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1 Corinthians 9:24-25 “Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain. And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible.”
It has been said, ‘none of us will get out of this life alive,’ and barring the rapture, this is certainly true! For ever since the fall of man in the Garden of Eden, and contrary to what that satanic serpent told Eve, all who have ever lived from Adam on down the timeline have died! Everything we see, think, hear, speak, or do in this life is only temporary! All that we have owned or will ever own, no matter how many years it has been on this earth, is really just a short span of time in the grand scheme of things. Our lives here are basically just a ‘blip on the radar screen’ in proportion to eternity! Interestingly enough, during our brief tenure while here on this earth, we are given the supreme yet arduous task and opportunity to carve out what our eternity (whether in Heaven or Hell) will ultimately be like!
Romans 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”
Where do you go when you die? | GotQuestions.org
In this rat race called life, everyone is running to and fro, here and there, literally everywhere, striving to make a name for themselves and/or to ‘live their best lives now,’ so to speak. Even if one is successful and has obtained houses, cars, health, wealth, notoriety, and is living their best life now, what is that in comparison to your soul and where you will spend all of eternity?
After all, this body that we are in is just a shell, a tent, a type of interim or makeshift, if you will, which only currently houses our true self, which is our soul that has not yet been clothed with our glorious and eternal body! Our inner spiritual man and self are far more important than our outer shell and physical self in the here and now. This is all relationally speaking to what should be of the utmost importance, to what truly matters, and to where our focus in this life ought to be!
1 Corinthians 15:50-58 “Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption. Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.
“So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.”
What is a spiritual body? | GotQuestions.org
Proverbs 1:7 “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction.”
Unfortunately, some do not want to focus on what truly matters, spiritually speaking. Their flesh is way more appealing to them at this point and time. They don’t want to be on the difficult and narrow path; they don’t want to run the race that we are in.
Sadly, the unsaved who are in their fleshly state cannot comprehend the spiritual things of God. Therefore, they will not be able to hear, see, or understand what God’s Word has to say to them without the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. They will tend to do what they want to do (which is the satanic doctrine of ‘do as thou wilt’) and incline to the things of that type of mindset. Whatever feels good to them, they will do; whatever seems right to them, they will perform; whatever they can see right in front of them in this fleshly realm will be only what they can perceive. Those who are lost woefully lack wisdom, discernment, and the faith to believe. (For the fear (reverence) of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.)
Revelation 22:10-12 “And he saith unto me, Seal not the sayings of the prophecy of this book: for the time is at hand. He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still. And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.”
When Jesus returns, the unrighteous will continue being such, and the righteous will carry on their same way. The fate of both sides will then be set, and Jesus will reward them and us all accordingly! Oh, may we be of the ones who are on the righteous side when He returns! May we be found running our race, striving in our lane that has been set out before us, and continue onward because we know it will all not be in vain! May we be accounted worthy to escape all these things (the time of the Great Tribulation) that are to come!
How can I be saved? | GotQuestions.org
For those who are on the other end of the spectrum, today would be a good day to turn things around for yourself! Now is the perfect time for redemption, for today is the day of salvation; tomorrow is not promised to any of us! Today, harden not your hearts so you can hear God’s message because the age of grace (Church Age) is clearly, undeniably, and quickly coming to a close! No matter what, our time is always running out on this earth!
Hebrews 12:1-2 “Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.”
Oftentimes, adversity in one’s life will either spur one closer to God or cause one to turn away from Him. For the true believer, experiencing such tragedy can be a ‘grand opening’ into diving further into the things of God and deciding to start truly living for Him in ways that we never really had before. In a roundabout way, to those who have eyes to see and ears to hear, we will realize that what God had allowed to happen to us in our lives was ultimately a ‘blessing in disguise’! For we know that He works all things together for the good of those who love Him!
Romans 8:28 “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.”
Therefore, out of all of the things we tend to pursue and look to in this life (careers, fame, fortune, things, houses, relationships, and the list can go on indefinitely), what is the very best thing after the fullness of time that we could have strived after? The one thing that doesn’t fade away, that moth nor rust can erode, that isn’t temporal, that isn’t of a corruptible crown, and that will not eventually burn up in the end. What is the one thing that will reap incalculable rewards beyond all that we can ask, see, hear, or think?
1 Corinthians 2:9 “But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, Neither have entered into the heart of man, The things which God hath prepared for them that love him.”
That thing is something that pertains to God, which is in the saving of our souls! Once we are His, we have the privilege to participate in the service of the Lord to further His Kingdom, which is in the winning of more souls to join our real family in Heaven! An unspeakable joy of the Lord and of His glory that will compass us about which no man can take away! For like the Apostle Paul said, we should run our race in such a way as to obtain the prize of an ‘incorruptible crown’ for our Lord and for His Kingdom!
What could be more important in this delicate, fragile, fleeting, and temporal life than that…. I say, absolutely nothing! After all, running our race for the Lord is the only race that truly matters, and that’s a fact no matter which end of the spectrum one may be on!
Philippians 3:13-14 “Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.”
Until next time… Maranatha!
Sincerely & In Christ,
Candy Austin
(I have no Accolades….
I am just a Nobody,
Trying to tell Everybody,
All about Somebody,
Who can save Anybody!)
My Mission is to be ‘Salt and Light’ to a Lost and Dying world.
To be an Ambassador for Jesus Christ.
All for Him and His Glory!
The post Running the Only Race That Matters :: By Candy Austin appeared first on Rapture Ready.
