June 2008

05.29.2008

The last part of Hebrews 12:1 says, “…let us run with endurance the race that is set before us.” The idea of enduring to the end is a theme that should not be easily overlooked in the Christian life, including serving in the Church.

To run a race with endurance means the runner must take the time and make a plan to finish well. What do you suppose would happen if a runner took off sprinting without ever knowing the length of the race they were running? It seems obvious to me that the sprinter would risk running out of energy before the end of the race. They could begin getting cramps, and then their legs wouldn’t move as fast as they wanted them to, and they could even drop to the ground. It’s painful, to say the least.

How does this apply to our lives and ministry with the church? Many of us will join a team to serve in ministry at ARBC, and I hope you have already planned to finish well by this time next year, but how do you do that? Make plans. You already know that the ministry term goes for one year. Each team needs to meet, pray, and seek what will honor God the best in this coming year.

Hebrews 12:1 also says, “let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us…” This reminds us to stay focused on our task at hand. Throw off everything that hinders us. What’s the application? Focus on your specific ministry. What is the purpose of any specific ministry team? If you are on the evangelism team, for instance, then focus on how to get the rest of the church involved in evangelism. Did you join the mission team? How can you get the congregation involved in missions during the year?

Running the race with endurance is all about finishing well. Oh, and in case you haven’t figured this one out – Christians are never finished until we breathe our last breath.

We’re all in this together, and I’m pullin’ for ya. We’re a family and we are a team, so let’s all roll our sleeves up and work for the Lord. Let’s go big or go home!

Until next month,
Danny Joe

Posted by arbc at 07:40 AM