Life Is A Marathon

Over the weekeend of February 16-18, 2018, I was blessed with the opportunity to speak to the Richmond District Methodist Youth at a retreat at Eagle Eyrie in Lynchburg, Virginia. The messages were based on the scripture 2 Timothy 4:7 - I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. 

Culture tends to pressure our young people into believing their lives are all about what happens in the here and now. The older and wiser we get, though, we realize the heres and nows in life are just small races in the marathon of life. They are stepping stones, learning opportunities. None of the moments our young people feel as high stakes, make or break life moments are the beginning or ending of life at all. They are quite simply short strides in a long race. 
Talking Points
  • Life is a marathon, not a sprint
  • God can use tragedy to beautifully shape His race
  • Life is about learning at each stop along the way
  • To fight the good fight, you have to know what you're fighting for
  • We fight best for each other when we're running the same race
Talking Points
  • 2 Timothy 3: 6-8
  • We don't always get to pick the fights in our lives, but we always get to choose the race we encounter them in
  • The race we choose in life determines whether we see a fight as the beginning or end of life, or the way to life
  • When we choose the road to life, we will always fight with hope on our side
Talking Points
  • Hebrews 12: 1-3
  • When we run the race with God, we will never be considered failures
  • Our value is in the reality God loves us, not in our accomplishments
  • When we grow weary in life, we need to think of Jesus
  • Jesus pioneered and perfected this race we are running
  • This race ends in unimaginable beauty
Talking Points
  • 2 Timothy 1: 3-7
  • God didn't give us a spirit of fear, but the devil does
  • Paul reminds Timothy and us that we need to fan into flame the gift of our faith
  • Our faith gives us a power the devil can't compete with
  • Our faith allows us to love in the same radical way that God loves us
  • Our faith gives us the ability to say no to temptations
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