A daily, Bible-based perspective of hope,
encouragement and exhortation.
Daily
Encouragement on
Tuesday, May 7,
2019
"The Start"
Message
summary:
Life's most
important decision
is whether you have
made your spiritual
beginning by
believing in Christ,
confessing your sin
and choosing to
follow Him.
"For now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed" (Romans 13:11). "He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus" (Philippians 1:6). How
precious did
that grace
appear
The hour I first believed! This week we are studying lessons we can learn from the race since in several instances the Bible describes the Christian life as a race. We have input from an 81 year old friend of ours, Coach Bill, who coached track and field for over 50 years. During
the nineties we
went into Boston
twice to watch the
Boston Marathon; the
first time at the
finish
line on Boylston
Street in the
heart of downtown,
the second time at
"Heartbreak Hill"
in Newton. But I
never made it to
see the race begin
at the starting
line in Hopkinton,
MA which is
visible on Google
Maps. I
heard that it's
very interesting.
What a place of
excitement mixed
with suspense as
to who will win,
who will place,
who will finish
and who will drop
out!
Here's
the metal figure
Coach Bill has to
represent the
start of a race.
(Runners will
realize this
stance is used
only for shorter
races like
sprints. In long
distance the
runner starts from
a standing
position.)
We have a lot of starts in life. Our first start was at conception when we became a distinct human being and of course our birth. We started walking, we started talking and we started kindergarten. The many different types of starts in life are far too numerous to mention. Starts can be joyful or grievous. Some we look forward to with joyous anticipation, others with sorrow, coupled with fear of the new start. Many of these "starts" become a defining moment on our timeline. So many are good, but others like "started using cocaine", or "started a prison term" are certainly not desirable! But God is with us in all the starts of life, both planned and unplanned, desirable and even the undesirable. The Christian race must have a start. Spiritual beginnings are also exciting and if we are a genuine Christian we all have one. Jesus called it being "born again" (see John 3). We are not in the race by default regardless of our upbringing. This start begins when we place our faith in Christ and accept Him as our Lord and Saviour. For many the spiritual new birth experience is a memorable event, especially if they had rejected Christ prior to their conversion. The apostle Paul certainly had a memorable and demonstrative salvation experience! Paul wrote, "For now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed" (Romans 13:11). For all of us there is a time when we "first believed". For some, when they first believed, it's a very distinct memory; for others not so much, particularly if they came to faith early in life. I have seen believers in this category who deal with some questions regarding the validity of their salvation experience because their memory is faint or nonexistent regarding this matter. The real
issue is present
belief and a
desire to follow
the Lord and walk
in His ways. You are
not
in the race unless
you've started and
if you haven't
done so we
encourage you to
accept Christ as
Your Savior today,
and begin your
starting point!
May we also
joyfully proclaim,
like songwriter
John Newton, "How
precious did that
grace appear the
hour I first
believed."
Coach
Bill wrote, New
Christians, can't
wait to get in the
blocks and get
started not
realizing just how
long the race is.
Get into the
blocks, get set and now
wait for the gun.
A false start on
the track brings a
disqualification,
one and done, but
in the Christian
life we get as
many starts as we
need. Gun goes
off, then with
perseverance we
run the long race
through the finish
line.
Life's most important decision is whether you have made your spiritual start by believing in Christ, confessing your sin and choosing to follow Him. We encourage you to do that today. Our daily prayer will be a common format for this "starting the race" prayer. Be encouraged today, Stephen & Brooksyne Weber Daily prayer: Father I acknowledge that I am a sinner. There is nothing good in me, and there is nothing in You but good. I choose to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ who died for my sins so that I can receive forgiveness. I confess my sins, for they separate me from You. How thankful I am that Your blood covers all my sins, for Your Word indicates that even the vilest of sinners who truly believes that moment from Jesus a pardon receives. I have determined that I will run this race with the Lord and follow His Word all the days of my life. Each day I want to pray this in faith through Jesus Christ my Lord. Amen. This prayer is the ABC's of my salvation prayer. This week our series will be on lessons from life's race: Monday: "Running The Race Set Before Us" Today: "The Start" Wednesday: "The Hurdles" Thursday: "The Relay" Friday: "The Finish" Last week between chaplain visits in Lebanon County we took a 16 mile bike ride along the Swatara Rail Trail through Swatara State Park. The
same rapeseed
field seen in
our lead
photo. We just
started
noticing this
beautiful crop
the last
several years.
Indeed that's
the name (see
here)
and it's
related to
Canola Oil.
(Click
to enlarge)
Scenic
pond along
Swatara Rail
Trail
(Click
to enlarge)
Aycrigg’s
Falls from the
inside looking
out Bordner
cabin window,
Lebanon
County. The
sound of the
falls makes
the experience
even more
delightful.
(Click
to enlarge)
See
here.
Swatara
Creek and with
the Waterville
Bridge just
ahead over
which the
Appalachian
Trail goes.
(Click
to enlarge)
Swatara
Gap is created
by the Swatara
Creek. The
rail trail
runs through
this gap as
well the
Appalachian
Trail on the
other side of
the Creek. The
I-81 bridges
are above.
(Click
to enlarge)
Abandoned
highway in
Swatara State
Park, Lebanon
County. The
rail trail
follows part
of this road.
I assume the
highway was
rerouted to go
around the
state park.
Today's
Suggested
Music and
Supplemental Resources
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