Monthly Archives: May 2011

My sophomore year of High School I decided to join the track team.  I was never known to be much of a runner.  One day Coach “Doc” who happened to be my Driver’s Ed teacher asked me to join his track team.  I went home and weighed my options and came to the decision that it would be a good thing for me.  It would be a good way to stay in shape, meet new people, and challenge myself in new areas.  My first day out I clearly recall Coach Doc saying, “Langford you should be in good shape since you just got out of basketball.  Why don’t you hit the road with the exchange students and get six miles in.”  SIX MILES!  KEEP UP WITH THE EXCHANGE STUDENTS!  I quickly began to reconsider my decision but was taught to follow through on my commitments.  Plus, I didn’t want to fail Driver’s Ed.

As the three of us began running; I remember wondering if I would be able to finish.  Coach Doc knew that I would be a distance runner and not a sprinter.  He also knew for me to be effective at the half mile, mile, and two mile competitions that I would need to run more than those distances in order to build up my endurance and conditioning.  While running, I found the exchange students (who WERE runners) quickly found a nice steady pace in which to maintain a good speed but not exert themselves too quickly physically.  I followed their lead and made the six miles without much trouble at all. 

When it comes to our walk with Jesus, I feel that many times people view it as a sprint.  They feel that they can just run as fast as they can and will have plenty of commitment and devotion to carry them through.  Unfortunately for them, our walk with Christ is not a sprint but it is a marathon.  It is about remaining faithful until death (Revelation 2:10).  Therefore it is my intent to give you three principles which will help you and you continue to run on your journey to Heaven.

Look Around 

In Hebrews 11 we have what is commonly regarded as the spiritual Hall of Faith.  Within this hall we read of numerous men and women who displayed loyalty and faith during times of hardship (Galatians 3:24).  What an encouragement is it to be able to read about the undertakings and godly decisions which were made that were pleasing in the eyes of God.  However; we have other places in which we can look.  Lord willing, you can look around; to your family, your friends, your church and be able to witness faithful living right in front of you.  It is imperative to we look and seek godly men and women who can aid us in our journey.

Lighten Your Load 

I can recall being given my first high school track uniform.  I am still looking for the rest of it.  I was embarrassed beyond words the first time I put on that lightweight piece of cloth they called a uniform.  Can you imagine trying to run a race with heavy sweatpants?  Can you fathom how slow your times would be if you added an additional 5 or 6 pounds worth of clothing?  During the very first Olympics, the runners wore nothing because they did not want anything holding them back.  A full marathon is a full 26.2 miles.  Can you imagine carrying a heavy object?  Spiritually speaking we have some things which we need to let go.  Paul states in Philippians 3:12 – “Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own.”  We too need to lighten our load and press on through our journey.

Look to Jesus 

It is a proven fact that the quickest and shortest way to go from point A to point B is a straight line.  When running, you must keep your eyes open.  You must visualize the point you want to reach and plot a path to get you there.  Sadly, the reality is that we will have obstacles appear from time to time which can slow us down.  The good news is we are not alone.  Jesus had many obstacles placed in His way.  In Matthew 4 we have an epic battle between good and evil.  We read about the spiritual swordfight taking place between our Lord and Satan.  Satan is doing any and everything within his power to put obstacles in Christ’s way.  However; each time Christ replies, “It is written.”  Jesus knew and applied the Word of God to help overcome to obstacle of temptation.  In Matthew 13:56-57 we learn that Jesus faced the obstacle of rejection…by His own family.  I am blessed to have a great family who loves each other and the Lord very much.  I feel for those who have family members and close friends who do not know God nor do they attempt to know Him.  They constantly and consistently reject Jesus. 

I could share example after example of people trying to force Jesus to fail in accomplishing all that God set forth for His Son to accomplish.  The great news is that He did fulfill all that the Father requested of Him.  What a perfect example we have; to look unto Jesus the author and perfector of our faith. (Hebrews 12:2)  When times look bleak; Look to Jesus.  When we don’t know how we will finish; Look to Jesus.  When we find ourselves in trouble; Look to Jesus!

May it be said of us as it was confidently and boldly stated by Paul, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” (2 Timothy 4:7)

This week I have asked our summer intern, Simon Summers to share with you, the readers, the devotional thought he delivered to the Keller church of Christ this past Wednesday.  Simon just completed his sophomore year at Freed-Hardeman University.  He is a very gifted young man who has a deep passion for the Lord and His Word.  In the few short days he has been with us, Simon has already been a blessing to me and our church family.  It is my prayer that this entry serves as a blessing to you as well.  Thank you Simon for taking the time to share your thoughts.

Matthew 19:16-26 – This is one of the most well known stories in the Gospels. The Rich Young Ruler and Jesus. This passage has been explained many ways and used for a variety of causes. It has been used to warn against the love of money, it has been used in explaining the cost of discipleship, it has been used to caution against complacency. The list could go on and on.

And while these are all good uses of this passage there is another way to look at it. And perhaps this other point of view will bring out something new.

So this Rich Young Ruler comes to Jesus and he asks a very legitimate question. He asks, “Teacher, what good deed must I do to have eternal life?” Jesus responds in a way that is unexpected, if you have never read or heard this story before. He doesn’t say, “Do this deed” or “Do that deed”. He doesn’t give a straight answer (which is probably due to the fact that he knows this man and he is directing the conversation in the way that it needs to go for this man to see what he really needs to do). He doesn’t give a straight answer and instead asks his own question.

After asking his own question Jesus does finally give the man an answer, a loaded answer. He says, “If you would enter into eternal life keep the commandments.” The man inquires, “which ones” and Jesus rattle off a list that sounds very much like the Ten Commandments: You shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal, you shall not bear false witness, honor your father and mother, and you shall love your neighbor as yourself.

The Ruler replies that he has keep all these commandments since his youth.

This is where it gets interesting. In Jewish thought, there are many ways to emphasize points when making and argument, while preaching or teaching or just in normal dialogue, as there is in all cultures. We know that if something is put first it is probably important. If it is last on a list it might be important. We make points that all start with the same letter to emphasize them and so on. And the same is true of Jewish thought in Jesus’ day there are many ways to emphasize your point and one of these ways is to “leave it out”. Now this may sound a little crazy but after thinking about it, it makes sense. The Ten Commandments was a well-known list to the Jews (and it is still well known to us). It’s kind of like the Lord’s Prayer. If some one started saying the Lord’s Prayer, but then left parts out, we would know and we would think to ourselves, “Why did he leave that out?” The left out part would be the first thing on our minds. And this may have been what Jesus was doing.

You see, the list that He gave to the young man was a list that he could have kept. Most of us could have had the same response to Jesus. I haven’t committed adultery, I haven’t murdered anyone or stolen or lied. I honor my parents and I love my neighbor. Now we may not be experts at all of these but these are things we do fairly well at. But that is the point of what Jesus is doing. If he had put in His list the first or second commandments – You shall have no gods before God and do not make any idols – in His list, I wonder if the young man would have been able to give the same answer? Would we be able to give the same answer? Jesus knew this man. He knew that he had the bulk of the commandments down. But he also knew that God was not number one in this Rich Man’s life. There were gods before the Lord and there were idols in this man’s life. Money. Wealth. Richs. Power. It can be called many things but it was still getting in the way of the Rich Man’s relationship with God. And the same can be true for us. It does not have to be money. It can be possessions, that girl, or that guy, our spouse, this or that problem, this or that issue, that person that annoys us, our pride, our ignorance. This list can also go on and on.

The thrust of what Jesus is saying comes near the end of this passage. The young man leaves saddened, Jesus makes a famous statement in verse 24, and the disciples are stunned. They ask, “Who then can be saved?” and Jesus responds, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” This illustrates clearly the importance of putting God first in our lives. Making Him number one on our list and making sure we do what we need to avoid having idols and gods before the Lord. We need to make sure that if we were in the Rich Man’s place that Jesus would not “leave out” what He did for this man.

We need to make sure that if we were to meet Jesus and ask what good deeds we need to do, that Jesus would not emphasize the fact that we had God second or third or tenth on our list. We should try to live our lives in such a way that Jesus would include for us, what he left out for the Rich Man.