On pace

"I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love" Ephesians 4:1, 2

Not only was I blessed to run the Bass Pro Marathon on such a beautiful fall day yesterday but I had the additional blessing of doing it as a pacer or, as Livestrong.com defines it, a person who helps other runners stay on track by maintaining a specific time per mile to finish a race in a specific time. In other words, my "job", or calling for the day, was to run a consistent race from start to finish so that others could follow my lead and reach the finish line in the time slot I was assigned (4 hours, 20 minutes). And to do this required checking my GPS watch several times each minute for 26.2 miles to ensure I was (and stayed) "on pace." Too fast and I would immediately slow down-too slow and I would immediately speed up. 

  

And you know, while running a consistent race requires constant diligence, living a consistent life "worthy of the calling" of being chosen to be Christ's representatives here on earth requires even more watchfulness. Paul knew that when when he urged the people at the church in Ephesus to persistently and constantly "walk in a manner" that showed that they were His-being humble, gentle, patient and loving at all times. And you can be sure that to stay "on pace", or consistent in doing that, required frequent checks for them as it will for us. 

So how well would you say you were doing today living a steady or consistent Christian life? If you were leading others by the way you live, would you say you were leading them to the Lord or away from him? That's a very important question to consider my friend because, whether we realize it or not, people are always watching us. 

Heavenly Father, help us to walk so closely with you that others will be drawn to you by the way we live our lives. And while we know we will never be perfect, help us to never quit striving for excellence that we might successfully lead others to the ultimate finish line by always staying "on pace" in our walk with you. It's in your precious name we pray Jesus. Amen. 

Happy Running!!!

Lift you up - Ryan Stevenson

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PZdmS69DHpc