Regular Joe's

I run in the path of your commands, for you have set my heart free.  Psalm 119:32

Some kids learn to run before they walk.  Momentum takes over and staying upright requires speedier legs.  Life is a lot like that too isn’t it?  We start out at one pace and momentum takes over and we are left wishing for speedier legs.  We might run for differnt reasons and we might run different paces but make no mistake, we all run. Did you know that the Bible often speaks of life as a race?

This race (life) requires endurance, technique, a course to run and just like any skilled runner, some help along the way.  “Running the Race”  is not just something only followers of Jesus do, it is something humans do.  Maybe that is why we are called the Human Race.  When God enters the picture He invites us to follow Him.  When we say “yes”, He makes some adjustments.

The verse above tells us that God adjusts the path we run when we follow Him.  This does not necessarily mean that when we follow Christ we change jobs, houses and states.  “I run in the path of your commands” means that when we follow Christ, the path we run in our life becomes the codes and instructions of God.

In the wilderness, hiking trails are often marked by a Rock Carin.  A Rock Carin is a small stack of rocks that identify the path a hiker is to walk.  The commands of God are His Rock Carin’s.  They are how He marks our path.  Using them keeps us from getting lost, or as the verse says, using them brings freedom.  One real life example is Eric Liddell.

Eric Liddell was an Olympic 100 meter runner in 1924.  He was also a devout follower of Christ.  Born of missionary parents in China, his plan was that when his running was over he would return to missionary work in China.  While traveling to the Olympics he discovered his race was on Sunday.  His deeply held conviction (Rock Carin) was that he should not run on the Lords day, so in keeping with this conviction, he withdrew from the race.  One of his teammates gave him his spot in the 400 meter race on the next day.  The American coach and other runners said that since this race was 4 times longer than he had run and trained for,  Eric Liddell was no threat in this race.

History tells us that he ran, he won Gold and he ran in the path of God’s commands at the same time.  Later Eric Liddell returned to China and did his missionary work.  Check out this quote from Eric Liddell;   I believe God made me for a purpose, but he also made me fast. And when I run I feel His pleasure.

Eric Liddell felt the pleasure of God when he ran in the paths of God’s commands. Reading these words today reminds me that God indeed has a purpose for my life and when I run in the pathway that His commands lay out, I am free.

Random Act of Kindness: Buy some socks to donate to the mission or Salvation Army.