Dec 6

2 Timothy 4:7-8
7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, and I have remained faithful.
8 And now the prize awaits me—the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give me on the day of his return. And the prize is not just for me but for all who eagerly look forward to his appearing.

1 Corinthians 9:24
24 Don’t you realize that in a race everyone runs, but only one person gets the prize? So run to win!

One of the most exciting races in the Olympics took place in Munich, Germany, in 1972. The favorite in the men's 800-meter race was Evgeniy Arzhanov from the Soviet Union. He had not lost an 800-meter finals race in four years, and everyone expected that record to remain intact. The American runner was David Wottle, an exciting runner who always wore a painter's hat when he ran, making it easy to find him in the pack. Wottle's strategy in most races was to stay near or at the back of the pack of runners, waiting until very near the end to "kick" into a fast run, catching up to and often passing all the other runners before the finish line. But Wottle had run his fastest time ever just to get to the Olympics, and some felt he couldn't run that fast again. Plus, he had been less than healthy in the days leading up to the Olympics. The race began predictably. A couple runners from Kenya started out fast, taking the lead early. Wottle was way back in sixth place as Arzhanov took over the lead from the Kenyans. Then, in the last two hundred meters, Wottle thought he noticed Arzhanov begin to slow down. Knowing that the end of the race was his strongest part, Wottle continued to "kick," catching up to Arzhanov at the finish line. The record books show both Arzhanov and Wottle with the same time (1:45.9), but they list David Wottle as the winner of the gold medal-by a "nose," Arzhanov said. Obeying God and choosing right may seem like an Olympic race. A lot of times it's hard to be honest, for example. Friends may make fun of you for being honest. The truth may be embarrassing. Sometimes being truthful can even get you into trouble! In the short run, honesty may seem like a "losing" strategy. But even if honesty is hard in the short run, it is better in the long run. You may feel as if you're making a mistake by being honest. You may wonder if you're losing out by doing the right thing. But even when it's hard, honesty really is the best policy. Because it's right. Because God "watches over the path of the godly" (Psalm 1:6). Because life is a race to the finish (1 Corinthians 9:24; 2 Timothy 4:7-.

REFLECT: Do you think David Wottle would have won if he had tried to keep up with the Kenyan runners? Why or why not? If you decide to be honest only when it's in your best interests, how will you know when it's "better" to be honest? If you decide (and seek God's help) to be honest all the time, do you think your choices will be clearer? easier? right?

ACT: Challenge a friend or family member to a race. Use the race as an opportunity to share the message of today's reading.

PRAY: "God, sometimes I feel like I'm losing when I do the honest thing. Please help me to remember that I'm in the race to the finish."

a single lie can slow us down and make us lose a race by a huge time difference from the rest of the racers. lies are unacceptable and because God has no tolerance for that, we always experience the bad blows from lying. staying true in your words and actions can allow you to move forward and get a head start or finish off wonderfully just by doing what is right. keeping true to our words and being honest all throughout will pay off in the end and God will reward you with a prize that couldnt compare with any other.
it isnt easy being truthful all the time, but by thinking over what we are going to say and whether or not God will appreciate what we say could help us improve. you have to be brave in order to speak out the truth and build up that confidence and dont be ashamed of what you will say because it is so much better in the long run for everyone.

Sorry guys, a lot of things are kinda going through my head this weekend-ish. (That's what I call the second half of the weekday)

I can't really focus on the devotions right now.

But if you can somehow find a way to make a circuit as the following without diodes and three way switches, it would be great. (S stands for Switch)
SA SB SC A B
1 0 0 1 0
0 1 0 0 1
0 0 1 1 1
1 1 0 1 1

Yeah, sorry guys. It's just really stressful to have a teacher who's giving an impossible to get perfect assignment.

24 "Don’t you realize that in a race everyone runs, but only one person gets the prize? So run to win!"

In life there will always be things that you want so badly, you would put a ridiculous amount of effort to get it. Just like thr runners in today's story! They probably trained for a long time before coming to the Olympics and actually participating in the race.
We should be like those runners. Training and working hard, to get first prize. God didn't make life a joke. It's a serious thing, and we all have to think about the consequences that could happen if we don't get access to eternal life in heaven!

I actually have a chance to sleep early today, so good night!

7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, and I have remained faithful.
8 And now the prize awaits me—the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give me on the day of his return. And the prize is not just for me but for all who eagerly look forward to his appearing.

i found these 2 versses very powerful because after all we have been through and after everything. we finally get to meet GOd. That day when we stand before him. pretty exciting. this verse shows that all the suffereing int his wrold and all the obstacles that stood in our paths, we stood strong and still remained faithful. We have finally waited enough and we are getting our reward With God which is unexplainable. This is how we should feel. The need to be before GOd so we should endure all thepains and suffering here and await the day when it finally comes.

like the example because ik that running isnt hard but its about percerveriance (nice spelling i know). running is about the focus of your mind and only focuing on your goal which is to finish the race. No matter what distractions you must stay focused or you will lose your pace and be out of breath.

all i got gnite

and Jake i do not comprehend that question either

When you can't even see the finish line, it really does feel exausting going through so much trouble. It would just be easier to just give up and quit. But we know what is right and that's why we keep on going at it. No matter how many problems/struggles arise we remain strong and move forward. So much discouragement is found when you're following him. But when the time comes, god will aknowledge those who have stayed with him throught their spiritual growth. We may once in a while be tired and slow down but that's all part of the growing.
We know what is right and wrong....it's up to us wether we will respond to it the rightway.

Good night everyone!
~Audrey~

Didn't really get a TON from today's reading
Life here on earth is a race and salvation is our finish line
What are willing to do to prepare for that race? Wottle had a plan to sprint at the end to win
We too need a plan, a guide for how we are going to live this "race".

So internet was down yesterday, so doing this devo now

We all know that God's way usually, if not always, goes against the worlds', so when we follow God's principles, it may seem like we are moving slower, or even moving backwards in society. This sort of thing may start to feel like a drag in the long run, but if we compare ourselves from when we made God-influenced decisions rather than following society, I think that we'd find that the return is much greater. So always go the "high road" because even if it may seem harder to travel, it'll lead you to much greater things.

Our life is race to the finish line and a journey through ups and downs with God. If we choose to only partake in the race during the times where we are strong and can go fast... we will never finisht he race. There will be times where we get tired and start to fall back... but continue to stay in the race cause God will give you the strenght to keep striving through obstacles and eventually get you to your goal. He is always the better choice and if time are hard and God is needed. Just call out to him... he will give you clears paths in which race you take and which race you will finish.

I think that sometimes we forget about the fact that we're living this life, not for ourselves but for God.
We forget to run the race to get to heaven and to keep that our main goal.

It's been especially hard for me because I spend a lot of time focusing on myself and university and what the future holds for me and for the life I want to live, these days. It's difficult to put God first when everyone is telling you that university is the only thing that will make your life worth while.

So I'm glad I got reminded of the love and persistence we SHOULD have when it comes to God!