"To Outrun the Other!"

 "So they ran both together: and the other disciple did outrun Peter, and came first to the sepulchre." (John 20:4 KJV)

  "Here is my advice: It would be good for you to finish what you started a year ago. Last year you were the first who wanted to give, and you were the first to begin doing it. Now you should finish what you started. Let the eagerness you showed in the beginning be matched now by your giving. Give in proportion to what you have. Whatever you give is acceptable if you give it eagerly. And give according to what you have, not what you don't have." (2 Corinthians 8:10-12 NLT)

 Before I get into this, I want to share about yesterday's post, touching on the point I made regarding the heart of John's condition. For those out there who get this, please make sure you can hold tightly to the things you have come to believe; don't allow anyone to tell you something different, because there are a lot of people out there who will judge, when the only One you are going to be judged by, will be Jesus! 

 I am not saying that John was anything else but someone that had sins; the kind of sins that make us feel as though God cannot forgive us! Without getting too deep into this, let's just say that there are sins that we can do, which are hard to get out of our minds. No matter how hard we try, this type of sins will be always used against us, making our sleeping hours of the night, sometimes unbearable, to say the least; and that's putting in nicely! 

 Otherwise, this conversation is over, because there are some things we are, and there are some things we are not! It is what you chose to be, and that is the end of the conversation! No matter what anyone tells you, you are born a sinner; sinners' sin because they have a sinful nature, not because they are born to be different from anyone else. Hope you can believe that, because it is the TRUTH! 

 About this, "To Outrun the Other!" The other is yourself! That guy that just wants to be the life of the party, to live as if there is no tomorrow, and who really doesn't care about consequences, only about the current moment. Do you know anyone like that? If so, you need to win that race, with everything you got! This is about leaving the other guy in your dust, each and every time you run together, run faster and reach the goal that is set before you. 

 There is an illustration of something that I remember from, "The Normal Christian Life," were those who hold unto sin, are like a person that walks around with a dead person strapped to their back. There is always this stink behind them, that just doesn't seem to go away.

 I have said this before, as it has already been said, "When we stand before Jesus, there will be only one question He will ask us, "Did you believe that I loved you?" Believe it with all your heart...

""So it is God who decides to show mercy. We can neither choose it nor work for it. For the Scriptures say that God told Pharaoh, "I have appointed you for the very purpose of displaying my power in you and to spread my fame throughout the earth." So you see, God chooses to show mercy to some, and he chooses to harden the hearts of others so they refuse to listen. Well then, you might say, "Why does God people for not responding? Haven't they simply done what he makes them do?" No, don't say that. Who are you, a mere human being, to argue with God? Should the thing that was created say to the one who created it, "Why have you made me like this?" When the potter makes jars out of clay, doesn't he have a right to use the same lump of clay to make one jar for decoration and another to throw garbage into? In the same way, even though God has the right to show his anger and his power, he is very patient with those on whom his anger falls, who are destined for destruction. He does this to make the riches of his glory shine even brighter on those to whom he shows mercy, who were prepared in advance for glory. And we are among those whom he selected, both from the Jews and from the Gentiles." (Romans 9:16-24 NLT)