Riding Into The Wind
April 17, 2010
I enjoy riding my bicycle (except uphill). It provides exercise, time to think and keep “life” in perspective, and time to pray. I remember riding with one of my friends some time ago and we were talking about the wind. When it blows from behind, the easier it is to ride; and when it blows in your face the harder it is to ride. My friend said – when you are riding your bike the wind always blows in your face – and the faster you go the harder it blows. We laughed at that comment but he is right – not just about riding a bicycle but also living life. The wind is always blowing and often it seems in your face when you try and run after God.
The Christian life has been described as a race. Paul said in 1 Cor. 9:24 – …those who run in a race all run…run in such a way that you may win. God has a race for each of His kids. It is a specially designed race, with the course marked out for His glory. Paul, in this verse was encouraging perseverence. As a person of God, we run, we run right, and we run as not to quit or be disqualified. At the end of the day (race), while we may be tired and dirty, and wind struck, we have the joy of knowing we ran, did not stop, and we finished God’s course. The writer of Hebrews reminds us in Ch. 12:1 – that others have run ahead of us and they have left us a pattern to help us and show us how to run correctly. We are to lay aside the weights that drag us down and “entangle” us; and we run as they did with perseverence, keeping our eyes focused upon our Lord.
What encouraging words – “fixing our eyes on Jesus.” This means no one else but Him!
Yesterday I rode 35 miles and it seemed the wind was in my face for 35 miles. I was tired, dirty, and thirsty; but I finished and felt good about what I had done. Keep running the race set before you, keeping looking to Jesus, and keep remembering others ran before and made the way a little clearer.
