Run the Race!

"Dear Christian, your life is a candle;

You have only so long to blaze.

Are you shedding the light of the Master?

Remember: too brief are your days."

Last night in youth group Kent shared this poem with us. After hearing about Ben's passing, I think it all made us realize just how quick life comes and goes. 

"I fade away like an evening shadow;

I am shaken off like a locust."

-Psalm 109:23

We don't control how long we're going to live. For all we know we could die tomorrow! And yet, we somehow end up saying, "Well, I'll start doing this and that when I'm older." "I'll start living for Christ with all my life when I'm in college." We may not even have till then! Why are we wasting the precious seconds, minutes, days, months, years of life that we have... right now!! Living for Christ, following Him, desiring Him more than anything else isn't just for adults!

"Even a child is known by his actions,

by whether his conduct is pure and right."

-Proverbs 20:11

Even a child, even we are known by our actions! We aren't just nobodies here living our every day life. People are observing us! And we need to be living out our lives for God in ever aspect of our lives!! We need to be running the Race! Not doing in place running, and getting no where. We need to start breaking out of our comfort zones, doing hard things for Christ! 

"Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize."

-1 Corinthians 9:26-27

Paul is a good example of someone who was running the Race! He didn't just lazy back, and wait to get to Heaven. No! He knew that the whole reason for living is to bring glory to God!!! He ran the race, and went out of his comfort zone! He preached to the Gentiles when everyone else was preaching to the Jews. He was beat, stoned, mocked, shipwrecked and imprisoned and yet he still kept pressing on! He still strived to glorify God in everything he did!! That is how we should be living our lives!! Living it for Christ! Striving to glorify Him and only Him in everything we do! For who are we to receive glory? ... Christ deserves it all! 

Don't waste your life!!!