January 20, 2020

January 20
Running with Jesus 

Luke 5:18-20 And, behold, they brought to him a man sick of the palsy, lying on a bed: and Jesus seeing their faith said unto the sick of the palsy; Son, be of good cheer; thy sins be forgiven thee. And when they could not find by what way they might bring him in because of the multitude, they went upon the housetop, and let him down through the tiling with his couch into the midst before Jesus.  And when he saw their faith, he said unto him, Man, thy sins are forgiven thee.

     This is a great example of a true runner of Christ. These men, you might say, jumped through hoops to get their friend to Jesus. They went the extra mile! They saw a crowd and appeared no way to get to Christ, but that didn't stop them,  they carried and lifted him up to the roof too and dropped him out of the ceiling right before Christ. 
      Sometimes God works through the person’s faith to heal someone but in this case what did we see happen. Jesus said when he saw their faith He said, man, your sins are forgiven. Our faith can make a difference when we pray and seek to bring others to Christ. I saw Mike go visit a man for almost 10 years praying and persevering to see him come to know Christ and finally he did. We must never give up on people and seek to do all we can to get them to Jesus. We must have FAITH God can bring salvation to that friend. Be willing to go the extra mile. Ask God what you need to do. This man couldn't get to Jesus himself, he was sick lying on his bed. They lifted him up and carried him to Jesus. We can lift up our friends to Jesus in prayer and lay them down at His feet.
      Make a list of needs of your friends today and offer them up in prayer this morning. That friend may be so cast down he can't pray but you can. He may need a lift by car to get to a doctor. He may need the money to pay for a copayment. These may be the tools you can use to bring them to Jesus. 
       Let's be honest how many of us are willing to stop our busy schedules to bring someone to Christ. Jesus saw the FAITH of the men and he was healed. Remember our FAITH matters! 

Father,  help us look around today and see opportunities to bring someone to You! Help us take time out to help our friends. Today I lift up------ to You. (Start naming those names!). Then they too can become runners.

Tomorrow: Is Glory Day don't miss this race get your glory shoes on! See you there!

Judy Hollaway

Originally penned 2015

January 19, 2020

January 19
Running with Jesus

Luke 5:16 And he withdrew himself into the wilderness, and prayed.
          

          Feeling run down? Feeling emotionally weak and wanting to quit? Jesus withdrew himself into the wilderness. A desert place, that he might have rest from the preaching and healing diseases. He was being alone, and free from company so He might have an opportunity for private prayer to God. If Jesus needed to draw aside and pray, do we not need to also? When we are feeling low, draw near to God, spend time in His Word, read until It speaks to you then stop and meditate on what the Word says to you. Just hearing from Jesus will renew your strength and enable
you to stay in the race!
          Research has proven prayer and meditation lowers blood pressure, relieves stress and anxiety. It helps with reducing pain, boosting the immune system, and improving moods. There are many other proven facts that deal with our well being. Scientific proof that cost a lot of money to prove! They should have just read the Bible! Father knows best! Can I have an “Amen! “this morning. 
          Runners need their rest so take your shoes off and put up those feet today! If you run all the time it will not be healthy!  What better way to start a day than sitting down with your coffee, Bible and prayer! Jesus is resting from the run today. You can rest too! 

Father, renew our strength today. Help us know how to run and know how to rest. Help us to not forget the benefits of spending quality time with You. Give us wisdom and insight to live life. We thank You for wanting to spend time with us! We love You, Father. 

Tomorrow: Lets help a friend!

Judy Hollaway

Originally penned 2015

January 18, 2020

January 18
Running with Jesus 

Luke 5: 12 "And it came to pass, when he was in a certain city, behold a man full of leprosy: who seeing Jesus fell on his face, and besought him, saying, Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean."

      Wondering why leprosy was one of the first miracles? It gets back to object lessons Jesus used. Not only did he heal this man considered filthy and out cast, but Jesus was beginning to reveal the condition of sinful man’s heart. Leprosy was used to reveal sin in many of the early days. Lepers were considered unclean and anyone touching them was considered defiled and unclean. It is caused by bacteria. They lose the ability to feel in their hands and feet. They can't close their eyelids. The lepers would have to run a round crying out, "I am a leper" because it can be transmitted by contact. They were placed in private colonies to live. The leper lived a lonely, rejected, shameful life and suffered much. However, Jesus stopped by! 
      Many are running around with a sin sick heart, living lonely, rejected, shameful lives. They have cold hardened hearts. Jesus was willing to make this man clean! 
      He has the power to heal. Many have hardened their hearts and lost sensitivity. However, just one touch is all it takes to make you whole and clean. Sin left untouched can make a heart very sick. When we call and invite Jesus to heal us we can find ourselves restored. There is a cure for sin today and it is Jesus. We need to cry out to Jesus and say "I am a sinner!" Jesus is willing to heal our sin sick hearts! “If we confess our sin He is faithful and just and will forgive our sin."1 John 1:9 Confess any known sin. Let your healing begin. 

Father, we cry out for You to take the sin, acting like leprosy hardening our hearts, from us. Help us live unto You and make us whole so we can be liberated from the chains of sin holding us captive. We want to
run with You! We know if we don't confess our sin we can’t. We love You and adore You. We thank You for our healing. Thank You for softening our cold, hard heart.

Spend time confessing any known and any unknown sin today then get up and run with Jesus! 

Feeling run down? We'll talk in the morning!

Judy Hollaway

Originally penned 2015

January 17, 2020

January 17
Running with Jesus

Luke 5:10 "And so was also James, and John, the sons of Zebedee, which were partners with Simon. And Jesus said unto Simon, Fear not; from henceforth thou shalt catch men."

     Jesus was just beginning to call His first runners to run with Him. They had no idea what was about to happen in their lives and the change that was about to take place.

      Jesus taught a lesson from their boat and then He performed one of the first miracles giving them an object lesson. Using object lessons helps people get a visual image. Evidently they had fished all night and had not caught anything. They were washing their nets. Jesus sends them back out and they caught so much they had to call for help to bring the catch in and Simon falls and confesses He is a sinner. Fear, awe, and wonder comes upon him and Jesus said unto Simon, Fear not; from henceforth thou shalt catch men.
       When God calls us to join Him in His race of life we become fishers of men! So our challenge today is to get back out there and fish for men! Look for opportunities to fish! Ask Jesus where the hot spot is today! It may be at the coffee shop!  Go Fish! 11. And when they had brought their ships to land, they forsook all, and followed Him.
Did you notice they forsook all and followed Him? Let's examine and ask ourselves am I giving Jesus my all? That's what it means when we answer His call; He is to be number one in our lives. Where have you placed Him? First? Second? Third? Something to ponder. Runners want to be in first place! Are you running with the first place Man? 
Jesus is calling us to follow Him. If you are lagging behind, catch back up!

Father, as we run today help me stop and invite others on our trek. You know where we need to let down our nets. Maybe today we need to go out a little deeper and prepare their hearts to receive Your message of hope. Father we desire to be a fisher of men. Show us how and where! I want You to be in first place in my life, help me focus and answer Your call. 

Watch out leprosy is around the corner, in the morning!

Judy Hollaway

Originally penned 2015

January 16, 2020

January 16
Running with Jesus 

Luke 5:2 "And saw two ships standing by the lake: but the fishermen were gone out of them, and were washing their nets."
         

      Just an ordinary day in the life of a fisherman, they had finished their fishing and were washing their nets getting ready to go home and rest. Their lives were about to change!   Jesus steps onto their boat and asked to use their boat and he began to teach the crowd around. 
      Just wondering when Jesus stepped into your busy life? Maybe it is today. He wants to change your life forever and sign you up to run the race with Him. Others out there, are you too busy and do not allow Jesus to interrupt your busy schedules and miss what He wants to do in your life today! 
       Notice He ask to use Simon's boat for personal use. Are we willing to let Jesus use our personal possessions? The boat was their business and livelihood. Simon let Jesus in on His daily affairs and tomorrow we'll see how he changed. Be willing to join the race and let Jesus be involved in every aspect of your life!  Watch your life Change!

Father,  we give You access to anything You desire to use that we posses. We ask You to step into our lives. We want to see our lives transformed in some way every day. We want to run with You! Take anything we have and use it for Your glory and help others. 

Tomorrow: The call!

Judy Hollaway

Originally penned 2015