But you should keep a clear mind in every situation.
Don’t be afraid of suffering for the Lord. Work at telling others the Good
News, and fully carry out the ministry God has given you.
As for me, my life has already been poured out as an
offering to God. The time of my death is near.
I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, and I have
remained faithful. And now the prize
awaits me—the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will
give me on the day of his return. And the prize is not just for me but for all
who eagerly look forward to his appearing.
2 Timothy 4:5-8
Today, I felt a need to divert from Moses for a week. I promise to continue next week. I just feel God wanted me to simply focus on
you. Not the usual devotional
sharing. Just a moment to pause and
reflect in this moment. I prayed a lot
on this devotion because He did not want me to forget where people are today. Let me start by saying no one would ever
consider Mike Tyson a great philosopher, but he said one of the greatest truths
about dealing with adversity saying, “Everyone has a plan until they get
punched in the mouth.” Many of us can
truly relate to that right now. Maybe
you are a bit uncertain about things.
Perhaps there is something going on in your household. Your spouse is one of the people who is now
furloughed or unemployed, or your children might be driving you a bit
crazy. Or maybe you are adjusting to
them in your life 24/7 now. Perhaps you
know someone or even a loved one who has recently passed away. Some may be due to the Coronavirus, and
others not. You might even know someone
who must be in the hospital. Alone. No matter the cause, you and your family may
be faced with some tough choices, pain, and heartache. Others not even in a hospital are equally
suffering from feeling isolated and alone in their own homes. And yes, some of you might very well be
questioning if God really does exist right now.
On the other hand, maybe you are fully grounded and filled with God’s
spirit where your faith today is unshakable.
You are not afraid nor worried because you know God is with you. You know He is with us. But there is that neighbor, family member, or
friend who is struggling. You can’t find
the right words to say or don’t even know the right way to even start the
conversation.
I too have fears and uncertainty. Some at home.
Some outside of it. All of this
is hard because so many are hurting. “I
can’t do this anymore,” has become a whisper in their mind right now. Perhaps in your mind? I hear it from many. I feel it from those who don’t speak. My heart breaks knowing this might be a part
of your being right now in this place, and I can’t fully imagine what you are
going through.
But God knows. He loves
you oh so much and feels every ounce of your pain right here and right
now. You may think you are alone in your
struggle and pain and that no one can truly understand. He does.
You may think the walls are starting to crumble and your level of sanity
is about to be lost. Maybe for a
moment. Maybe longer. God says, “No. Nothing is going to happen to you. Not on my watch.” We know this as Paul said, “For when we
brought you the Good News, it was not only with words but also with power, for
the Holy Spirit gave you full assurance that what we said was true.” (1
Thessalonians 1:5a) Yes, it is ok to
acknowledge that there is fear. But
courage is nothing but fear faced head on, and we know great men and women of
God are filled with courage and strength.
I think of Joshua going to the Promised Land without Moses, and God
speaking to him saying, “This is my command—be strong and courageous! Do not be
afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”
(Joshua 1:9) I think of Paul speaking to
the Phillipians saying, “For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me
strength.” (4:13) So while we face tough
times ahead and we may feel week, God makes us strong!
Through all you are going through, God is with you! These are indeed challenging and uncertain
times, but it serves as an opportunity.
A chance to reconnect with love ones.
A chance to pause, reflect, and commit to some new things and recommit
to some old ones. And finally, a chance
to look to the heavens, lay your troubles, fears, and worries down at cross,
and surrender it all to Jesus. The
reason for today’s verse is not to share an elaborate story on what it
means. It is a reminder. When Paul was near the end of his journey, he
was not concerned about his death. He
only cared about the race he was running and finishing it to the very end. Today is about capturing the spirit of Paul
and not focusing on what happened before today.
It is about finishing the race where “the prize awaits me-the crown of
righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give me on the day of
his return.” So run! Let these months be the moment we decided to
pour it all out onto others and remind them as Jesus said to His disciples, “And
be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” (Matthew
28:20b) There are no questions for you
to ask yourself or answer. Just trust God
is with you every step of the way, and my prayer is we simply, run, run,
run!!! Amen!
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