Live to be Known as Faithful

“But this is not true of my servant Moses; he is faithful in all my house.” Numbers 12:7 NIV

In an article published by the BBC yesterday, the following was reported: A man has died shortly after completing the London Marathon in under three hours.Organisers of the event said Steve Shanks, 45, from Bingham, Nottinghamshire, died suddenly while travelling home on Sunday. Tributes have been paid to the runner, whose cause of death has not yet been shared. In a statement, his wife Jessica said she was "in shock and devastated". She added his passing was "sudden and out of the blue". "He was returning home having spent the day participating in the London Marathon," she said. "As you can imagine I'm absolutely in shock and devastated."  On a fundraising page that was later set up in his honor it was said that “Steve was a keen runner never happier than running. But he was more than just a runner - he was [a] musician, a knitter, and a renowned quizzer possessed of extensive knowledge of terrible pop music. He will be greatly missed and always in our hearts and memories."

And you know, the suddenness of this runner’s death served as a great reminder that no one can predict the time of their departure. Seemingly young and healthy people die every day despite their best attempts to delay the inevitable through exercise and eating right. Which brings me to the point. If you were to die today, how do you think those left behind would describe you? How would you want them to remember you? I don’t know about you but, like Moses, I want to be remembered as a “faithful” follower of God and I hope you do too. This means we must live for Him each and every day, unashamedly letting our light shine for all the world to see. 

So live to be remembered as ‘more than just a runner’ my friend. Live so on fire for the Lord, publicly praising Him and witnessing to others, that you will be remembered as a faithful follower of Jesus Christ above all else. No other title could compare with that. 

Heavenly Father, thank You for reminding us that life is fragile and fleeting. Cause us to truly understand this so that we wouldn’t take even one moment for granted but would live to know You and to make your Great Name known above all of our other pursuits. It’s in your precious name we pray Jesus. Amen.  

Happy Running!