So this post is in response to my last post.  God IS good .... can I get an "ALL THE TIME!" from the audience please?  So, just as the last post suggested, I have really been struggling with purpose, call, faithfulness and things such as these.  I have really been struggling with God's sovereingty and how that works and how it applies to us as His childrend.

My last post asked the question Why....?  It was a simple question.  Well I learned an answer or at least a part of an answer during a 3 mile (or maybe a less) I took this afternoon right after work.  As I began to run I started praying and did sort of a prayer run instead of a prayer walk.  (or pee walking for any of you out there that went to Indonesia with OBU... like Fred, Amanda, Darcie, J.D., Chrissy, Dustin and many others... it's a really long and funny story... ask me about it in a comment and I'll fill you in if you want to know!)  Anyways... I was praying and just asking God to burden me and push me.  I want to re-learn the discipline that I had when I ran cross country.  I need that discipline in my life.  I remember how I could run for so long simply because I willed my body to do so.  There were a lot of reasons for this... I was naturally gifted by God, I practiced hard, and we ran races on a regular basis to test our training.  As I thought of this while I ran I realized how applicable this is to my spiritual life.

So the races in cross country were so awesome.  I loved the finishes.  They were the best part.  As I remembered these I began to pray that God would teach me what it is like to remember the finish and remember how it felt to finish a race hard.  To teach me what it was like to do that so that I could do that in my spiritual race as well.  I began to ask why was it so easy to run in high school but now it is so hard to run.  Even in high school I asked the question "why do I do this?"  Why did I run when it was so physically demanding and exhausting to run 3.2 miles in less than 17 minutes?  Why was I willing to put my body through so much pain just to run a race and compete.  And then I realized something.  I never really knew the answer in high school.  I just said it was because I enjoyed it.  Which is true.  I did enjoy it.  BUT there is more to that answer.  It would have been more costly to stop running for me than it was to keep running.  When I wasn't running cross country this was somewhat true just because I enjoyed it so much.  But when I was running the races.. that's what kept me going.  You run a race pushing your body to your physical limits of exhaustion and the thing that kept me going was realizing that stopping was more costly than to keep going.  And in fact if I pushed myself a little harder then I would usually forget the pain and the race would end sooner and I could rest then!  So I began to pray that God would re-teach my heart this lesson with spiritual truth.  Knowing that in our spiritual race that Paul talks of in Hebrews IS most definitely MORE costly for us and for God to stop running than it is for us to keep going.  Because when you keep going God sustains you.

So then I thought... but in cross country we have a "season of meets" rather than a life-long race.  Well... this could somewhat be true of what Paul was speaking.  While we are running our entire lives this does not mean that God never gives us rest.  It is evident that God gives our soul's rests.  But what is rest?  Rest is fellowship with Him.  And for me.. "rest" in cross country meant training.  Yes there was a day of no running... maybe.  But then it was right into training again.  And training really was rest compared to meets.  While training is harder to do because you are syched up for the actual races... the training is really easier because you are not pushing yourself to your physical limits... you are trying to increase your physical limits.  There is less pressure in practice.  Less stress.  More discipline.  Then in a race there is less self discipline because you are competing with others, but there is much more pressure.  And the more discpline you have in practice, the better you become in races.  This is ALL true in our race with Christ.  The more Discipline I have in my personal life, the more I prepare and study and train, the more I can depend fully on Christ and run with EVERYTHING that God created me to be.

HOLY STINKING COW... and that isn't even all that He showed me.  That was just one way to the bank.  On the way back He began showing me how the Race is different than a normal cross country race.  In a normal cross country race, you are there to do your best and help your team.  You are competing against almost everyone around you. In some races there were as many as 300 runners and only 7 or 8 were on your team.  Those odds stink.  But in the Race, everyone who is actually running is on your team.  We are all running together.  We are to look out for one another.  We are to help each other train and practice and spur one another on in the actually "meets" (or tests/trials) of our lives.  Not only are we looking out for those running around us, but those standind and watching.  We are to invite them in.  They think we are crazy just like the majority of my friends in high school thought I was crazy for running more than six miles a day for practice.  But they do see something different.  They see us running for a prize.  And we must remember it is always hard to start the race... there are many reasons that could keep us from running....

For instance I began running cross country in seventh grade because I had no clue what it was.  I practiced one day and loved the feeling of pushing myself physically so I stayed with it.  But for most people it's not that easy. Most people know what it involves and just choose to avoid it.  Christianity is much the same way. There are many reasons of why people start the race.... but they really mean nothing.  Not that they are not important.. they are.  They are amazing gifts of God, but what I mean is that the beginning is not the important part.  It is an important mark, a thing to remember.  But it is not the end.  It is the beginning. 

For me... now... I realize that I stopped running physically years ago.  Everytime I have started to get back into a regular running routine I usually quit within a few days.  Why?  Because I remember what I used to be able to do and am frustrated that I can't do it anymore.  I don't have the self displine I once had to fight through the pain.  But I have to remember that I started somewhere.  And now I must start again.  With our Christian lives it is very similar.  While we do not start all over, our spiritual lives must be reconditioned to run the Race.  We cannot stop training and expect to be able to run as fast as we could years ago.  And it is not that I have quit training completely but I have been lazy with my training.  I have lacked focus.  Now is the time to run again.  Forever it will be the time to run.  Why???

BECAUSE IT IS MORE COSTLY TO QUIT THAN IT IS TO KEEP GOING!  It may feel like I'm going to die when I'm running and believe me I have felt that pain while running before.... but I wouldn't die from simply running cross country.  The same is true in our spiritual lives.. we may run some races and do some training that make us feel as if we are going to die... maybe even feel as if we are really physically going to die... but even if we do... we know we are still running full speed into the arms of our Father! 

Anyways.. know that God has encouraged my heart.  There are still many, many questions.  But as I begin to read the book of John everyday... I know that John the Baptist had to have LOTS of questions.  I mean.. he was the freakin messenger!  He didn't even KNOW Jesus before he was telling everybody that He was coming.  I mean that just blows me away.  Anyways.. peace
be blessed and be a blessing
clint

A couple posts back I mentioned about reading Jon Piper's book "The Pleasures of God" and writing my thoughts about it.  While I am still reading the book I have never really felt led to share any thoughts about it.  I don't know.  I'm sure I will write about stuff later on after I really dig into it, but for now... I will be writing out my devotions from a book called "Into His Presence" by Charles Stanley.

First before I begin I want to request that all my brothers and sisters would do a huge favor for me.  Please lift my family up in prayer.  We really need it right now.  I wish I could share the specifics but I do not feel the need to right now.  Just know that it revolves around communication, alcohol, and the lack of love.  I am really hurt because one of the biggest reasons I was so excited to come home was that my aunt and uncle were getting along better and I felt like it would be a good time for me to come home and get closer to them.  My uncle even went to church for the first time in years a week before I came home.  But now I feel as if all I have done is cause grief and strife.  I wasn't even the one that made the single comment that has seemingly destroyed all family structure in the household, but I feel as if had I not come home then the comment never would have been made.  I do not know.   I mean maybe if I hadn't come home that would be true, or maybe the feelings behind the comment would have stayed "hidden" and made matters much worse later on.  I do not know but I just pray that God works through this situation and if I am an obstacle then I pray that God moves me out of the way!

Okay... it is interesting to note before I even begin the devotions that the devotion title is very VERY applicable to my situation.  The whole situation involves how we all respond to criticism.  It also has to do with how we criticize one another.  So let's look and see what the Bible has to say:

A wise son hears his father's instruction, but a scoffer does not listen to rebuke.  From the fruit of his mouth a man eats what is good, but the desire of the treacherous is for violence.  Whoever guards his mouth preserves his life; he who opens wide his lips comes to ruin.  The soul of the sluggard craves and gets nothing, while the soul of the diligent is richly supplied.  The righteous hates falsehood, but the wicked brings shame (or stench) and disgrace.  Righteousness guards him whose way is blameless, but sin overthrows the wicked.  One pretends to be rich, yet has nothing; another pretends to be poor, yet has great wealth.  The ransom of a man's life is his wealth, but a poor man hears no threat.  The light of the righteous rejoices, but the lamp of the wicked will be put out.  By insolence comes nothing but strife, but with those who take advice is wisdom.  Wealth gained hastily (or by fraud) will dwindle, but whoever gathers little by little will increase it.  Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a desire fulfilled is a tree of life.  Whoever despises the word brings destruction on himself, but he who reveres the commandment will be rewarded.  The teaching of the wise is a fountain of life, that one may turn away from the snares of death.  Good sense wins favor, but the way of the treacherous is their ruin (or enduring rut).  In everything the prudent acts with knowledge, but a fool flaunts his folly.  A wicked messenger falls into trouble, but a faithful envoy brings healing.  Poverty and disgrace come to him who ignores instruction, but whoever heeds reproof is honored.
Proverbs 13.1-18

In the famous words of Dr. Duvall... "So what?" 

• First we must remember what Jesus says in John 13.34-35: "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: Just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another.  By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another."  Jesus mentions 3 times in those two verses that we are to love one another.  He stresses the importance by calling it a "new commandment" indicating that it is very important to listen to.  He then tells them that they are are to love one another (3 times) how?  Love one another "just as I have loved you."  So we are to love one another just as He loved His very disciples.  So why?  He tells us we are to love one another SO THAT all people will know that we are His discples!  This is the foundation of any relationship we enter into as Christians.  If we do anything other than love one another then we are not showing the love of Christ, or WORSE we are DEFAMING (instead of HONORING) the name of Christ.
• This passage consistently points out the idea of listening being connected to wisdom.  But this does not simple mean "hearing" but it means "actively listening."  Simply put if you listen you will be wise but if you do not listen you are foolish.  This even refers to nonsense.  What if a person is simply speaking nonsense to you.  You have the choice not to listen if you really want to.  But maybe, if you listen, God can use you in that person's life.  Or maybe that person just needs someone to talk to so they are just talking.  That happens a lot more  than you think.  So rather than insult them, listen to them and love them.
• When some criticizes you always listen first.  This is NOT easy.  It takes a lot of WORK.  Try to detach all feelings when someone is criticizing you so that you will not respond in a way that is unnecessary.  Really think about what the person is saying.  It may be necessary to take a few days before you ever respond to the criticism.  But make sure you have prayed about it and really sought out if the criticism could really apply to your life.  Even if it doesn't there is usually some lesson to be learned or some misunderstanding that can be cleared up.
• When you feel led to criticize, first pray about it.  Make sure that those words are words that God wants you to speak.  Pray for words of healing and correction rather than destruction and discouragement.  The point of criticism is to help someone get better an improve.  We are to spur one another on to great things in the name of Christ... and sometimes this is painful.  It is true as Proverbs 27.17 says "Iron sharpens iron and one man sharpens another (or sharpens the face of another)."  The clanging of metal for the purpose of sharpening would not be an easy or painless experience by any means.  But remember that as you sharpen one another you are simple the iron.  It does not say that you are the blacksmith.  A black smith is the one who refines the metal through fire and sharpens them together.  The act of sharpening and the timing and exactly how it happens is all up to God.  Do not try to take this important matter into your own hands.
• Most of all have a humble and teachable spirit in the midst of criticizing or being criticized.  Know that sometimes people say things they do not mean.  Be humble about that.  Be teachable and find out what they really meant.  And even if they meant something that was hurtful... still love them.  We are called to love them, maybe not agree but love.  If you are truly humbe and teachable then Christ can really mold you into the man or woman of God He wants you to be... no matter what happens in your life.

Sorry this post is so long.  The passage really spoke to me.  I really enjoyed looking into it.  I hope it helps those of you who read this.  And do not fret.. there are many more where this came from.  This was actually from yesturday and I want to post today's (which was on "Eternal Friendship") but then this post would be so long that NO ONE would read it.  Anyways.. be blessed and be a blessing!
clint