly Father, thank You for promising us eternal life if we follow You and proclaim that we are your followers. May we use the gifts you have given us, whatever ours may be, to bring You glory, serve others and be a light to the lost in this dark world. May we be bold in our faith and willing to share the reason for the joy in our hearts. Thank You Lord for equipping us with everything we need to do this. In your precious name we pray, Jesus. Amen.
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