DAY THIRTY-SIX
March
29, 2017
Don’t Drop Out Of the Battle
“In the Lord I take
refuge. How then can you say to me:
“Flee like a bird to your mountain.’” Psalm
11:1
In the 1984 Olympic Games hosted by Los Angeles, there
was a memorable event in the women’s 3000 meter race. Two premier long distance runners were
entered: Zola Budd, a South African running for Great Britain, and Mary Decker
from the U.S.A. During the race, the two
bumped. Budd landed awkwardly and was
cut deeply by Decker’s spikes, but was able to continue. She finished a disappointing seventh. Mary Decker suffered a pulled left hip
stabilizer muscle. Her injury put her
out of the race.
In a spiritual sense, there are many Mary Deckers
today. Wounded, they have quit running
the race. Among the many images of life
found in Scripture, there is the image of the runner and the image of
battle. As believers in Jesus Christ we
begin with a birth, but we discover quickly that this journey we are on is more
like a battle. It is very difficult to
persevere in a battle. In 1 Kings,
chapter 22, the Bible records the time when King Ahab of Israel joined with
Jehoshaphat, King of Judah, to battle against Syria. In the midst of the chaos, Ahab is struck by
an arrow. He groans to the driver of his
chariot, “Wheel around and get me out of
the fighting. I’ve been wounded.”
(verse 34)
There are many like Ahab who have been wounded in the
battle for souls and have forsaken their place.
The Scriptures are full of these warnings and admonitions. Galatians 5:7 says, “You were running a good race.
Who cut in on you and kept you from obeying the truth?” A disturbing part of our culture today is an
aversion to any kind of commitment. Our
society is short on longevity and long on short-term, quick, instant “what have
you done for me lately” attitudes. God
teaches us differently through His Word to persevere.
Prayer Focus: Pray that our
church will persevere with what the Lord has entrusted to us. Ask the Lord whom you can encourage to
persevere today. Proverbs 11:25 says, “…he who refreshes others will himself be
refreshed.” Claim this promise as
you act upon it.
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