Are You Running on Empty?

Jimmy Johnson and Greg Biffle both had the misfortune of running out of gas at the end of the NASCAR race this past Sunday.  Both racers had performed well during much of the day, but could not finish since they didn’t have enough fuel.  Has this ever sounded like your day or week?  Things started off well, but you didn’t have energy to finish what was required of the day...fortunately we are given several examples of where to go to have the perseverance to finish our race like Paul the apostle (2nd Timothy 4:7).

Christ tells us in John 15:4 that “...No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine.  Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.”  In John 15:5 he makes this even more explicit stating that “I am the vine; you are the branches.  If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.”

What is the great thing about God being our fuel?  Jesus told the woman at the well “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst.  Indeed the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life” (John 4:13-15).  We know it is silly to try to run a car without fuel...then why do we try to live our lives apart from the true vine that supplies the living water we so desperately need.

Don't Give Up...Don't Ever Give Up

Some of you may have noticed that ESPN has been running events and promos highlighting the Jimmy V foundation during the past couple of weeks. Jim Valvano, or Jimmy V as he is more affectionately called, was the head coach of the NC State team that pulled a miraculous upset over Hakeem Olajwon and the University of Houston to win the 1983 national championship in basketball. The jubilation and excitement was evident as Jimmy V danced across the court. This normally would be the thought of as the greatest moment in a head coach's career. Jimmy V was not your normal basketball coach. His last mission after being diagnosed with cancer was to start a foundation to help save lives by helping find cures for cancer. His speech from the 1993 ESPY awards program still plays 15 years later on national TV and has millions of hits on YouTube. Cancer didn't defeat Jimmy V....it gave him focus for his passion and his perseverance created a lasting legacy.

Hearing Jimmy V's famous speech, my thoughts can't help but to turn to Philippians 3:13-14 "...Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead. I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus." Acts 20:24 teaches us a similar lesson in regards to focus "However, I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me – the task of testifying to God's grace." If we can stay passionate in our focus for sharing God's grace, then we can say like Paul at the end of his life "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith" (2 Timothy 4:7).

So, what can we do to press on and finish the race strong? Well, we can be prepared through: 1) staying in constant communication with God through prayer, 2) reading the playbook (Bible), 3) spending time in the video room (remembering what God has done in our own lives), and 4) having a group of mentors/friends that provide God-guided counsel. Utilizing these tools to be solidly prepared, we can more fully understand God's love and grace and share why no one should ever want to be separate from God. As we are in the midst of the Christmas season, do you know of someone who needs to know God's love more? What good words will you have for them?