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!!!

Living for Christ

“Suffering isn’t the worst thing that can happen to us. Disobedience is.” Vietnamese Pastor (Voice of the Martyrs)

Well, i've been reading this book recently (Jesus Freaks) And it has been a real eye-opener to the persecution of Christians world wide! And it made me think, would I be willing to die for Christ?? On the Rebelution blog, Brett Harris , in one of his posts, asked the same question but i like what he brought up about it.--

"I often find myself thinking that dying for Christ isn’t the question. Instead, my challenge to us is: “Are we willing to live for Christ?” This is not unconnected from the question of dying for Christ, but is the first question we must ask ourselves."

I thought that was an amazing question! One that definitely struck home for me. Am I willing to live for Christ? How in the world will I be able to die for Him if I can't even live for Him in my every day life?! It is definitely a convicting question! Brett Harris also put on the verse from Philippians 1:27b “For to me to live is Christ, [therefore] to die is gain.” To live is Christ! Our life here on earth (if we are truly His),God will be using for His glory and honour! And other people will know we are Christians by how we are living! So then as 1 Peter 3:15 says we need to e ready to give a defense of the Hope that is within us!!! If we are truly living for Christ then when suffering comes we will be able to endure it with joy, for we will be focused on God and His glory!!