03.28.07

…let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith…. - Hebrews 12:1c-2a.

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 nothing was made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it. - John 1:1-5.

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. - John 1:14.

John Bunyan was the author of “Pilgrim’s Progress” and several other books. “Pilgrim’s Progress” was written during a 12-year period of incarceration for preaching without a license. How did Bunyan find the strength to write such a wonderful book during such a dark time in his life? Bunyan says, “I was never out of my Bible.”

The great evangelist of the last half of the 19^th Century, Dwight L. Moody said, “This book (the Bible) will keep you from sin or sin will keep you from this book.” Moody was a great student of the Bible. The Bible says much the same thing in Psalm 119:9-16, “How can a young man cleanse his way? By taking heed according to Your word. With my whole heart I have sought You; oh, let me not wander from Your commandments! Your word I have hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against You. Blessed are You, O LORD! Teach me Your statutes. With my lips I have declared all the judgments of Your mouth. I have rejoiced in the way of Your testimonies, as much as in all riches. I will meditate on Your precepts, and contemplate Your ways. I will delight myself in Your statutes; I will not forget Your word.”

I like what Jack Hayford says about the Bible, “Consider the one thing in this world which you and I can touch that has ‘eternity’ written into its fabric. It’s the Word of God. Every time I take a Bible in hand, I hold eternity, because the life-force inherent in that Word exceeds all time and space: ‘Heaven and earth will pass away, but My Word shall not pass away.’”

To run the race of life across the finish line of eternity we are to be “…looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith….” How do we do that? Is it just the focus of our minds upon Jesus? Or, is there more that is needed? I believe there is more that is needed. To run the race of life successfully we need to look to Jesus and there is no better way to do that than to read, study, meditate on, and memorize the Word of God. Jesus is the “word became flesh.” Jesus has always been in existence. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” Every time you open up the Bible and begin to read, it is like looking into the face of Jesus.

Of course, reading and studying the Word of God is not the only part of how we are to look to Jesus. I would argue, however, that without the Bible in your life in a real and vital way that you will never find the strength to pray, attend church, or serve God in a meaningful way on a continuing basis. Without the Bible, you will be unable to consistently live the Christian life. John Bunyan had the formula for life, real life that every Christian needs as he says, “I was never out of my Bible.”

If you have been having trouble running the race of life it may be that you have left out the Word of God. Or, it may be that you have not left out the Bible completely but you have not enough of it in your life. George Mueller read through the Bible some 100 times during his lifetime in which he cared for thousands of orphans and in his later years became a world-wide evangelist in a time of sailing ships. How many times have you read through the Bible? In 45 minutes to an hour a day you can read through the Bible in 90 days (Nelson Publishing has a Bible set up to help you to do that - only available in NIV.). How many verses of the Bible have you memorized? (The Navigators have some excellent memorization tools.)

God has given us through Jesus all we need to run the race but it is up to us to do the running. How is your race going?