Monday, Aug. 31

Monday

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.  - John 1:1-5

Each gospel is distinct in its own way. In Matthew, for example, Jesus Christ is presented as the promised king and Messiah of Israel. Consequently Matthew's message to Israel and the world is this: Behold your king. Mark, on the other hand, does not present Christ as king, but presents Him as a servant/prophet. And that's the reason there's no genealogy in Mark because no servant had a genealogy that mattered. Mark's message to the world is behold your servant.  When you come to Luke's gospel you see that Luke presented Christ as the perfect man walking among the people of the world and so Luke's message is behold the man.

Matthew wants us to behold the king, Mark wants us to behold the servant, Luke wants us to behold the man, that is the humanity of Christ. When we come to the gospel of John we see a completely dimension. We see when we begin the gospel of John that heaven opens up and the first thing that happens is the eternal Son of God descends. God and man, in one blessed and glorious person, the eternal Son of God, Jesus Christ.  John's message is behold your God!  And his revelation was written to establish the truth of the divinity and the deity of Jesus Christ, that He is absolute total God of very God living in a human body. He is not half-God, half-man, He is total God and total man. And so the genealogy that John presents doesn't name any human beings. It goes right back to the time before time, the time of eternity, and says that He was there when it all began. That's His genealogy. He didn't start; he always was. So John presents to us God.

In the first three verses John presents His pre-existence that He is from eternity. In verse 1, John writes, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God and the Word was God." John ascends beyond the beginning of Genesis 1.  the very first words of Genesis say, "In the beginning God created the world."  This is a different beginning.  God says in the very beginning of beginnings.  From the very beginning of beginnings, which never began, the Word, Christ was there. He always was. He never came into existence because He always was.  In the beginning of beginnings before beginnings even began God was. Just the first three words, in the beginning transport us into a realm that is absolutely beyond comprehension. Praise God if you feel like you cannot quite grasp this, because if you could fully understand, then you’d be God.

John 1 is one of those sweeping inspirational passages that surpasses human thought. In the beginning past, when the heavens and the earth were created, the Word already existed. From all eternity the Word existed. The Word was in the beginning of beginnings. The Word was not created. It never began. It always was. And when God set out to create this world the Word was already there, and the Word, of course, refers to Jesus Christ!

Oh Lord, you have spoken to us through Your written word the Bible, and You continue to speak to us today through Your Holy Spirit and as the living Word Jesus.  Help us to hear what you have to say, open our minds and our hearts that we might receive Your Word to us - Amen.

Jeff Frazier

Friday, August 7th

Friday, August 7

Hebrews 12:1-2 ESV

Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.

A number of years ago, when I was still running as part of my regular exercise routine, I hopped on a treadmill at a local fitness center. As I recall, my plan was to run for about 20 minutes at about an 8 to 9 minute per mile pace.

I was cruising right along, about 10 minutes into my run, when I sensed something was a little off. It took a few seconds to realize what was happening, but the treadmill had sped up just a bit and I was running slightly faster than my normal pace. I glanced down at the control panel to see if I had accidentally touched the speed button and I noticed that I was now running not an 8 minute pace, but at a 7 ½ minute pace. I suddenly realized that the treadmill was speeding up all by itself.

Now the reasonable, intelligent thing to do would have been to hop off the treadmill, which would not have been hard to do at a 7 ½ mile pace, and inform someone that the machine had malfunctioned. Then to simply get on a different treadmill to finish my workout. That’s not what I did. I took it as a kind of personal challenge. I thought to myself, “OK, Mr. Treadmill, you want it, you got it! Let’s see what you got!?” And I picked up the pace.

Soon the machine was whirring at a 7 minute per mile clip. Then 6 1/2 ; then 6. Within a couple of minutes the whir turned into a roar and people around me were interrupting their workouts to watch me assault the 4 minute mile barrier and I was in trouble.

What could I do? I couldn’t continue that pace for much longer; and if I tried to jump off the treadmill at that speed I risked running through the plate glass window in front of me! But I had no choice, I had to get off that crazy thing! So I grabbed hold of the hand-rail on the treadmill and leapt off hoping not to seriously injure myself in the process. I landed rather awkwardly, staggering toward the window; but, thankfully, I didn’t run through it. I did, however, learn a lesson!

I learned that trying to run faster than I am able is a dangerous thing to do. I learned that left to my own instincts I can make bad decisions. I learned that the best way to win the race is to run the right pace; a pace that can be sustained.

Paul writes:

...let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith...

This tells me two things. First, we don’t have to prove how fast we can run this race; we’re just called to run with endurance. Second, we’re not running this race on our own, rather, we’re following after Jesus himself.

Jesus is the one setting the pace and the direction of our race. So long as our eyes are on him, we will run the right speed, the right direction, and we will finish the course!

Pastor Brian Coffey

Thursday, August 6th

Thursday, August 6

Psalm 119:30-32

I have chosen the way of faithfulness;
 I set your rules before me.
I cling to your testimonies, O Lord;
 let me not be put to shame!
I will run in the way of your commandments
 when you enlarge my heart!

When my brother Joe turned 50 he got the idea that he would compete in an “Ironman Triathlon” alongside his 29 year old son, Jeremy.

Now my brother had been a fine athlete in his youth and had even competed in bicycling races in adulthood, but he had never done a triathlon. Jeremy, on the other hand, had already done a couple of these crazy races and knew what it took to swim 2 miles, bike 112 miles and then run a 26 mile marathon consecutively.

My brother thought it would be a great thing to train with his son and then to accomplish something together. So they trained diligently for 6 or 8 months.

Finally the weekend of the race came. The night before the race the organizers of the event held a banquet at which they honored the people who had competed in the most triathlons as well as the oldest competitor. My brother remembered that the oldest racer was a 75 year old man who had been doing triathlons for like 25 years.

The day of the race came and it was hot; like 95 degrees hot; like “you do not want to do a triathlon today” hot. But the race went on.

My brother said the swim and the biking were hard, but he stayed with his son and they survived. When the running part of the race began they parted ways because he has arthritic knees and has to kind of shuffle/walk instead of run and his son could run much faster. So he was on his own in the heat and with his bad knees.

Hour after hour droned on. But he was determined to finish the race even if he had to crawl on his hands and knees.

Finally, some 13 hours after he began he could see the finish line. Right at that same time he heard someone coming up from behind to pass him. When the runner passed he saw it was that 75 year old man that had been honored the night before. All my brother’s competitive instincts kicked in and he got a powerful surge of adrenalin. He said he almost said out loud, “Not today buddy; not in your dreams are you going to beat me to that finish line!” He found the strength to do his best impression of a sprint and he beat the older man to the tape and they both laughed together in weary celebration at the finish line.

I think there is a kind of parable of faith in that story. read again the words of the Psalm:

I have chosen the way of faithfulness;
 I set your rules before me.
I cling to your testimonies, O Lord;
 let me not be put to shame!
I will run in the way of your commandments
 when you enlarge my heart!

The Psalm writer has discovered that the strength to run the “way of faithfulness” is found in the testimonies and commandments of the Lord; in the truth and power of God’s word. He is saying that the word of God both sets our course and enlarges our hearts to run that course.

So whether we are like the 75 year old competing in his 25th triathlon, or the 50 year old with arthritic knees trying to finish his first, we find our direction and our strength in the same place; the truth of God’s word.


Pastor Brian Coffey

Wednesday, August 5th

Wednesday, August 5

Isaiah 40:27-31

Why do you say, O Jacob,
 and speak, O Israel,
“My way is hidden from the Lord,
    and my right is disregarded by my God”?  Have you not known? Have you not heard?
The Lord is the everlasting God,
 the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He does not faint or grow weary;
 his understanding is unsearchable.  He gives power to the faint,
 and to him who has no might he increases strength.  Even youths shall faint and be weary,
  and young men shall fall exhausted; but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength;
 they shall mount up with wings like eagles;
they shall run and not be weary;
 they shall walk and not faint.

I know a number of people at FBCG who have completed multiple marathon races. I am in awe of those people! I think they're a little crazy, but I am in awe! I have great respect for what they do because I once got it in my head that I wanted to run a marathon. I had always been an athlete, playing football, basketball and baseball, but there was just something intriguing about seeing if I could push myself to run a 26 mile race.

So, along with a friend of mine who was more of a runner, we signed up for a marathon that was to take place in about 6 months. And we started to run together. I was in decent shape so getting to where we were running 5 miles only took a couple of weeks. We ran in a 10K as a practice and I did great. Then we got serious.

Over the next couple of months we got to where we were running 14 miles or so twice each week. I was starting to believe I could actually run a marathon! Then I was given an assignment for work that meant I had to travel for almost a month straight, right over the time of the scheduled marathon. It meant I would not be able to run in the marathon we had signed up for. My friend decided he would still run while I decided to try to stay in shape during my trip so that maybe I could run in another race.

At least that was the plan.

We both found it was much more difficult to go on ridiculously long training runs without someone running next to you. He eventually ran the marathon by himself, and finished, but he finished walking. I quit my training and have never again run as far as 10 miles at a time.

A very long time ago the prophet Isaiah wrote about how we all tired and weary sooner or later. Spiritual fatigue comes in many shapes and sizes. We might grow tired of praying for God’s help in a situation that seems to only grow worse by the day. We may grow weary of our own sinful frailties and doubt that God’s forgiveness continues to be extended to us. We sometimes get to the place where we aren’t sure we can take another step in the journey of faith.

And the prophet writes:

Have you not known? Have you not heard?
 The Lord is the everlasting God,
 the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He does not faint or grow weary;
 his understanding is unsearchable.  He gives power to the faint,
 and to him who has no might he increases strength.  Even youths shall faint and be weary,
 and young men shall fall exhausted; but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength;
 they shall mount up with wings like eagles;
they shall run and not be weary;
 they shall walk and not faint.

So when you aren’t sure if you can take another step, remember that the One who never grows weary is running right beside you!

Pastor Brian Coffey

Tuesday, August 4th

Tuesday, August 4

2 Timothy 4:6-8

For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that Day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing.

John Akwhari was a member of the Tanzanian Olympic team in Mexico City in 1968. He competed in the marathon, and is remembered not for winning the gold medal, but for finishing last. Here’s why.

Mexico City is located some 7,000 feet above sea level, an altitude that makes it much more difficult to run a race like the marathon. Mr. Akwhari had trained hard for the 26 mile race but had not trained at altitude. So by the halfway mark of the race he developed severe cramping and then, during some jockeying for position, fell and injured his leg seriously enough to consider quitting the race. But he continued running, limping along until he crossed the finish line over an hour after the winner.

When word came that one runner was still on the course a television crew was dispatched to get the story. By the time he reached the finish line only a few spectators remained and the sun had set.

As he finally crossed the finish line a cheer came from the small crowd. When interviewed later and asked why he continued running, he said, "My country did not send me 5,000 miles to start the race; they sent me 5,000 miles to finish the race."

In his beautiful letter to young Timothy, the aging Apostle Paul writes of his life with Christ as if he is nearing the finish line.

For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.

Athletes often talk about “leaving it all on the field” after a particularly competitive or grueling contest. Paul says he has been “poured out as a drink offering.” That’s a reference to a kind of religious sacrifice in the ancient tradition of the Jews. Paul has poured his life out for the sake of the great call he received from the Lord Jesus himself, to take the gospel to the Gentile world.

Runners often try to save just enough strength to put on a “finishing kick” at the end of a race. They try to run the last 100 yards faster than they ran the first 100 yards. They want to finish strong in an effort to win the prize. Paul says, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race...” I think he means that, as he faces the end of his earthly life, he has finished well, and he wants young Timothy to begin his journey with the end in mind.

How is your race of faith going? Where are you on the course? While it’s true that we can’t know when our particular race will end, we can, with the Lord’s help, pour ourselves into the race so that we can say with Paul,

“I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.”
Finish strong my friends!


Pastor Brian Coffey

Monday, August 3rd

Monday, August 3

Hebrews 12:1-2 ESV

Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.

A long time ago I spent several years coaching basketball at Taylor University in Indiana. The head coach at the time was known for his particularly grueling preseason conditioning program. It lasted for about four weeks and consisted of lots and lots of running; sprints, distance runs, combinations of sprints and distance runs, then more sprints; you get the picture.

The most dreaded day of the whole month was the day the players had to do the “12 minute run.” Now “12 minute run” sounds rather innocuous, but, in reality, it is sheer torture. Here’s how it works. The athletes all line up on a track; the coach blows the whistle and they all run as far and as fast as they can for 12 minutes.

It’s brutal.

One year we had a guy try out for the team who had played intramural basketball for two years and then had decided to try out for the men’s college team. He was about 6’4 and a pretty good athlete as I remember. Early in the conditioning program he impressed the head coach with his speed for a bigger guy. Soon we noticed he had a tendency to run fast only when he was sure we were watching; but when he was on the far side of the track and though he was out of view he would slow down considerably.

The head coach preached giving your best effort all the time and so not only did he notice the loafing on the back side of the track, he was somewhat annoyed by it.

Well the day of the “12 minute run” finally came. The guys all lined up and the coach blew his whistle and off they went.

The kid in question took off like a shot and was with the leaders for the first lap. But part way into the second lap we noticed he was losing ground. By about five minutes into the run he was being lapped by the faster guys. The thing about a “12 minute run” is that you have nowhere to hide! By about the 7th minute the poor guy had slowed nearly to a painful looking jog. Finally at about the 8 minute mark he stopped running altogether.
Now you need to know that the head coach’s rule was, “If you stop running, you cut yourself from the team.” So we watched as the young fellow stopped running, turned and started the long slow walk across the track to where I was standing with the head coach. As we waited we wondered aloud what he would say when he arrived.

When he finally got to where we were standing he looked at us and, still trying to catch his breath, said, “Coach, I’ve been praying about this a lot lately, and I just don’t have any peace about playing ball this year.”

The head coach looked back at him and said in his steely coach voice, “Son, the middle of a 12 minute run is no place to be looking for peace.” That young man didn’t play basketball that season.

In the New Testament the Christian life is sometimes pictured as a race.

Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us...
 
I love this text! I love it not just because it carries obvious athletic overtones; a race with a crowd cheering the athletes on; but because Paul presents the journey of faith as requiring endurance.

I think this is what that young man so long ago failed to understand. The “12 minute run” wasn’t about how fast he could run or about how he compared to the other guys running with him; it was about endurance. All he had to do was set a pace and keep with it! Even if he finished last, he would have finished and he might have made that team.

But how do we endure? How do we keep running when everything in us tells us to quit? Paul concludes his thoughts on endurance with this:

...let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.

See it? Jesus endured the cross because of the “joy set before him.” That joy was the pleasure and reward of God the Father.

That’s also why we run this race called faith!

Pastor Brian Coffey