“Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us walk in step with the Spirit.” Galatians 5:24,25 NIV
If you were blessed to be out running yesterday morning, you'd probably agree with me that it was near perfect running weather. So perfect, in fact, that I had to suppress the urge to run longer and faster than my taper for this Saturday's ultra I’ve been training for allowed. "It sure would be a shame," I thought to myself, thankful as I kept to the specified pace and distance, "to throw away all that work and training for an hour or so of pleasure." You see, when an athlete is training for a race, especially a long one, there comes a time when that athlete must rest so that he or she can recover strength to be ready on race day. Which means running too fast or too far so close to the event could potentially undo all the work an athlete has done in preparation to complete it.
And you know, giving in to an urge for immediate but short-lived pleasure can not only undo months of work for an athlete, it can also undo a lifetime of work for a Christian. You see, a Christian can serve faithfully in their church and family their whole lives only to give in to their "passions and desires" right before the finish line and throw it all away - which is why Paul reminded the church at Galatia that "those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh." And you can be sure this is not a one time thing my friend. If you and I are going to stay faithful to the end, we must put our fleshly desires to death every single day and strive to follow God's perfect will.
So may you and I make every effort to "walk in step with the Spirit," being ever so vigilant to guard our hearts and minds from any temptation that might cause us to go astray. After all, this is the only way you and I will successfully complete the race set before us.
Heavenly Father, thank You so much for the reminder of how easy it is for even the most disciplined of Christians to give in to temptation. Help us to walk with You so closely Lord that we would immediately feel any separation from You and get right back on course. It's in Your precious name we pray Jesus. Amen.
Happy Running!!!
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