With the Rugby World Cup in full swing and every team trying to get a Try and trying to win, one thing you can`t say is that the different countries represented were not trying. And although trying to get a Try can be trying, at times, it`s the trying that brings results.
Furthermore, trying to win and trying to be the best takes mental strength, determination and resilience. And although the sport I love watching is more to do with a round ball than an oval one, I am always impressed with the tenacity and will-power of any rugby player. To battle on when the blood is pouring, the bruises showing and the broken noses evident and along with the cauliflower ears on many a player, shows how tough rugby players are. To be wrestled to the ground and often with six sweaty, beefy men stopping you from getting back up is not for the faint-hearted and to keep running with the ball when every opponent is chasing after you to take you down, also takes guts.
And the Christian life not only takes guts too but it`s the trying that brings a smile to our Lord. The fact that we are trying to do our best for our Lord and trying to live out our faith in very trying times makes God smile with delight and approval. And with the pressures of family life, work commitments and the financial stresses we encounter too, the very thought that you are trying to honour God with your life, however challenging it can be, is a testament of your love for your Lord.
God isn`t looking for perfection but people who will `keep trying to run the Christian race` , even when the devil is chasing after you to take you down or even when you are battered and bruised by life. Today, I honour you before God for your tenacity and resilience but I also encourage you to keep trying to be more like Jesus, keep trying to honour Him in everything you do and keep trying to share the Gospel at every opportunity. Finally,all God expects from us is that we `Don`t stop trying! `
Blessings Pastor Steve
REFLECTION When was the last time the devil tried to stop you from `getting back up`? What did you do to overcome him and how has that inspired you to keep going for God?
MEDITATION `Trying times` are just around the corner for all of us. How could your faith inspire others when they feel like `giving up`?
ACTION Where have you tried to serve God in the past but gave up too easily? Maybe it`s time to try again but with greater conviction.
