Run your Race Bible Study May 2017

Transcription

1 Run your Race! Run with endurance the Hebrews 12:1 let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. Race God has set before Us Being a Christian is not easy. God never said it would be. We are sinful beings and following Him goes against our natural tendencies. God knows this so He provides us with all we need to follow Him well. He sent Jesus to emulate how to walk in God s ways and then died to save us. God gives us His Word to provide directives for our lives and sends the Holy Spirit to live within us and guide our steps. This daily endurance race we call life is meant for us to become more like Christ and provide assistance to help others find Him. It s our job to become more like Jesus each day as we run our unique race. He planned our races before He created us. We do not run alone. He s with us each step of the way. Let s dig into what God s Word says about daily Following His Footprints as we run our unique race for Him.

2 Psalm 40:2 He lifted me out of the pit of despair, out of the mud and the mire. He set my feet on solid ground and steadied me as I walked along. Whether we ve always followed Jesus or are new to this race, it doesn t matter. Each of us was in a pit of muck and mire called sin. Jesus lifted us all out and steadies as we attempt to now follow Him. We need to walk before we run. Let s grab hold of Him when the ground becomes unsteady. He s always there. Lamentations 3:23 Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning. Each day is a new opportunity to seek his mercies and directions anew. It s a daily reset! Psalm 5;3 Listen to my voice in the morning, Lord. Each morning I bring my requests to you and wait expectantly. In this daily reset of mercies God provides, we can best set the tone by seeking Him first for wisdom and directions on our journey from Him. 1 Corinthians 10:13 The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure. Even with daily resets and seeking Him, the enemy seeks us out as well. We are tempted and tested. But God is faithful to always provide a path away and out of temptation when we seek it. But we need to be aware and turn away from temptation and toward God.

3 Romans 12:2 Don't copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. The way we think decides our actions. When our minds are set to the rhythm of His ways, we stay connected to Him and bear good fruit. When we copy the ways of this world or try to run another s race, we lose step with His plan for us. Philippians 2:13 For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him. God is within us, giving us the desire to do His will. We need to just lean into Him and His will instead of following our own sinful nature. It takes awareness and commitment but God is with us in every moment. 1 Corinthians 16:13-14 Be on guard. Stand firm in the faith. Be courageous. Be strong. And do everything with love. Stand firm in the faith We need to always be on guard as Satan tries to steer us off course. We can stand firm as the winds of the world swirl around us by grabbing onto Jesus and the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Isaiah 40: He gives power to the weak and strength to the powerless. Even youths will become weak and tired, and young men will fall in exhaustion. But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. When we trust in the Lord, we find our strength to soar!

4 Hebrews 12:1...let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. Our sinful nature, distractions, temptations, others opinions and the enemy will try to slow us or get us off track in our God-given race of this life. Don t let anything or anyone get in the way of following God! Run your Race Ephesians 2:10 For we are God's masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago. God has had a plan from the beginning for us. He is the Author and Creator. We should never doubt that He can do what He has planned for us! Matthew 7:7 Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. In those moments when we don t know which way to turn or wonder what s next, the best thing is to seek Him! Trying to forge our own path, follow others or run ahead of God s plan will never have good results. Galatians 5:25 Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit's leading in every part of our lives. The Holy Spirit wants to lead us His perfect plan, we just need to follow! Follow the Spirit s lead!

5 Psalm 19:14 May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing to you, O LORD, my rock and my redeemer. This should be our daily prayer as we run our race! Colossians 3:17 And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through him to God the Father. We are God s representatives here on earth. Do others see Him in us? Colossians 3:23 Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people. Our work is just one more reflection of Him as we follow. Everything we do should be for Him. 1 Timothy 4:12 Don't let anyone think less of you because you are young. Be an example to all believers in what you say, in the way you live, in your love, your faith, and your purity. It doesn t matter how old, what race or gender we are, we can all reflect Him by the way we live. Matthew 20:26 Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant. The best leaders are servants of God and others. This is how we follow Him and lead others to Him. Philippians 4:13 For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength. We never do any of this alone, but all through the power of Jesus.

6 Colossians 3:12 Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. When we know Christ is in us giving us the power to do all things, we can live as His holy people, drawing upon His strength. Luke 6:31 Do to others as you would like them to do to you. The golden rule is how Jesus lived and we should too as we follow Him. Luke 6:38 Give, and you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full, pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, running over, and poured into your lap. The amount you give will determine the amount you get back. What we give comes back to us, it may not be clear or happen in this life, but God knows our hearts and sees our actions. Matthew 18:20 (NIV) For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them. Gathering with others helps build up His church as He is here with us. James 1:19 Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters: You must all be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry. We need to listen first as Jesus did.

7 Romans 5:3 We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. Following Jesus is not a sprint, it s a marathon. To finish a marathon well, we need endurance, which comes through life s trials and problems. We may not like the hills of our lives, but they will serve us well in the long race of following Jesus. John 16:33 I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world. Jesus understands our sorrows and hard places. Let s always remember His words here, in Him we have peace, no matter what hardships come. We also need to remember that finish line. Jesus has already crossed it and is waiting for us. Find and abide in His peace. Philippians 1:6 And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns. Our races of following Him were planned and began in us by God. He is perfect and so is His work in us. We run anticipating the finish with Jesus. Until then, we run by following His footprints and trusting His guidance.