Finish the Race Strong

[mlg]

I mentioned earlier today in my MCFC blog that the preacher at my church tonight was presenting a message just for me and wow did he ever...and I took notes and want to share with you all...as this was just too good to not.

Acts 20:22-24
22 And now, behold, I go bound in the spirit unto Jerusalem, not knowing the things that shall befall me there:
23 Save that the Holy Ghost witnesseth in every city, saying that bonds and afflictions abide me.
24 But none of these things move me, neither count I my life dear unto myself, so that I might finish my course with joy, and the ministry, which I have received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of the grace of God.

Paul knows going in that only chains and trials await him...but he continues to go anyway....he chooses to finish the course...

According to Absurd Intellectual:
Shizo Kanakuri was a Japenese marathon runner in the 1912 Olympics. Part way through the race, Kanakuri became overcome with the heat of the day. According to some versions of the story, he stopped at a garden party for an hour, drank some orange juice then left. The country, that is.

Too ashamed to admit he had quit the race, he returned to Japan without telling the Swedish race officials who considered him a missing person for the next fifty years. It was only in 1966 when a Swedish television crew tracked him down, living in southern Japan that his status changed (despite having participated in the 1920 Olympic Marathon, in which in came in 16th, and the 1924 Olympic Marathon which he again failed to complete).

This same television crew invited Kanakuri to return to Stockholm to complete his 1912 run. The man was 85 years old at the time. And he did, giving him a time of 54 years, 8 months, 6 days, 8 hours, 32 minutes and 20.3 seconds.

The point here is that Shizo chose to finish the race...despite how long of a time had passed...he finished. It's never to late to finish the race.

2 Timothy 4:7
I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith:

It's not how we begin the race but how we end it.

In the 2009 football season the Denver Broncos started off with a bang winning 6 games and loosing 0. The Tennessee Titans started off with a bang as well...loosing 6 games and winning 0. But as the season went on they both played 10 more games...Denver won 2 of those games and lost 8. Tennessee lost 2 of those games and won 8. Both ended with the same record...but I bet Tennessee felt better about their record considering how they began than Denver felt about theirs. Again it's not about how you start...but how you finish...Finish the race and finish it strong. A strong finish is more important than a strong beginning.

Paul went through many things and if you read through all he encountered in I Corinthians 9 you can see that life was far from easy for him...but Paul always got back up...he looked to finish the course.

We too need to get back up...time and time again. Finish the race strong. Starting off in a blaze of glory isn't near as great as finishing the race strong...even if you have to crawl across the finish line.

[vahn]

Amen

[Dora]

Sounds like you had an awesome time at church! Just what you needed to rekindle the fire with in?

Thank you for sharing. It was inspiring.

[Mackenaw]

Hello Mlg

Thank you for sharing what was shared with you at church. Cool!

I had to look up verse 23 in other versions, because I wasn't quite sure what it meant the first couple read-throughs.

What an awesome message, isn't it. Sometimes when I'm going through really tough situations, I have to sit back and ask myself "do I feel The Holy Spirit working even though I'm feeling the looming spirit(s) too?" The Lord is Good to give confirmation one way or another.

Here in Paul's case, he says The Holy Spirit was doing great miracles AND He was also telling Paul, there is real trouble for you ahead. The trick is, not to zone out in thoughts of the troubles ahead, but stay focused on what He's doing in the now. A spiritual gearing up.

God is so Good.

Thank you, Mlg Thank You Holy Spirit.

Love,
Mack

[deetu]

I think it's so cool when you are feeling down and little lost, you go to church and the sermon is exactaly what you needed... that he is talking to you.
I remember one time, someone said the pastor was talking to them, i said, no he was talking to me, then two other people also joined in. And each person had a different issue
Unfortunately, the original person got upset because others also claimed the sermon