Spiritual Olympics
Time does seem to be at a premium these days. There is always something to do, and never enough time to do it! And the sad part is that our busyness encroaches upon the time we should be spending with the Lord. We make time for outings, shopping, recreation, holidays and watching the Olympics! Not that there is anything wrong with any of these. They only become wrong when they push God down the line to fifth, sixth and even tenth place in our lives, when in fact He should be No 1!
And speaking of the Olympics - they are well and truly with us, and no doubt you have heard the words "gold" and "glory" many times over - go for gold! and the glory belonged to... Without taking away from the achievements of athletes, wouldn't it be wonderful if people found it in their hearts to give glory to God? No one can ever honestly say that they have never heard about God. The evidence is before them day and night - the heavens declare the glory of God, the skies proclaim the work of His hands (Ps 19:1 - see also Rom 1:20). But did you realize that others also are to see God's glory in us? How is this possible?
Yes it is true that as Paul says: We have fallen short of the glory of God...and the wages of our sin is death (Rom 3:23; 6:23). And yet it was for this very reason that Christ died on the cross to pay the penalty for our sins, and so break the power of sin in our lives. Through faith in our Lord Jesus, we are declared righteous by God and are being transformed more and more into the glorious likeness of Christ. This is the challenge of being a Christian - to reflect the glory of Christ in our lives - to be more and more like Him in our thoughts, our words, and our deeds. To be a Christian, means to shine for Christ and to run the race of life with perseverance...always looking to Christ (Heb 12:1). Then others will see God's glory in you. What a privilege it is to reflect His glory! But are you? Grace and peace....