A Long Obedience In The Same Direction

“Blessed are the people that know the joyful sound; they shall walk, O LORD, in the light of thy countenance” (Psalms 89:15).

The enemy of our soul would like to sucker us into thinking that the “easy” way is the best way. But it never is. Strong people fail. But weak souls who depend upon another don’t fail. Not until we tap into Ultimate Strength, Limitless Wisdom, the Fount of Courage, the Source of Perseverance, will we find what we need.

The very gates of hell cannot make any one of us stumble unless we choose to remove ourselves from God’s protection and power. It is “His divine power that has given us everything we need for life and godliness” (2 Peter 1:3).

Where is the finish line? It’s different for each of us. The finish line that I have in mind is when we go to be with the Lord Jesus in glory. You might have forty years before you die, or you might have six months. That’s the interesting thing about this race. No one knows where the finish line is and that is what makes this race much tougher.

Runners and swimmers want to know where the finish line is. It doesn’t matter if it is running the 5K or swimming the English Channel, they must know where the finish line is. And when that finish line is located, they block out everything else and fully concentrate on the tape. This helps with the pain and exhaustion and gets them to the finish line.

The Christian doesn’t know where the finish line is. So what do we do? We finish strong by fixing our eyes on Jesus. We are in the boat with Jesus. He will encourage us, and He will instruct us. And then one day–in an instant–the race will be over! We’ll cross the finish line, and life as we know it on earth will be over. And because we have listened to Him (His Word), because we have obeyed Him (His Spirit), we will realize that we didn’t just finish. We finished strong!

 

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