“Then Nebuchadnezzar said, “Praise to the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego! He sent his angel to rescue his servants who trusted in him. They defied the king’s command and were willing to die rather than serve or worship any god except their own God.” Daniel 3:28 NLT
In an uplifting story titled “Local man, 73, hopes his last-place Pittsburgh Marathon finish inspires other runners,” published earlier this month, it was reported that among all the inspirational athletes seen at the Dick’s Sporting Goods Pittsburgh Marathon, one man stood out from the crowd, with the bib name “Slow Tony.” Anthony Kovatch, 73, a retired pediatrician from the North Hills, proudly finished the race in last place. “I was sprinting at the end, you would never believe that by looking at that picture, I’m hustling up that hill,” Kovatch said. Anthony sat down with Channel 11’s Cara Sapida to talk about the video of him crossing the finish line, which has now been ‘liked’ half a million times ons social media. He crossed at 7 hours and 41 minutes, though he started in the last heat. “And the announcer says, ‘and here’s Tony Kovatch, 73 years old and look at how he’s coming in!’ and everybody cheers. There’s a lot of perks to finishing at the end of a race,” he said…Tony plans to run again next year and even work on his speed. He is proud of his finishing time and hopeful it will inspire people, on and off a marathon course, to never give up.
And, you know, when it comes to inspiring people, as believers we should be so on fire for Christ that we are known as people who never give up and are literally “willing to die rather than serve or worship any god except” the one true God who is the great “I am.” You see, living to please both God and man has no power to lead people to the cross as it displays no real fruit or faith. But the faith that Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego displayed when they said, “If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to deliver us from it, and he will deliver us from Your Majesty’s hand. But even if he does not, we want you to know, Your Majesty, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up” surely made people see that they were set apart. And, of course, when the Creator of the universe spared them from burning up in the fire, even King Nebuchadnezzar praised the one true God. Their faith that either God would save them or would usher them into His presence (where they would be rewarded for their faithful service) instead was inspiring to all those who witnessed it and to billions of others who have read about it and will continue to read about it.
So, vow to live in such a way that inspires others to praise the one true God as Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego did my friend. Refuse to compromise in the seemingly little things, as Daniel did as well, so that you will gain the courage to not give up when you’re faced with the hard things— and in doing so, will lead others to the Lord
Heavenly Father, thank You for reminding us that we have the power to inspire others by the way we live out our faith. Help us to remember that when we are considering giving up on God in the midst of a great trial or hardship. Help us be strong by reminding us that eternal life with You will be our reward for enduring the light and momentary troubles of this world. It’s in your precious name we pray Jesus. Amen.
Happy Running!
No comments:
Post a Comment