Gold Medals And Golden Streets

Maddie Musselman is 26 years old and in most people’s viewpoint, at the greatest time in her life, with the greatest moment of her life right in front of her. She had recently been engaged to be married and earned a place to compete in summer Olympic team taking place in Paris.

Maddie is an athlete. Yet, no ordinary athlete. She plays water polo.

Water Polo is a difficult sport. It first requires that you be a good swimmer; which is one of the top fears of people in the world; most triathletes can run and bike for hundreds of miles; yet say that swimming is their biggest challenge.

Likewise, you have to be strong, be able to struggle and overcome, and be smart and perceptive. Some say it not only pushes your body to its limits; but your brains to its limits.

Yet, despite her abilities, nothing prepared her for what recently happened to her. Her fiancé, Pat who is also an athlete who recently swam the English Channel for his 30th birthday, had a blood test which revealed a rare cancer that only effects 200 people per year, was stage 4, that threatened his life.

Immediately they got married and together took on the greatest challenge of their lives; the fight against cancer -- a fight for her husband’s life.

Yet, when asked: “When you faced this devastating news that the one person who loved the most in life had cancer and set your world upside down and on its end, what did you do?”

Her response was simply this: “ What makes this journey easier is that we are incredibly strong in our faith and in our love for each other and Jesus. She then said: Throughout my time in college, a handful of students mentored me in my faith, helping me to place Jesus at the center of my life....” That’s the key to my resilience.”

Transition:

In the Bible there are a lot of figures of speech, metaphors, and similes that describe what it’s like to be a follower of Jesus. For example:, following Jesus is often likened to:

a) Being a Soldier- Paul counsels us to “endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. 2 Timothy 2:3

b) Being a boxer- Paul said: “I box in such a way, as not (swinging wildly), as beating the air. “ I Corinthians 9:26

c) Being a slave- Paul frequently said: “I am a bondservant of Jesus Christ.” Romans 1:1, Phil 1:1, Titus 1:1)

Jesus spoke of us as: Salt , light, living stones, children of God, and even as babies.

Yet, the New Testament is particularly fond of comparing the life we live as Christ’s followers as an athletic event; and specifically, it often compares our lives to “running a race.” Sprinkled through the New Testament page are words that speak of:

a) I Corinthians 9:24, “Running a race”

b) Galatians 5:17- “Running well”

c) Philippians 2:16- “Not “running in vain.

The uses of this metaphor has one goal; to help you live your life to the fullest. The challenge of living that kind of life is resilience. It’s easy to start well but not finish well.

Church rolls are stockpiled with people who came to Jesus but never grew in Jesus. People who were once consistent and are now “missing in action.” People who have a “past tense” testimony of their walk with Jesus but now things have gone stale.

With this in mind, God meets us in the Book of Hebrews and coaches us up. He gives us the keys of a faith that stays vibrant and endures. He follows up the chapter about those whose faith endured with a challenge to us to endure.

Transition: The real question that is addressed is this: How do I stay strong in my faith? How do I finish well?

Transitional Question: God answers these questions with questions. He wants us to ask ourselves:

I. Why Am Doing This?

vs. 2- “fixing our eyes on Jesus...”

Explanation:

Are there any runners in the house today? Anyone that has ever run? Interesting enough, 50 million people in America say that they go out for a “run” often.

If you are a runner, or do any type of physical exercise, there is one thing that I know you’ve all asked yourself when you start breathing deeper, something starts to hurt, or the physical challenge starts to build. One question will enter your mind naturally. You will say: “Now why am I doing this?”

In the Christian life, there is one sole reason for enduring the challenges of following Jesus; (here it is) .... It’s simple. Are you ready? The reason is to be like Jesus.

This has always been the sole focus of discipleship; it is to be like Jesus. That’s God’s plan for you. Do you want proof?