Super Tuesday devotion - Running to Win - 1 Corinthians 9:24

1 Corinthians 9:24     Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. 

            It’s a big day in America because millions of people will turn out to vote in the Primaries. A lot of people are deeply concerned, including me, about how our elections are being manipulated by the media. Whether it’s from biased news coverage or prejudiced comedy shows, the outcome is the same: a dangerous polarization of the greater community which threatens to tear apart the fabric of freedom across the country.

            How we got here is anybody’s guess and I’m sure that the historians a century from now will know all the answers. What I believe we need to do as Christians is to ask God for healing to come to our nation after the main elections, and then work to restore a practical unity and commonality in our own communities. No matter who is elected, poverty, ignorance, and disease will still be around, so we will still have plenty of missions and ministries to undertake, accomplish, and fulfill.

            When Paul wrote to the Corinthian church about running a race and winning a prize, he was talking about our individual faith journeys. We rush through life headed towards the finish line, but rather than keeping our eyes on death, we raise them up to look at Christ and see Him waiting for us beyond the end of the race. He is our ultimate destination; He is our ultimate prize.

            So, no matter where we end up at the finish of this election, our eyes need to go beyond the political temporal world and look up to the sacred everlasting kingdom. Of course, we need to be in the world to help our communities, but we also need to look beyond this life to the eternal faith community to which we ultimately belong. There is no point in running this race we call life, only to finish at a dead end.

Questions for personal reflection

How often do I think about life after my death? Do I know where I am headed?

Prayer:            Lord Jesus, in the midst of all the important events that are happening in our lives and around the world, help us to keep focused on You. Remind us that we are Your servants and enable us to work in our communities by sharing Your love and compassion with other people. Lead us through life, so that we may always look ahead and still see You. In Your Holy Name, we pray. Amen.

John Stuart is currently the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. If you would like to make comments or ask questions about today’s devotion, please send him an email to Traqair@aol.com.

Today’s image is one of John’s latest Holy Week drawings called “Gargoyle of Golgotha.” If you would like to view a larger version, please click on this link: Golgotha.

Moving On

I’ve never seen my two college daughters so excited about politics. They actually believe that their votes will count this year, and that young people all over the country will make a real difference in the Presidential election. They don’t want to go back to the old style of “he said, she said” aggressive politics. They want to vote a leader into national office, who has new ideas, new approaches, and new solutions to the problems that we are facing in this new century.

I don’t blame them. During the last thirty years that I have voted for leaders on both sides of the Atlantic, I have never really been truly inspired by any candidates or politicians. They all seem to have a thirst for power instead thoughts for the people. They all tear apart their opponents and when it’s a close race, they resort to dirty tricks, false representations, and unworthy schemes to topple their competitors. They might succeed by doing this, but it makes the electorate more cynical about our leaders.

Bible Verse of the Day

Numbers 14:4 And they said to each other, "We should choose a leader and go back to Egypt."

When the Israelites were faced with uncertain times and a fearful future, they always wanted to go backwards instead of moving on. They believed that it would be better for them to become Egyptian slaves again, rather than forging a new nation for themselves. What they were saying was this: “we don’t like being responsible for ourselves. Take us back to the old ways when we didn’t have to think about tomorrow.” To the Hebrew children in the midst of the wilderness, the good old days were all about giving up their freedom.

Thankfully, God had other plans, and dedicated leaders like Moses and Joshua, would bring the people to their senses and show them that going backwards wasn’t an option if they wanted to have a future.

All of us go through fearful times. Whether it’s illness or finances, our careers or choices, when things go bad, we just want to return to the good old days when things were easier, better, and safer. But as Robert Burns once wrote, “Time and tide wait for no man,” so we can’t return to the past. We need to move on and bring a new series of tomorrows into our lives today. And no matter what we face, God will be there up ahead of us, leading and guiding us, encouraging and urging us to walk on, move on, and press on.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, sometimes we get anxious about the uncertainties of life and just want to return to the safety of the past and retreat into good old days. Help us to refrain from surrendering to our insecurities and instead looking forward to the opportunities that You have in store for us as Christians, as a people, as servants of God. In Your Holy Name, we pray. Amen.