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Beth Jones is a Bible teacher and founder of The Basics With Beth, a non-profit Christian teaching ministry dedicated to helping people learn the Bible basics.
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0:00 Hi, guys. I'm Beth Jones, and welcome to the basics with Beth where learning God's word is a joy. And I just wanna say we are so honored to be with you right here on0:12 pray dot com. In every message, we will do our best to teach you the bible basics in such a way that it strengthens your faith foundation. In0:23 addition, I want to empower and equip you so that you have confidence to share these Bible basics with others. So lean in and listen with your heart. If you'd0:35 like to know more about our ministry, just go to the basics with beth dot com and get all the scoop. With all of that said, now let's jump into today's message.0:49 Thank you guys so much. You can be seated. Cool. I am super excited and honored to be here today just to encourage you in what I'd like to call today's message, run1:01 your race. Pretty simple. I just wanna encourage all of us that we have a race to run. We have a mission, a call, and a purpose on our lives. And I wanna encourage you today that God's plans are good and1:12 that they are for you. Amen? Amen. Amen. Well, 4 takeaways for today. I'll cover them, and then we'll get in-depth. But number 1 is stay hydrated. Someone say stay hydrated.1:24 I don't know why I expected you to say it before I told you to say it. Somebody say stay hydrated. Stay hydrated. Say stay together. Stay together. Stay in rest.1:34 Stay in rest.1:35 And stay focused. Those are the 4 things we're gonna cover as I encourage you guys to run your race today. And the key verse that we'll start with is First Corinthians 9 24. And that1:47 says, do you not know that in a race, all runners run, but only 1 gets the prize? Run-in such a way as to get the prize. Let me pray and then we'll get into1:58 it. Father God, we just love you so much, God. And I'm just so privileged and so honored to be able to stand on this stage today, Lord. And I just ask that your Holy Spirit will use my mouth, my words as a2:10 vessel to speak into these people's lives, God. To hear a word in season, Lord. Meet them right where they're at, God. I thank you that you are more than able, Lord God, to speak a word for each and every person2:22 here. Lord, I lean in on you, Lord, and thank you for your help and your guidance. It's in Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Amen. Well, now I'll premise this by saying that I'm not a runner nor do I2:34 support running of any kind. I don't believe in it. I don't see a biblical example of it. Just kidding. But just some fun facts to get us started when it comes to running. And I just wanna tell you, if you run, no2:45 disrespect. It's just me personally. You know? But some fun facts to get us started. You know the treadmill? That big rolling death machine in the corner of the gym? That was invented originally as a2:57 torture method for prison inmates. Not kidding. It was literally invented to torture prison inmates, and it's been torturing people ever since. Seriously. And in the 19 sixties this is3:09 hilarious. In the 19 sixties, jogging was so unusual that the police would often pull you over for suspicious activity. I think we need to go back to the sixties. Amen? Amen. I'm3:21 ready. But the thing that I love about this verse, I'll read it again for you, is that he says, do you not know that wrote those who run-in a race all run, but 1 receives3:33 the prize? Run-in such a way that you may obtain it. And what I love about this is I'm a very competitive person. I definitely only run if there's a purpose involved. Like if I were running for a murderer,3:45 maybe not even then. If I was running for like Krispy Kreme doughnuts, if I smelled them, or like if my wife said my name really aggressively, then I'd run-in like a heartbeat. But I love this verse here3:57 because he drew a line in the sand here. Because he says, this isn't just a mundane, boring thing. A life with Jesus isn't just something that you sign up4:09 for, go through the motions, and just live your everyday normal life. No. He said this race, this life with Jesus is a race. It's a competition. You've got a call. You've got a purpose, and4:20 it's not just some boring mundane thing where we drift through life. No. This is something that we run towards. We run towards Jesus because he has a plan and a purpose on our lives, and we're not here4:32 just to coast. We're not here just to drift through life, but we have a mission for people. And we have a prize, and his name is Jesus. Amen? Amen. Amen. I forgot to say, you know, if you like anything4:44 I say or anything's kinda funny, don't feel feel free to just make some noise back at me. You can shout at me, yell at me, preach at white boy, whatever you want. Know? You just you be led. You be led. Whatever you feel4:55 led to do. But I just love this because I think it's just so fundamental to our faith. And before we go any further, I just wanna establish the fact in all of our hearts that5:07 God is good. Just like we sang about this morning. I think it is so crucial in our lives that we understand that God is good. Because if we don't, anytime something in life5:18 throws at us, anytime something happens, we'll never know whether it's from God or if it's from the devil. We'll never know whether God has a good plan or if he has a plan to harm us. And I think he made it abundantly5:29 clear in John 10 10 when he says, the thief has not come but to steal, to kill, and to destroy, but I have come that you may have life and have it more abundantly. And I love that because5:41 God drew a line in the sand, and he said, is it good? Is it for you? Does it wanna prosper you? It's for me. Does it wanna steal? Does it wanna kill? That's from the devil. Some of you this morning, I believe God tells5:53 you to look at your situation and say, don't accept that package. Don't accept that bad thing that came to your doorstep. Don't accept that addiction, that struggle. That's from the enemy. God has a higher plan. God has6:05 a better call on your life. God's got more for you. Amen? Amen. And just to keep going, mean, in Romans 8 28, he says, and we know that God works all things together for good.6:17 For those that love him and call and are called according to his purpose. And I love this because it's so refreshing to know that when everything looks bad, when it looks like it's not gonna work out,6:29 we've got a God that's just around the corner, that's ready to turn it up side down on his head because he has a good plan and whatever the enemy meant for evil, he's gonna cause it for good. Come on. If somebody6:40 believes it, can you shout? Can you give God praise? He's good. He's got a good plan for your life. And I just another verse to encourage you and just to convince you of this truth,6:52 man, that God is good and that he's good all the time is Psalms 35 27. It says, let them shout for joy and be glad, who favor my righteous cause. And let7:03 them say continually, let the Lord be magnified, who has pleasure in the prosperity of his servant. Man, how good is that? He just made it so clear right there. If7:15 you've ever wondered if God wants you to prosper, if you've ever wondered if God has a good plan, he just told you. He delights in your prosperity. He delights in your joy and in in your relationship7:27 with him. So are you convinced? Yes. Come on. Somebody say, God is good. God is good. All the time. All the time. Amen. Well, let's dive into it. Number 1, stay hydrated. Somebody say, stay hydrated.7:39 Stay hydrated. You know, naturally speaking, if you're a runner, and I'm not like I stated before, but if you are a runner, I look this stuff up. I wouldn't know by experience. If you're a runner and you're dehydrated,7:50 your body literally can't function anymore. You'll start to cramp. You'll start to fall. You'll lose endurance. Your body needs water to function. And I think that is such a spiritual parallel because we need8:02 living water. We need the word of God. We need God's presence each and every day. And in Matthew 4 4, he says, man shall not live by bread alone, but by every single word that8:14 proceeds from the mouth of God. You know, I had a friend once. It's hilarious. I had a friend who loved Doctor Pepper so much. They would drink it for every single meal, every8:25 occasion. 24 7, they would drink Doctor Pepper. They'd wake up, they'd drink Doctor Pepper. They'd drink it with lunch. They'd go to bed, and they'd drink Doctor Pepper. Until like once every couple of weeks, they said8:35 they'd get like really light headed and like fainty and like fatigued. And they'd be like, I'll just chug a glass of water. And then they just go back to doing like what they've always done. They just literally they8:46 they're like, oh, I feel kinda sick. I drink a glass of water. No. I'm good. I'll just keep drinking Doctor Pepper. And that's just so funny to me, but I think it's such a picture of what our Christian lives can look8:56 like sometimes. When we go through our lives and we wear ourselves out over and over and over again, and then, well, maybe now I should go get some living water. Maybe now that I'm tired, burnt out, I should go get9:07 living water. And can I tell you, church, God loves it when we come to him no matter what it looks like, but that is not a sustainable way to run your race? I love that Jesus compared this to9:19 water because water isn't something you need once a week. It's something you need every single day of your life. We need his presence, church. We need his word if we are gonna run9:31 this race with endurance. If we're not only gonna start but finish, we need to stay hydrated. So let's do a little exercise. When I say, what do you9:42 need? I want you to say, water. What do you need? Water. That was pretty good. You could do a little better. What do you need? Water. It's okay that Michigan lost. What do you9:54 need? Water. There we go. There we go. We're getting somewhere. We're getting somewhere. But some natural naturally speaking, some symptoms that you will get if you're dehydrated and and you're trying to run.10:06 You'll start to feel fatigued. Your joints will start to hurt. Your immune system will start to weaken. And I think there's so many spiritual parallels here. So like when you're fatigued, spiritually, you got10:18 no joy in your life, you got no anxiety you got anxiety in so many situations. What do you need? Water. You guys are quick. What do you need? Water. Your joints10:29 hurt, naturally or emotionally speaking. You're overly sensitive. You care too much about what others think of you. You're a people pleaser. You live for the praise of men. What do you need? Water. You guys are getting10:41 better. I love it. Your immune system is weakened. Every time temptation comes, the enemy comes, falls you fall right into his trap, repeating the same sin patterns over and over again. The devil10:53 keeps eating your lunch day after day. What do you need? Man, water is the best medicine. And when I speak of water, obviously, I'm speaking of living water. Jesus,11:05 his presence, his word. We need it, man. We need it every single day. And If we're gonna run our race, and we're gonna run it well, and we're gonna run it the way Jesus has called us to, we need his word. We need11:17 his presence every day. Amen? Amen. Amen. And in John 14 4, Jesus said, whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him, he will never thirst again. But the water that I shall give him11:29 will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life. I love that. So drink living water, not just occasionally, but daily. Amen? Amen. Amen. Alright. Number 2 is11:40 stay together. Somebody say stay together. Stay together. Now I've been married for about a year, 2 months, 30 minutes, and I'm just kidding. I don't know. But about a11:52 year now, and I can tell you, man, life is better together. I didn't know how badly I needed a wife until I got 1. When when we got married, I've gained fit like, almost 50 pounds so far.12:04 You know why? Because I have somebody that feeds me now. Before, it's like, I'm I might eat. I might not. I don't know. I like smash out, like, once a day, and then I'm done. But being having somebody to go through life12:16 with is so much better. And all the men said Amen. Amen. You know, and just to go down a little rabbit trail here, I'll I'll embarrass myself a little bit. My wife helps me so much just to understand things, at a man12:27 of my age. You know, 1 time we were, watching TV, late at night, And this commercial came up for Joss A Bank, I think is how you say it, the the suit company. And we're watching12:39 in. We're, like, watching the whole thing. It's this really cool, like, commercial where they're, like, doing all the clothes and everything. And at the end of it, I go I I turned to her and I go, man, credit unions must12:49 be killing it if banks are selling suits now. Yeah. That was a very embarrassing moment for me. And she, of course, had to correct me. We prayed. I13:01 repented, Got back on track. You know, been walking with the Lord ever since. But but no. That's just 1 of the many stories. It's just another 1 just since we're on this rabbit trail now.13:12 You know the phrase to each their own? To each their own, like, to each their own, do your thing. You do you. You know, that whole expression? I never, like, really heard it. Like, I don't know if this started as a joke13:23 or if I actually believed this, but for the longest time, I thought people were saying 1 word, to zeach his own. Like, tzitzitah zone. Because people say it so fast. Like, tzitzitah zone13:34 tzitzitah zone. Sounds like 1 word. I don't know if that was a joke or if I actually thought that. Either way, pray for me. You know? But we need people. We need each other in13:46 life. Hebrews 10 23 through 25 says, let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider 1 another in order to stir up13:58 love and good works, not forsaking the assembly of ourselves together as the as the manner of some, but exhorting 1 another and so much more as you see the day approaching. I love this because this isn't14:10 just a church idea. This is a God idea. We need people, not just on Sunday, but each and every single day of our life. You are not created to do life alone. I don't care how strong you think you are. You14:22 need somebody to lean on. We all need somebody to lean on. Come on. Know it. So just call on me, brother, when14:34 you need a hand. We all need somebody to lean on. Come on. You guys know I used to be on the worship team. You know I did my thing back in the day. Just14:45 kidding. BC. Just kidding. But we need people in life, man. People are so important. They're so valuable. You don't need a lot of people. You just need the right people in life. Amen? You need14:57 the right people. You need right people who are around you. And I would ask the question to you this morning. Are are the people in your life pushing you towards who you need to be in Jesus? Pushing you towards who you15:09 need to be, or are they pulling you away? Because there's no middle ground in life. They either are or they aren't. Do you have the kind of people in your life where even if you wanted to throw your life away, you15:20 couldn't. They're like a stalker. By the minute you try to throw your life away, they're calling you every 2 minutes. You're not at church. You're usually here at 5 9 55 on the dot. We were supposed to have communion,15:31 and we're supposed to hang out. Where are you at? Do you have those kind of friends in your life who are just there for you, who will be there, who won't let you just throw your life away? Naturally speaking, when it15:42 comes to running, got a lot of running parallels here. I became a runologist to preach this message to you. Don't plan on using any of the information. It's just for spiritual application. But15:54 some some reasons, naturally speaking, why it's good to run with a partner, and then I think there's some really good spiritual parallels in here, Is number 1, partners are good pace setters. They help you set your16:06 pace. Second Corinthians 6 14 says, do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what had what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light16:18 with darkness? You know, this isn't just a marriage idea. This is a relationship idea. To be equally yoked with somebody doesn't necessarily just mean that they're a Christian. It means to have the same16:30 intensity as 1 another, have the same fervor, the same fire, the same passion for God. Because you can have a lot of friends that are Christian that still compromise your values, who still push you down that wrong road,16:41 who still aren't pushing you towards Jesus. So the question is, are the people in your life helping push your pace towards Jesus, helping you become better every single day? Because16:53 those are the kind of people who are gonna help you to run your race and not just start it, but finish it. Amen? Amen. We need partners who are good pacesetters. Number 2 is17:05 partners make the run fun. Now, I'm a people person. So for some of you introverts, this might be a little bit stretching of a message. But for me, I literally can't be alone for like more than 417:16 hours without getting a headache. Like, I grow tired of the voice in my head. I give myself a headache. Like, that's how much of a people person I am. So for me, this is like, we need people. You know? People are fun.17:28 You need people to laugh with. But for some of you, it might be a little bit more of a stretch. But I just think it's so true that whether you're in a ditch, you're in a valley, or you're in a mountaintop moment, we all17:37 need people who we can laugh with, who can be be joyful with, who can pick us up when we're feeling down, that person that can make you laugh no matter what situation you're in. We need those kind of people in life.17:49 Amen? Amen. And number 3 is partners are great alarm clocks. Now for you moms out there who can never understand what the heck your kids are talking about, I'm a help you out here. You know that phrase they always18:01 say like, mom, why are you sleeping on me? Why are you sleeping on me? You're always sleeping on me. Well, it's maybe you do know that term, but it's basically to translate, it means like catch you slipping or, like,18:12 slacking and all that. So here, partners are great alarm clocks. And I love this picture because we need people in life who are gonna pick us up when we're down, who are gonna pull us out of that valley, we18:23 wanna turn the other way, when we wanna look back, when the race grows too hard, when we're down on our luck, we need people in our lives to grab us and tell us it's gonna be okay. God has a18:35 good plan. God wants to prosper you. Keep moving. Keep running. Let me throw you over my shoulders because I know that God's got more ahead for you. Keep moving. Keep pushing. We need people in our18:47 lives who will do that for us, who will love us like that. Love us how Jesus loved us, Putting us on his back and moving forward. We need those kind of people in our lives, and we're gonna18:59 run this race and not just sleepwalk through it. Amen? Amen. Number 3 is stay in rest. Now, like I said, I would tell you more stories about my running, but I don't19:11 really have any. So I'll just I've got plenty on resting, though. Lots on resting. But the last thing I would want you to think is that19:23 you've gotta run this race on yourself. That you've gotta strive, you gotta work your way to God, you gotta keep doing what you know to do in your own mind. That's no way to go through your Christian life. You're not19:34 meant to run this race alone. I love what running while resting looks like in Psalm 23. It says, the Lord is my shepherd. I19:46 shall not want. He makes me to lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside the still waters. He restores my soul. And might have some of you guys might not have caught19:57 that. But I love this because all over the New Testament, Jesus refers to himself as the good shepherd, the great shepherd. And when you look at Jesus calling himself the good shepherd, you know what that makes20:09 us? Sheep. It makes us sheep. Jesus equated us to sheep. He could have picked any animal like a lion, a bear, like something cool, like an20:20 eagle. What does he pick? The sheep. We're sheep. Why? Because I think sheep are a perfect picture of what20:32 we as Christians are supposed to look like. Sheep are so helpless by themselves. If you tried to attack a sheep, it wouldn't even have like a defense mechanism. It's just like, like if you tried to attack it, like, it's20:44 got nothing. When was the last time you saw a sheep like striving to get somewhere? Like, a sheep, like, I'm really determined in life. I gotta do my taxes and do my 9 to 5 job and work super hard to get somewhere. No.20:55 Sheep do nothing. But that's what he equates us to. You know why? Because sheep are the best followers. And if we're gonna talk about running our race, it is never about striving21:06 and only about following. Sheep are only good for following. And that's what Jesus calls us to do in this race called life. We cannot strive through life. If21:18 you try to strive through your race, you're gonna look like me trying to run a mile. It's not pretty. But when you follow, when you follow his lead, when you understand, I can't do this on my own.21:30 I can't make it by myself. I have to follow the shepherd. I love what he said when he called himself the21:42 shepherd. Because that made it abundantly clear that our position is simply to follow him. Amen? Amen. Which brings me to my next point.21:54 Someone say stay focused. Stay focused. Stay focused. Stay focused. It says this in Hebrews 12 1 through 2. Just wanna remind you that when we talk about your mission, and22:06 we talk about the prize, the mission is people, and the prize is Jesus. Boil life down to that. Your mission is people, and your prize is22:18 Jesus. Amen? Let's look at Hebrews 12 1 through 2. It says, therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight22:30 in the sin which so easily ensnares us. And let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and the finisher of our faith, who for the22:42 joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of throne of God. For consider him who endured such22:54 hostility from sinners against himself, lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls. Man, there's so much goodness here when it comes to running our race. I love that he says, keep your eyes on23:06 Jesus, the author and the finisher of our faith. That is so beautiful because you didn't start your race, and you sure as heck can't finish it. Jesus was the beginning, and he will be the23:18 end. He is the author, and he is the finisher of our journey. So whatever it looks like, you can be confident that Jesus, the 1 who began a good work in you, will bring23:29 it to completion. He has a plan. He has a purpose. And he's leading you step by step. And I love what it says here. It says, consider him, lest you become weary.23:42 Is anybody weary in here? I know I can be at times. Anybody tired? I love that. Consider him. And I wanna just declare over every weary person in him to consider23:53 him. Consider the nails in his hands that he bore for you. Consider the stripes on his back. Are you feeling weary? Consider your savior who did quit, who didn't look back,24:05 but he pressed on because he had a job. It was your life on the line, and he kept moving. He kept pushing. And that's our job as Christians to keep moving, keep following24:17 the leader. Amen. Come on. If somebody believes it, can you shout? Can you give God praise? I'll close with this, and the band's already24:29 up. Great. How do you do this? I did it. But I love what he said here in24:40 John 16 33. Jesus said, these things I have spoken to you that in me you may have peace. This world, you will have tribulation. Not24:52 everything is gonna go perfect, but take heart for I have overcome the world. You ever met a topper? No matter what story they have, they've got something better. Jesus topped it25:04 all. He tell you, take heart. I have overcome the world. So whatever it looks like that you can't overcome, whatever thing is in front of you that seems too big, that seems too strong,25:16 Jesus has already said, I've overcome it. I've overcome the world. I've overcome the devil. I've overcome that addiction. I've overcome that that sickness. So you better believe that the God who's25:27 in this room has gone before you, has a plan, a purpose on your life, and he is gonna bring it to completion when it seems too hard, when it seems like there's nothing left. Keep25:54 encouraged. Be sure to hit the follow button so you can binge on all the Bible basics throughout the week and stay encouraged in your faith. And don't forget to share these messages with26:05 your friends. If you'd like more information about our ministry, you can always go to the basics with beth dot com. That's the basics with beth dot com. It's been great to be with you, and I will26:17 look forward to seeing you next time right here on pray dot com.
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