Abbie Miller
Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever.
Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize. (1 Corinthians 9:24-27)
I was watching a Marathon, sitting with friends, one of them a runner. A guy ran by. He was bent over crooked. It looked like a rubber band pulled him forward.
“What’s up with that guy,” I asked.
“He’s dehydrated,” my friend said. “He’s in danger and doesn’t even know it. His body has taken all the fluids and now it’s drawing from his muscles.”
A bystander ran to the man and handed him a Gatorade and the runner swigged it down.
I hope it’s not too little, too late, I thought.
Marathon runners train for months to get in shape. They have to wear the right shoes. They eat lots of carbs and the right amount of protein. They work to stay dehydrated, not just during the race, but before and after.
They train on similar terrain to the marathon course. It’s a lot different running a straight 26. 2 miles than it is running hills or into the wind or by water.
They have to know how to partner with others. There’s a point in a marathon that every runner wants to give up. Their body is screaming in pain. Their feet are bleeding or their toenails are turning black. Every time they pound the pavement it jolts their hips or knees.
A good partner might be a running buddy who comes alongside in those times and helps them keep the pace. Not too fast. Not too slow. Just one step in front of the other.
It might be a group of friends who hold signs with your name on it, or who scream out your name as you pass by, and then drive to the next major point so they can do it all over again.
Following Christ is also a marathon. It’s not a sprint. It’s discouraging at times, and ecstatic at others. Paul warns believers to stay focused and not to get tripped up. Your daily prayer life (just talking to God) is your nourishment. It’s something that doesn’t go away. You can dig down deep and find what you need when you’re discouraged.
Your roadmap is your relationship with Christ. It helps you remember who you are and where you’re going. When you follow Him, it won’t always be the easiest routes, or that of the least resistance, but it’s in his footsteps so you’ll grow in the process.
It will be important who you allow to encourage you as you navigate life. Are they taking you down, or are you showing them how to run the race?
What about when you fall or get injured in the race? Get back up. Athletes often fall and are bruised. They gain 
strength by getting up and learning from their mistakes.
At the end of the race, there is a prize. But there are also prizes along the way: knowing God, discovering your destiny, getting to know the Creator of the Universe.
Are you running the race?
by Debra Weiss
When Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, saying, “Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?”
So they said, “Some say John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”
He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?”
Simon Peter answered and said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” – Matthew 16:13-16, KJV
One day as I mulled over God’s many names, I wondered why he had so many. I only have one name. Wouldn’t just ‘God’ perfectly describe him?
As I thought about it, I wondered if perhaps God wanted to be my everything. Maybe that was the purpose in all the names, because He is supposed to be our everything.
Some of my favorite names for God include:
Everlasting Father. “And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” – Isaiah 9:6
Redeemer. “For I know that my Redeemer lives, And He shall stand at last on the earth;” – Job 19:25
Anchor. “…we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast…” – Hebrews 6:19
Teacher. This man came to Jesus by night and said to Him, “Rabbi, we know that You are a teacher come from God; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him.” – John 3:2
Mediator. “For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus…” – 1 Timothy 2:5
The people in our lives, they’ll always let us down but God won’t. God is always there. And he is enough to fill each ache, to renew our spirits, to lift us up.
Discussion: What are some of your favorite names for God? Is He your everything?
Debra Weiss is a freelance writer living on the East Coast. When she’s not writing or editing, she can usually be found at her website (http://www.debraweiss.net).
Derek Hanisch, RTF Staff Writer
From the moment that I accepted Christ into my life, I was taught about Christianity. One of those teachings was the Trinity. We have the Father, who is the God of the Old Testament. We have the Son, who, of course, is Jesus. Finally, we have the Spirit. I was reading through Romans, and the scripture on the Spirit really spoke to me for the first time.
Depending on the denomination that you come from, it’s very possible that your church doesn’t talk about the Spirit of God much. I know mine doesn’t.
The Spirit has been with believers since the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2). Paul, in Romans, has a lot to say about the Holy Spirit.
“The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you. And just as God raised Christ Jesus from the dead, he will give life to your mortal bodies by this same Spirit living within you.”-Romans 8:11
Wow, isn’t that cool? It was the Holy Spirit that was used to raise Jesus from the dead. The same Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead is now living within us!
Romans 8:26-27 are really eye opening for me. Did you know that the Holy Spirit prays for us? (more…)
By Catey Yuen, RTF Staff Writer
Abram had a promise from God. He knew that the Lord would give him a son, despite his old age. He was familiar with the promises of God. He was only a few generations from the time of Noah and the flood, where God had showed just how fully he kept his promises to his people.
But Abram didn’t wait on the Lord. Though the child of promise was to come through his wife, Sarai, he chose instead to have a child through his concubine, Hagar.
Disaster ensued. Sarai banished Hagar and her son Ishmael to the desert twice, and once the child of promise, Isaac, was born, the clash only intensified. The nation descended from Isaac, the Jews, and the nation descended from Ishmael, the Arabs, are in conflict to this day.
What made Abram waver? Why did he settle for less than perfection, when he had the promise of goodness before him?
Abram had the same problem that people are still struggling with to this day. He was impatient for God’s blessing, and so he diminished the blessing coming to him by disobeying God and not waiting on His perfect timing.
A study was conducted among a group of preschoolers. Adults would put a child in a room with one cookie and tell the child that if they could wait a certain amount of time without eating the cookie, they could have two later. Then they went out of the room and watched the children. Almost every child ate the one cookie then, instead of waiting for the two.
They wanted immediate gratification. They wanted to have the good thing then, even though if they just waited a little longer, they would get more.
Everyone longs to feel God’s blessing in their lives. They cry out for him to relieve their suffering and bless them in a certain area of their life. This may be finance, time, housing, friends, school.
I wanted so badly to be involved in a program that my friends were involved in, I pushed God. I told him the area I wanted to be involved in was a good program, that it was a safe environment, that it was a place where I could further his kingdom. I said that I would enjoy it, be good at it, help people through it. Then I asked God why he wasn’t letting me be a part of it. (more…)
by Derek Hanisch, RTF Staff Writer
In 1960 the Etch-a-Sketch was created. You all know what an Etch-a-Sketch is right? It’s that red square, where you turn two knobs and draw a picture. If you make a mistake with your picture all you have to do is give the Etch-a-Sketch a shake. When you shake it the lines disappear and you can start over.
Our life is like an Etch-a-Sketch. Yes, I know, I like using analogies. Just hang with me for one moment and you’ll see where I’m going with this. Everything we do, all of our actions, are lines drawn. Some of our lines draw a pretty picture. There are the mistakes present in the picture as well. The lines that shouldn’t be there, the lines of mistakes and regret. (more…)
“What do these Scriptures mean to you,” I asked.
“That He chose me,” one said.
“That I have spiritual blessings that I’m not choosing,” said another. (more…)
By Lydia Rule, RTF Staff Writer
It seems everywhere I go, the same Christmas tunes are ringing in my ear. I can’t count how many times I’ve been told by these songs that Santa Claus is coming to town, it’s lovely weather for a sleigh ride, and that chestnuts should be roasting on an open fire. I feel like a humbug when these songs begin to play. There never seems to be any variety; just the same old jangles that I heard last year, and the year before that….
Don’t get me wrong—I don’t dislike these songs, but after awhile, they become rote, meaningless. I robotically sing the words without thinking about them. Repetition makes these songs seem weary and stripped of meaning. (more…)
Pure: a 90-day devotional for the mind, body & spirit
by Rebecca St. James, best selling author and musical artist
When Rebecca was 12 years old she attended a program at her school that significantly impacted her life’s story. A speaker asked people to come forward if they felt God leading them to give their talents and gifts to Him. She responsed and that was the same year God began to lead her into music.
Rebecca feels that her God-given purpose is to encourage people to stand for God, to live for Him, and to live a life of worship.
Which is exactly how this book feels as you read it. Daily devotions draw you deep in the heart of a relationship with God, where purity is less about the outside and more about listening to and responding to the voice of God and knowing and being led by Him. (more…)