JOYFUL JOURNAL for September 6, 2013 Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Philippians 4:12 --- For some of you it may be difficult to think of riding bicycle on Sunday morning, instead of being in an actual church, as attending church, but that’s exactly what it was for me a few weeks ago. I was ‘in church’ for 4 hours – every minute of my 35-mile ride through scenic Lancaster county. For those who are still skeptical, allow me to share my worship service experience. For starters, I never ride alone despite the absence of a physical companion. As I explain to those who ask: I ride with Jesus. I’m able to take in all the beauty of His creation, sing praises to Him, lift up my joys & concerns in prayer and listen for His response both through signs (He “winked” at me hundreds of times) & gentle whispers. The morning’s sermon was a smorgasbord (pun intended for those familiar with the area) of short, powerful observation messages. Allow me to share with you a sampling of how God fed me as I rode. He supplied for my needs (Phil 4:19) by sending a man to affix my mirror with zip cords, a nurse practitioner with aspirin for my aching back & a vendor at the end of the ride with expensive biking shorts on sale to replace my worn out ones. My game of leap frog, with a couple of similarly skilled women riders, reminded me that successfully navigating through life requires fully relying on God. Without gloves (which I also found on sale at the vendor tent) for protection, the pointy end of the zip cord kept poking my hand. It was hard to complain when God brought one of my memory verses to mind (Isaiah 53:5). My pain was trivial in comparison to Christ’s on the cross. I may not have had enough food for the ride, but I had plenty of fluids. I felt God telling me I was like one of the 5 virgins who was prepared for the Bridegroom’s return (Matthew 25:1-13). Finally, as I stayed close to the yellow line on a windy section of back road to ‘take out the curves,’ I was reminded that if I keep Jesus at the center of my life & give Him the honor He’s due, He’ll make my paths straight (Proverbs 3:6). --- Life, even as we near the end, has plenty of uphill climbs, just like my ride. But God provides strength (Phil 4:13) to finish the race (Hebrews 12:1-3). --- linger longer: look up the verses mentioned above that you’re unfamiliar with…and memorize one! ----- youtube/watch?v=J0QL7z9aH-A Me & Jesus Stellar Kart
Posted on: Fri, 06 Sep 2013 09:09:59 +0000
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