Running Skills - Dodge - Pursue

[1]

Monday, May 7, 2018

But people who long to be rich fall into temptation and are trapped by many foolish and harmful desires that plunge them into ruin and destruction.  For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil.  And some people, craving money, have wandered from the true faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows.  But you, Timothy, are a man of God; so run from all these evil things.  Pursue righteousness and a godly life, along with faith, love, perseverance, and gentleness.  Fight the good fight for the true faith.  Hold tightly to the eternal life to which God has called you, which you have declared so well before many witnesses.   

1 Timothy 6:9-12^(NLT)

I’ve never particularly enjoyed running just for the sake of running.  I did run years ago as part of a weight-loss regimen, but that was torture!  On the other hand, if you put a ball in my hand to bounce while I’m running, jumping, and scoring….we call it basketball, and that’s fun!  Spiritual running can also be torturous, and immensely rewarding. 

Timothy was a young pastor, and his mentor, Paul, encouraged him in two directions; he was to dodge and pursue.  Of course the things the young man were to dodge are a shopping list of human cravings, the evil that leads to the moral failure so common to humankind.  And then, every time you’re running away from something, you’re also running towards something else.  Paul told Timothy he needed not just to run from evil, but to PURSUE righteousness…a godly life. 

Then the apostle got really specific:

Faith – Love – Perseverance - Gentleness

Each of these attributes (by Scriptural definition) touch another word:  character!

Faith places us in someone else’s hands; a Christian dedicates his life to God’s leading.

Love is allowing the character of God to seep into his own bone, marrow and flesh to live the life of God for the sake of others.

Perseverance is that “hang-in-there” quality that doesn’t give up on others.

Gentleness is tied to the patience we must have to encourage the weak or troubled spirit of another person.

This four-fold running plan, to lose the weight of evil and develop muscles of righteous living, requires attention to learning God’s ways, above all through the study of God’s Word and prayer.  One of the chiefest reasons I chose to begin writing these daily devotionals was to encourage just that – a daily embrace of truth for the nourishment of godliness in our lives. 

My bride developed a substantial pain in her foot.  When she couldn’t stand it any longer she went to the podiatrist, who told her she had a mechanics problem.  The way she walked was different than the way God created her to walk.  The answer was a mechanical treatment – better shoes to support walking correctly. 

Spiritually-speaking, if our mechanics is off in faith, love, perseverance or gentleness, we cannot walk the way God desires; we walk crooked…sinfully.  And, in those moments of discovery, it is time to turn around, straighten-out the path, and walk the way we’ve been called; it’s time to dodge and pursue!

For You Today

So…how’s your walk of faith?  Is it filled with His love?  Are you wavering or persevering?  Is there gentleness, or are the edges a little rough? 

Are you dodging and pursuing?

You chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road; have a blessed day. 

Go to VIDEO

---

[1] Title Image:  Courtesy Pixabay.com

The Cat that Could...

Friday, October 3, 2014

Immediately after this, Jesus insisted that his disciples get back into the boat and cross to the other side of the lake, while he sent the people home.  After sending them home, he went up into the hills by himself to pray.  Night fell while he was there alone.  Meanwhile, the disciples were in trouble far away from land, for a strong wind had risen, and they were fighting heavy waves.  About three o’clock in the morning Jesus came toward them, walking on the water.  When the disciples saw him walking on the water, they were terrified.  In their fear, they cried out, “It’s a ghost!”  But Jesus spoke to them at once.  “Don’t be afraid,” he said.  “Take courage. I am here!”  

Matthew 14:22-27(NLT)

There are so many versions of why Jesus probably didn’t walk on water.  The one I like best is where the theologians presume the disciples were disoriented in the storm and had drifted near to shore.  Seeing Jesus walking on the dry land through the early morning mist, it merely looked like he was standing on the water. 

One of the problems of thinking too deeply through a miracle is when you think so deep you slide past common sense.  If Jesus was actually at the shoreline, perhaps only a step or two into the water, and only appearing to walk on top of the water’s surface, why do you suppose when Peter attempted to walk to Jesus he sank up to his neck? 

Hmmmmm; did the early morning mist only make it appear that Peter was drowning?  Didn't seem that way to Peter; LORD...HELP ME, I'M DROWNING HERE!

Actually, I have seen that walking on water thing up close.

It’s been 45 years, but my memory is pretty good at this point.  We were fresh out of the Army and living in a three room apartment.  We had two cats; one was Petunia, a tabby, the other was a male we had named Gigi, because the lady at the Kentucky Humane Society where we got the little fella had guaranteed us he was a female. 

(Notes to self:  Never trust a cat expert; never, ever name your cat before you take him to the vet to have her spayed and bring home a neutered angry boy!).

But I digress.  

The two cats were pretty sedentary during the daylight hours.  The angry neutered boy, Gigi, slept a lot of the time in the bathroom sink.  (Don’t ask me why…he just did).  Elizabeth and I both worked, so they had the run of the apartment during the day.  But they didn’t do much running until about 11:30 at night.   To get their exercise in that small apartment, the bathroom, living room, and bedroom served as their gym.

About the time we would be getting ready for bed, the felines would crank-up their workout routine.  A brief sparring (two de-clawed cats can only spar; they cannot fight in earnest) was followed by one chasing the other into the living room, scrambling past the entryway tile floor, into the bedroom, and finally racing through the bathroom – which included a jump into the bathtub, up to the sink, bouncing off the commode tank and repeat the circuit, repeat the circuit, repeat the circuit….you get the idea.  It lasted at least 30 minutes, ending somewhere around the stroke of midnight.  Lights off or on made no difference; bathtub…sink…commode bounce, and start over again. 

I might add it was quite exciting when you’d fallen asleep and the cat-kids decided to do another rep on their routine; the trip through the bedroom always included clawing their way over the bed and any of the bed’s unsuspecting sleeping occupants. 

(Another note to self:  If I ever get another cat de-clawed, make sure they take out the hind leg claws too – that way when they jump on me at midnight it will not include de-fleshing the sensitive skin on my back as felines moving at light speed use me for a traction pad!).

One night before the exercise routine had started we got home late.  Elizabeth filled the tub for her bath and went to the kitchen for something.  Hearing the sound of their food being opened stirred something primal in the felines; the exercise game was ON!  It began well…living room….entry way….bedroom (knocking over a lamp I think), then the bathroom. 

Well, you probably know where this is headed. 

The leap into a bathtub full of steamy Elizabeth bathwater had never been part of the workout before – Gigi and Petunia were NOT about to start now; cats and water don’t mix well.  I watched as two very athletically-agile miracle workers walked – nay…it was more like skimming at light speed – across the pond in our bathroom. 

The two feline night terrorists never stirred the surface of the water; not even a drop on the hairs of their toes!  Walking on water?  Documented miracle!  Saw it myself!

EPILOGUE

Now, you KNOW this little story has absolutely nothing to do with Jesus walking on water; I just love remembering the story.  And I’m glad you listened-in as I had fun remembering.

But the account of Jesus walking on the water isn’t about fun (unless God was smiling as he got inside Peter and the other disciples’ heads – again!). 

But really, the account is all about faith.  In the end, if you believe God created the universe and gave YOU breath, and died for your sins…what trouble would you have knowing in your heart that he could walk on a little of that water he created?

For You, Today…

Let your faith be strong; you walk on the water a little.  

Let the storms cease!