We Race to Win

We Race to Win

Scripture Reading: 1 Corinthians 9:24-27

Focus Verse: Acts 20:24  " However, I consider my life worth nothing to me; my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me, the task of testifying to the good news of God’s grace.”

The Olympic Games are taking place in Tokyo, Japan right now.  I have been able to watch many different sports on the TV.  The other night I watched the USA and Kenya play rugby.  Some of the sports are running, swimming, gymnastics, sailing, weightlifting, bicycling and many other sports.  I was amazed as I watched one of the races.  It was a swimming race.  There were many different countries represented.  As the race was coming to the end the athlete from the USA was in fourth place.  I thought "oh no he’s going to lose the race.”  But then something amazing happened, he started swimming with all the energy that he had at the very end of the race and he finished in first place to win the gold medal.  Everyone was shocked how he passed the other swimmers at the end.

The Bible has a lot to say about races.  It compares our lives here on earth to a race.  There are winners and losers in the race of life.  The apostle Paul said his only aim was to finish the race and complete the task Jesus had given him.  Paul gave his all to complete the task, much like the swimmer did to win the race.  How is your race going?  How is my race going?  We will all make mistakes along the way.  We may stumble and even fall.  The important thing is what do we do after we fall?  Do we quit or do we get back up and finish the race strong?  Paul says in Philippians 3:13-14 “Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended, but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead.  I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”

When we come to the end of our lives will we be able to say what Paul said?  2 Timothy 4:7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.”   Jesus has promised to help us.  We should all be in this race to win because we know God has an eternal prize waiting for us.

Bobby Johnson

Interlocking Ministries

New Life in Christ

Scripture Reading: 2 Corinthians 5:17-21

Focus Verse: 2 Corinthians 5:17  “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation, old things have passed away, behold, all things have become new.”

In Kenya, I work with a couple named Pastor Eliazar Wambo and his wife Harriet.  The couple was blessed and Harriet just gave birth to a baby boy.  There are several things I think about when I hear that a baby has been born. I think about the miracle of a new life, and how only God can make a human life. I think about what kind of world that baby is entering.  I think about what kind of choices that baby will make when it grows up. 

Jesus said there are similarities when we are born into God’s family as when we are born into our earthly families.  Jesus said in John 3:3 “I tell you the truth, unless you are born again, you cannot see the Kingdom of God.”  If you want to go to God's kingdom (heaven), you must be born two times.  Jesus was answering the Pharisee, Nicodemus, but he didn’t understand.  Nicodemus said, “ how can an old man go back into his mother’s womb and be born again?” Jesus explained, "unless you are born of water and of the Spirit you cannot enter the Kingdom of God."   

 

Have you been born of the Spirit?  You may wonder, “what does that mean?".  We are all broken with sin that separates us from God.  God made a way to fix our brokenness.  To be born again, we allow Jesus to make us new through faith. It means to confess and repent of your sin to God, accept Jesus' sacrificial death on the cross (He paid the penalty of our sins), and to believe that God raised Jesus from the dead, then ask for His forgiveness.  Ephesians 2:8 says that "By grace we are saved through faith."    This new spiritual birth brings eternal life and a new life in Christ.    So, if you have never done this, maybe today is your day to make the decision to give your life to Christ.

Bobby Johnson

Interlocking Ministries

Riches, Camels, and the Kingdom of God

Scripture Reading: Matthew 19:16-30

Focus Verses: Matthew 19:23-24  "Then Jesus said to his disciples, I tell you the truth, it is very hard for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of Heaven.  I’ll say it again it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of God!”

Have you ever wished you had more money than you could spend?  And you thought this would make you happy?  I was reading an article that there are now nine people in the world who have more than $100 billion dollars each.  For those of you in Kenya, that would be the same as having 10 trillion Kenya shillings.  I did some more reading about these nine men. Seven of the nine have been divorced or separated from their wife.  One has been married and divorced four times. One man  married and divorced the same woman twice.  After reading about these nine men it did not seem like any of them ever trusted Christ for Salvation.  The world will tell you that if you have a lot of money you will be happy.  It doesn’t appear that is true.

Jesus tells us that it’s very hard for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of God. Why is that? Does money send someone to hell?  Maybe it does if your money is more important to you than God.  I don’t believe it is a sin to have lots of money.  Notice Jesus didn’t say that it’s impossible for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of God.  I think what Jesus was referring to, is that when someone has lots of money there is more of a temptation to trust that money rather than God. Jesus talked a lot about money in the Bible.  He knew the heart of the rich man in our scripture reading.  He knew that the man wanted to keep his riches more than he wanted eternal life. Whether you have few riches or lots of riches let’s keep our focus on Jesus and the Kingdom of God.

Bobby Johnson

Interlocking Ministries

God is Never Late

Scripture Reading: John 11:1-44

Focus Verse: John 11:6  “So, when He heard that he [Lazerus] was sick, He stayed two more days in the place where He was.”

Did you ever give God some advice, or tell God what He should do?  I have.  I think God in heaven must laugh a us sometimes or maybe he groans.  Who are we to tell the One who created the whole universe what He should do?  Did you ever pray a prayer asking God to do something? Then as time passed you can see wow, I’m glad God didn’t answer my pray by doing what I was asking.  Don’t get me wrong, God wants us to come to Him in prayer.  But we should pray in light of requesting that God’s will be done.  We like for our children to come to us with requests, even if we know what they are asking is not the best for them.  God is the same way, He wants to hear our request.

Our Bible story in John 11 is a story of Jesus being given some advice because the people didn't realize that Jesus already knew God's plan.  Verse 21 says, “Now Martha said to Jesus, Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died.”  In other words Martha was saying, “Jesus because you delayed two days in coming Lazarus died, you were late, you should have been on time."  Sometimes we forget that Jesus knows everything.  There’s nothing that He doesn’t know.  When Jesus was informed that Lazarus was sick, He already knew that.  Even before Lazarus got sick Jesus knew God's plan was to raise Lazarus from the dead, and not just heal his sickness.  God always has a plan.  It’s a plan that will give Him the most glory.  God has a reason for everything that is going on in your life and my life.  God is never early, and He’s never late.  He’s always right on time for everything He does in your life.  So when we pray we let our request be made known to God, but we also pray that His will would be done. 

Bobby Johnson

Interlocking Ministries

Little Things Make a Big Difference

Scripture Reading:  James 3:4    1 Samuel 17:40   Matthew 13:31-32

Focus Verses:  Matthew 13:31-32  He put another parable before them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven is like a grain of mustard seed that a man took and sowed in his field. It is the smallest of all seeds, but when it has grown it is larger than all the garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches.”

My father has a piece of property that consists of a few acres of land.  Many years ago he was generous and gave me an acre to build my house.  We purchased a farm tractor to help maintain the property.  Today I was doing some maintenance  work on that tractor.  I changed the engine oil, and changed the fuel filter.  These are important things to do if I want the tractor to work properly.  What if I thought to myself “I don’t have time to change the oil, I’ll just keep using the same old oil.  And the fuel filter, I don’t think I need to change that because the tractor is running fine.”  If I continued to think like that one day I would go to use the tractor and it wouldn’t want to run anymore.  It would be broken down.  The fuel filter is a very small part and only costs a few dollars, but it is a very important part of the tractor.  It helps the fuel to be clean without dirt in it.  

Our lives can be the same way physically and spiritually.  Physically, if you eat the right kinds of food you can be strong and healthy.  Spiritually, if we read God’s Word that can keep us strong to stand against the devil.  We might think that regular Bible reading is a small thing and not very important, but it can make a big difference in our lives.  Just think about how the tractor is turned on with a very small key.  Even if you have a very large tractor if you lose the key the tractor isn’t going anywhere.   A mustard seed is so small you can hardly see it, but it grows into a large tree.  How much will your faith grow if it starts small? You might think your life is not very important to God.  Let’s not forget the story in the Bible of the little boy who had one lunch that he gave to Jesus.  Then Jesus fed over 5000 people from that one small lunch!  The little things in your life can make a big difference when you let God use them.

Bobby Johnson

Interlocking Ministries