Honor Jesus with your Life

“And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him.” Romans 12:1 NLT

In a bittersweet story published by Runner’s World Tuesday, it was reported that Yvan Gallay, 33, finished the Gold Coast Marathon over the weekend in 4:55:44 in honor of his brother, Florian, who collapsed 100 meters from the finish line in 2023. Sadly, the 34-year-old runner died from cardiac arrest. Yvan wore his own bib on his back and the bib of his brother, 3007, on his front. “The organizers told us that they would never again give out bib 3007 to honor [my brother’s] memory,” Gallay told Runner’s World by e-mail. “We were touched by this gesture.”… Gallay did not train for a particular finish time. He wanted to help his brother complete his final race, and 100 meters from the finish, where Florian fell, Gallay and his crew stopped. After finishing the race, Yvan said “I would tell my brother that it was a real joy to have him in my life. That he was an exceptional person, an example for me to follow. I’ll do my utmost to honor his memory for the rest of my life.” 

And, you know, when it comes to doing our utmost to honor someone who is worthy of remembrance for being exceptional, you and I would do well to honor the One who freely sacrificed his life so that we could have eternal life. You see, while we were still sinners, Christ died for us—proving that He was beyond exceptional. Which is the very reason Paul pleaded with us to give our bodies to God “because of all he has done” and to “be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable.” Which means we are to give ourselves fully in service to Jesus, denying ourselves daily to take up our cross and follow Him with complete devotion and wholehearted gratitude. 

So, in light of all God has done, vow to do your utmost to honor the sacrifice of Jesus with your whole life and for your whole life my friend. Hold nothing back in your service to Him for “this is truly the way to worship him.”

Heavenly Father, thank You for the mercy and grace You bestowed on us when you gave us your one and only Son to die so that we could live. No greater sacrifice has ever been given and has ever been worthy of so much honor. Help us to be so grateful for the gift of eternal life that we would serve you wholeheartedly for the rest of our days. It’s in your precious and we pray Jesus. Amen.

Happy Running!