"And whoever does not carry their cross and follow me cannot be my disciple." Luke 14:27
On November 12, runners of all ages paid $20 to participate in the first-ever "New York Sorta Marathon." And it was sort of a marathon because it came with everything you'd expect from a 26.2 mile race-a fancy start and finish line, medical support, bibs, medals, people holding up inspirational signs, space blankets, bananas and gatorade-except it was only .2 mile long... 26 miles short of a real marathon distance. James Coker, the third-place finisher, jokingly said that sharing his achievement with friends via social media made the effort he put into the race worth it. Describing that effort and the training it took to complete this monumental feat, Coker said, "I try to run once a month. It’s important to have a regular regimen —100, 200, 300 feet at a time. Baby steps, you can’t just jump right in with serious distance racing.”
And as funny as this is, it's proof that, while many people would love say they have completed a marathon, most people won't ever do it because it’s just too hard. Unfortunately, the same can be said of many self-professed Christians. They want to be known as followers of Christ but only "sort of" follow because being sold out is just too hard. You see, when Jesus said, "whoever does not carry their cross and follow me cannot be my disciple," he was warning the crowd (and us) that following him would not be easy. It would require total, complete and absolute devotion and submission to Him-maybe even to the point of death.
Heavenly Father, thank you for loving us so much that you would promise to be with us in this life if we would submit our lives to you. And although you clearly warn us that it won't be easy to be your disciple, you do guarantee that it will be worth it. May we be totally sold out to you Lord no matter how hard it is or may ever become. It's in your precious name we pray Jesus. Amen.
Happy Running!!!
Sold out - Hawk Nelson
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