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January 2007
Stuck on repeat? It’s time to Face the Music.God has created each one of us with the potential to live a life that plays out like a well written song. Join us at one of our weekend services beginning January 13th or 14th, as we look behind the music in our lives.
You’ll find strength to change the music that you don’t like and turn up what you do.
Let’s Get it Started
1 Corinthians 9:24-27 (The Living Bible) In a race everyone runs, but only one person gets first prize. So run your race to win. To win the contest you must deny yourselves many things that would keep you from doing your best. An athlete goes to all this trouble just to win a blue ribbon or a silver cup, but we do it for a heavenly reward that never disappears. So I run straight to the goal with purpose in every step. I fight to win. I’m not just shadow-boxing or playing around. Like an athlete I punish my body, treating it roughly, training it to do what it should, not what it wants to. Otherwise I fear that after enlisting others for the race, I myself might be declared unfit and ordered to stand aside.
Every year starts the same. We begin with fresh ideas of a “new me.” Goals, purpose, strategies, and plans that will make this time around the track a better one. Too often, many people find themselves trying to obtain those goals, only to later be discouraged.
I think Paul makes a great point here about starting your race and finishing your race. Starting something is much easier than finishing something. Why? Because it takes discipline to finish something. Emotions stir us to make a commitment to something, however the emotion that stirred you to make a commitment leaves when fatigue sets in. A whole new emotion comes in and says, “Stop!” That’s where discipline is required. Discipline is the “X” factor needed to follow through with any commitment. You can go ahead and mark my words, every decision you make will be tested. And if you’re going to be good on the decision you made, then you’ve got to be willing to pay the price of being a disciplined person. Otherwise, you’ve started the race only to be “declared unfit and ordered to stand aside.”
When you see someone whose life possess some quality that you want, you can be assured that they’ve disciplined themselves to reach that goal. Healthy marriages are healthy because of discipline. Physically healthy individuals are healthy because of a disciplined life of working out and good eating habits. In order to reach any goal, a person has to say “no” to many things and “yes” to the right thing. This is the art of discipline. Without it, we will start things only to later not finish them.
As we start this new year, what are the things you want to have achieved by years end? This is the prize you want to receive. Now, think about the qualities you must have in order to receive that prize. You’ve just identified the things you must say yes to. Now run your race this year in order to receive the prize. That means you must say no to everything else that distracts you from that. Oh! This decision will be tested! What are you going to do? Will you be disciplined or will you give in? Do you want to receive the prize of obtaining your goals, then you’ve got to be willing to live a disciplined life. One last thought at you begin to establish those disciplines: you’re not alone. We don’t just have to rely on ourselves. We have this power that is working on the inside of us. This power that enables us to continue when we feel like we can’t to on. Paul also said in Philippians 4:13 “I can do all things through Christ, because he gives me strength.” When Paul felt like quitting he relied on Christ. When you feel like giving up, turn to the one who can give you the strength you need, Jesus Christ.
Living the dream with you,
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