Fourth of July Weekend '14

The Fourth of July Holiday is a good reminder to not take our Freedoms for granted.  It was a quiet weekend for me but I did catch some of the fireworks from the military base.

It is also nice to have an extra day off to take care of things I just normally don't have time for, and I was quite productive. I finally changed my porch exterior light and put in a new motion sensor light in the back.  Both worked out well and look good.  Changing lights was a very useful skill to learn and I appreciate that my dad was able to show me how to do it.  I also bought new outlet and switch covers and put them into the newly painted room.

In addition, I had a chance to catch the finals of Wimbledon with two of my favorite tennis players battling for the title.  In a long 5-game match, Djokovic defeated Federer.   Both of them wanted the title so much an gave it their all.   It's motivating and causes me to evaluate what it is that I am devoting deeply my time and energies into, and what I am able to "excel" in.   My focus is definitely in serving God, and if I were to say which area I pursue excellence in, it would be in teaching God's Word; which is worthwhile in the eternal perspective.

On Sunday, one of the Assistant Pastors at my church preached on my life verses, with a sermon entitled "What are you Looking At?  How to Win the Race".  He used one of my favorite Olympic stories, the one of Derek Redman's inspiration Olympic race finish, when his dad helped him limp to the finish line despite his injury.  Following are some truths from Hebrews 12:1-3 to help us be successful in finishing our race in life:

• The Crowd - "Therefore" refers to the Hebrews 11 Hall of Faith heroes, who have already run the race so that they can encourage us for continue b/c the prize is worth it.  In our "crowd", we can include NT saints and godly people we have known
• The Uniform - Other passages in Scripture talk about what we put on (e.g. armor, love, etc); but, this focuses on what we put off - sin and hindrances.   We are to throw off anything that will hinder us in the race
• The Track - Christ has already marked out and prepared the path we are to take; and we are to run it with perseverance, for it is not a sprint but a marathon
• The Goal - We are to fix our eyes on JESUS!   When Jesus is in our sights, our perception of temptation, sin, hindrances become clearer in light of Him.  He is also our best example of how to run the race.  His being the "author and perfector" not only indicates that He is at the beginning and end; but also every step of the way.  When we fix our eyes on Him, we will not lose heart or grow weary.  A good related story is that in Matt 14, Peter was able to walk on water as long has he had his eyes on Jesus, but began to sink when he took his eyes off.

Sunday evening, I had a really special time with the Lord in my "prayer corner".   He is GOOD and I love HIM!