Second Chance Run

So, today I ran my first 5K in 6 months.
In 2015, I ran six races. I was on fire!
Then in 2016, I don’t know what happened.
OK, I know. I got lazy, distracted, comfortable, and kept saying, “mañana.”

The fire burned out.
I stopped running.
I did half-hearted workouts at the gym.
Instead of going 5 days a week, I was lucky if I went 3.

Today, I struggled. I was disappointed because I knew that I had let the cares of this world distract me from running my race with endurance. I had grown weak.

BUT, the good news is that at least I did it!
At least I got up at 5:30, got my tennis shoes on, and showed up.
At least, I kept putting one foot in front of the other and I crossed the finish line. My time was only 6 minutes longer than my best clocked time.
And, what a glorious morning it was listening to my worship music and talking (breathlessly) to Jesus.

This was my second chance run. I was reminded of my purpose: to be healthy, to have energy, and to inspire others to run their race.

As I ran, I prayed for America.
America has been given a 2nd chance run.
We, Christians, over the years had let America get out of shape. We had grown lazy, complacent, distracted, and while we slumbered our nation moved further and further from God.
We’ve been given a second chance to get spiritually fit again.
But it is going to take being committed to doing the work to stay healthy.

You see, as Believers and Followers of Jesus Christ, we are all part of the same body. Jesus is our head but we all support the body. If one of our body parts is unhealthy, than the rest of the body suffers.  Even if part of the body is working out as hard as they can, eating healthy, and taking time to rest, if the rest of body is neglecting to do their part, than the whole body stumbles and falls.

In this 2nd chance run, it is going to take the whole body to keep America healthy.
We cannot go back to being lazy, complacent, distracted by the cares of this world and neglect our spiritual health.

So, just like I’m going back to training and running. As Children of God and members of the Body of Jesus Christ, we need to:

GO TO CHURCH!

More and more, I am meeting people who profess to be Christians but no longer go to church. When asked, they say:
“I home church.”
“I’m not plugged into a church right now.”
“I don’t really think church is necessary.”
And so on and so on, excuse after excuse.

But this is what Jesus says,
“In the last days, Christians will fall way from the faith. As evil and lawlessness increase, instead of drawing close to Me, the love Christians had for Me will grow cold.”  (Matthew 24:12)

God has given us this warning so that we will know what to do to avoid growing cold. He said, “Don’t stop going to church as many are in the habit of doing. Keep going and encourage one another to go, especially as you see the day of Jesus return approaching. (Hebrews 10:25)

Even though America has been given a second chance, the Bible has not changed. God’s End Times plan is still unfolding. All signs point to the return of Jesus Christ drawing near. So now is not the time to pull away from Him. Now, is the time to stick closer than ever. Now is time to know the Word of God and to share it.

God wants us to go to church because it is His home. He opens up His house to us and invites us to dine with Him at His table. As we walk through His doors, He removes our coat of darkness and sin that we have worn throughout the week and hangs it up at the cross. God knows how easy it is for us to lose our way, how quickly we can grow weary, and how vicious the attacks of the enemy can be. That is why He wants us to come home so that He can nourish us with His Word. He can heal our wounds inflicted by the enemy. He wants us to rest in His presence so that He can strengthen us to keep fighting the good fight.

If you are not going to church, God is inviting you to come home. He is standing with open arms to receive you. Find a church that opens up God’s Word and teaches the scriptures. If the Bible is not opened and they do not mention the Name of Jesus, run away from that church. Find a church that teaches Salvation is found in Jesus Christ alone. Find a church where the Holy Spirit is invited into their worship, where the Spirit of God is alive and flowing through the hearts of the congregation. Take your children to church so that they will value it as a priority in their lives, so that they will love God and experience His goodness in their lives.

So this Thanksgiving, let us be thankful for God’s unfailing love and mercy, for His salvation. Let us be thankful for this 2nd chance run. Let us stay spiritually healthy, so that when Jesus comes back He will find us running the race He assigned us. For when He returns, He is bringing our reward with Him to give everyone according to how they ran their race. (Revelation 22:12)

Love,
Yolanda