On living

"For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life" 1 Thessalonians 4:7

In order to understand what a holy life is perhaps it helps to think of what an unholy life is like. It is drought. It is helplessness in the lightest wind. It is a continuous dropping of leaves until we are left bare. It is the inability to nourish others. It is keeling over by your own weight and tearing your roots.

"They are clouds without rain, blown along by the wind; autumn trees, without fruit and uprooted - twice dead." Jude 12b

The autumn tree without fruit - the inability to nourish others - is its own sort of death. So then life is the fruit that is produced within us that others receive. We take what God has provided. Soil, water, sunlight. And from the simple and altogether complex nutrients that God gives us, we bear something ever sweeter to share with others.

Holy life is accepting the rains - tropical, spring, summer, torrential, light - that God offers and opening our roots to receive. It is to remain upright against the breeze. To fill out our branches. To offer joy in the fruit that we produce. To be a place to sit and think under.

Faith

they say that faith can find a Savior
if you would follow and believe
with faith like a child
-jars of clay

youwillfindrestforyoursouls

"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls." Matthew 11:28-29

The Lord is gentle. When the brokenness of this world overwhelms us, when we realize how broken our lives are, God comforts us and says, "come to me and you will find rest for your souls". These words are incredibly powerful. Amazingly, this comfort cannot be constrained. God gingerly mends our hearts no matter the circumstance. Sometimes we ache over the death of a loved one. Sometimes we ache because we have been rejected and pushed away. Sometimes we ache because we have regrets. Sometimes we ache because we did not love as completely as we could have. Sometimes we ache because we wish we could have known someone better. Sometimes we ache because we doubt that we matter. Sometimes we ache because we doubt that change is possible. Sometimes we ache because we doubt that forgiveness is possible.

But God just says, "come to me". We have a place to collapse and cry. A father who cares to listen and never fails nor forsakes us. So often we forget that God can hear us crying because we cannot see him. But Psalm 34:18 says, "The Lord is close to those whose hearts are breaking". Though we cannot see God now, his peace is tangible. Philippians 4:7 reminds us that the peace of God "transcends all understanding".

My greatest hope is in Revelation 7:17, "and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes".

"Christ lives in me" Galatians 2:20

I think that we are called to live on the edge. To be set apart. Sometimes it can be uncomfortable, the way we get uneasy standing on the edge of a cliff. But ultimately God wants us to enjoy life. I think that there is a joy that goes much deeper than mere recklessness. I don't think God would be throwing us high fives if we just did what we wanted all the time. But really, God wants us to be happy.

Ecclesiastes 5:18-19 says, "Then I realized that it is good and proper for a man to eat and drink, and to find satisfaction in his toilsome labor under the sun during the few days of life God has given him—for this is his lot. Moreover, when God gives any man wealth and possessions, and enables him to enjoy them, to accept his lot and be happy in his work—this is a gift of God."

I honestly believe that God smiles when we get excited about the things he has given us. Just as God grieves with us and mourns with us and counts our tears, he also shares in our joys and laughter. He is our Father.

"I'm convinced that the good life is the life of discipline and following hard after Christ"

"My sense of worth and my joy was totally dependent on how well I was running. The result of having running as my god was frustration, worry, depression, and discontentment with life. I never found the satisfaction I was looking for even though I was leading what most people would call a successful life. Yet I had become like the rich man that when asked how much money was enough replied just a little more. Jesus said, for what does the man profit if he gains the whole world and loses or forfeits himself? I found this verse to be very true in my own life. It isn't the records, championships, or medals that make life fulfilling. Its the life of following Christ. Jesus said, I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. When I'm following Christ closely there is a contentment and satisfaction in my life that is far greater and longer enduring than any good race I have ever run. I'm convinced that the good life is the life of discipline and following hard after Christ. This is my vision - that everything would fade away, all the accolades and rewards and everything that is at stake. And that in my minds eye it would be just me out there running with my God praising him in my sanctuary."
-Ryan Hall

Ryan Hall won the 2008 U.S. Olympic Trials. He broke the marathon record with 2:09:02. But what I find even more incredible is his desire to praise God with his gift of running.

1 Peter 4:11 says, "If anyone serves, he should do it with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ."

God has given each of us the ability to do 26.2 of something with incredible grace and strength. Ryan Hall runs marathons, what do you do?

Ryan Hall Testimony and Marathon Trials Finish:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SZGnJt11mVY