Running in Circles
Sunday, April 10, 2011 AM
Pastor James May
I’m not often in a pet store. I just don’t have the time nor the inclination to own a pet. The closest I come to being a pet owner is the 10 gallon aquarium in my home where I keep a few tropical fish and even that requires more than I am often willing to give. It still needs cleaning from time to time and the fish have to be fed regularly. The feeding part is now done by an automatic timer. All I have to do is fill it with fish food and forget it for a few weeks. Now if I could just find and automatic tank cleaner, I might not be so inclined to want to use the tropical fish for bait.
One thing that does amaze me, when I do go to a pet store, is watching those hamsters run in their little wheel as it spins. It seems to me that they are running with all their might, but they never seem to get anywhere. They are running, the wheel is spinning, but nothing else changes. I know it’s there for their exercise but I’ve often wondered if that hamster might think to himself when the wheel starts spinning, “Yeah, I’m on my way now. Nothing can stop me! I’m breaking out of this joint.” He follows his trails in the cage, runs in the spinning wheel, giving it everything he’s got; only to discover that he hasn’t moved from inside the cage where he is trapped. There’s nothing he can do to break that cycle on his own because a much more powerful, larger being, with vastly more intelligence has already determined how his life will be spent and where he will go.
I think also of all of the different animals that are house in a zoo. They are often given a habitat that very closely appears to be their home where they should be living, whether it’s the lion on the African plains, or the monkeys in the rainforest, alligators in the swamps or penguins of the Antarctic; all have what appears to be a natural habitat. They often run, crawl, walk or fly, and as you watch them you can see it in their eyes, “I’m running; I’m flying away; I have to escape this place. I’ll dive in the water and swim away, I’ll take to the skies where freedom lies, or I’ll climb to top of the tallest tree to get away, but always they find that there is a limit to their habitat. Sooner or later they find the edge of their existence; the wall of the cage or the glass of the aquarium. From the greatest of beasts, the elephants; to the smallest bug in the glass case; all are limited by a force, a power, a controlling factor put into place by a vastly more intelligent creature called man. They are only existing by the grace and good will of the zoo keeper.
Now I don’t know about you, but there are times that I feel like I’m living in a zoo as well. Not only do the people around me take on many of the characteristics of lion, the tiger, bear, monkey or even the creepy little bugs, but I often sense that somewhere there is cage wall that keep running into. Like the hamster, I’m running in circles but never getting anywhere. Like the Lion, I roar at the world, making my voice heard, and then settle right back down in the same cage again. Like the monkey, I go swinging from place to place, climbing up, then coming down and in the end, nothing is any different. Like the elephant, I strain against the ropes that hold me back; perhaps even moving the chain a little further with each effort, and yet, when I do finally seem to make a break, there’s yet another barrier to hold me back.
In this message this morning I want to talk about what are we truly accomplishing in life. Life has often been compared to a rat race, where we run, forever on the move, only to discover that we keep coming back to the same starting point with every lap around the block.
First of all, let’s establish one immutable fact – we all have to run; we have no choice. An intelligence far above our own; and the circumstances which have been placed upon us, dictate that we all must run just to survive.
Out on the grassy plains of the African Savannah lives the graceful and beautiful gazelle. Every morning, upon waking from its night of rest, even the youngest of gazelles knows that it must be ready to run. He must try to outrun all of the other gazelles for it is always the slowest and weakest among the herd that will be caught and eaten by the lions. He must determine to run faster than the slowest gazelle and faster than the fastest lion, or he may not survive this day.
A short distance away, a lion awakes from his night of rest. He is king of the beasts, fearing no animal on the savannah, yet this lion knows that he must awake every day prepared to run to survive. He must be faster than every other lion in the pride, or be left alone to starve. He must faster than the slowest of gazelles, or he will not have food to eat.
The moral of the story is this – no matter whether you are the most graceful gazelle or the most powerful lion, you have to get up every morning ready to run. You must run, or you will not survive. And every day that you and I live, we are running a race for survival. A force greater than ourselves has already dictated that life should be filled with running.
After the fall of man, God dictated the terms of our existence; and in so doing, also dictated how that every living thing on earth, both man and animal, must maintain their existence.
Genesis 3:19 In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.
God has placed the cage around us, set the terms of our existence and then set the world in motion. Now it is up to us to run the race according to his terms; so we have no choice but to run. The only question that remains is, where are you going to be when the race is finally over? Will all of your running in this life bring you to a destination of reward; or will it only bring you an end without meaningful results?
All of us will come to the end of this race sooner or later! Again, it was a power greater than ours and an intelligence for above the ability of man that pre-determines that the race will end. There is a Finish Line waiting for each of us. But it’s what is beyond that Finish Line that we must be ever concerned about. Life is nothing more than a race; a journey to an ultimate destination. It is appointed to every man once to die and then comes the judgment. Not one of us will escape that preset course. We are all forced to run. The clock never stops ticking; time marches on and no man can escape the spinning wheel of life.
I want us to look at a story of a people in God’s Word that were caught in the same spinning wheel of life but seemed to be going nowhere because they had lost direction and just kept running in the same circle. God had set their path, but for nearly 40 years they were on a journey to nowhere. Finally, the day came when they realized that they didn’t have the answers; had no true direction; and that someone greater than themselves had to direct their path if they were ever going to be anything other than mindless runners on the spinning wheel of life. The sad part is that countless thousands had died while they were running in circles, never finding the real meaning of their existence, dying in a vast wilderness, with their dreams and hopes forever lost.
Israel had been delivered from the slave pits of Egypt. God had made a way for them to have a greater purpose and a destiny that would change their lives forever, if they would only follow his direction and remain faithful to his purpose for their lives. They crossed the Red Sea and no longer had to fear the enemy that had held them bound as a people for over 400 years. They were free. But freedom has a price; and true freedom also dictates limitations. Freedom without limitations becomes anarchy, which I see happening in our land today. True freedom can only be found in following the plan of God; everything else only leads to another form of bondage; either to sin within ourselves; or to the controlling hand of someone else who will dictate the conditions of life to us. Freedom requires laws that are just; a firm foundation that won’t be shaken or changed and a determination to stay on that firm foundation. Of course, the only true foundation is found in Jesus Christ and the Word of God that will never fail, nor ever change.
Israel’s freedom was to be determined solely upon their obedience to the path that God had chosen for them to walk for only God knew where their ultimate destination would be and how, and what, they would face or have to overcome to get there. I thank God that he knows the way, he has blazed the trail, he has seen the obstacles and he has set a course for our victory, if we will only walk in the way that he has laid before us.
Psalms 37:23-24, "The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD: and he delighteth in his way. Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the LORD upholdeth him with his hand."
God never promised us a path without a few falls. He never said that life would be easy and that we would face no problems. What he did promise is that we will never be forsaken and that even when we fall, the Lord will keep us by his hand. God always provides a way for freedom to reign and for the victory to be won if we just keep following him.
Israel began their journey, but they had much to learn, so God predetermined that they would take a long journey to get to their destination. That’s where we pick up this story today.
Deuteronomy 2:1 Then we turned, and took our journey into the wilderness by the way of the Red sea, as the LORD spake unto me: and we compassed mount Seir many days.
From the pits of slavery in Egypt, relating to our deliverance from the grip of sin under the hand of Satan, Israel went forth into the wilderness area called mout Seir and there they wandered for many days, in fact, for 40 years. They just kept going around in circles, moving their camp many times along the way. Sometimes staying in one place for a few years, and then moving to another when the water ran dry, or the grass was gone for their animals.
God had quickly brought them to the River Jordan where they could catch a vision of their Promised Land, but their faith was weak and their doubts caused them to turn back into the wilderness and continue their wandering in mount Seir.
I wonder how many times Israel experienced de-ja-vu in their wanderings? How many times did one Israelite look at another and say, “You know, I think we’ve been here before. Something about this place looks familiar. And I know I’ve had to climb this mountain before. I just feel like we are running around in circles and nobody knows which way to go.”
I see that same thing happening in the world today. Mankind has no clear direction. History just keeps repeating itself over and again because we don’t learn the lessons of the past. We have forsaken the path laid before us and began to wander in our own understanding that leads us to nowhere. Our world has lost its way; no man has the ability to lead the human race into a place of perfect peace and safety; and every day the race just gets faster and the destination more obscure.
This same thing happens in the church as well. Christian often express their concern that they just seem to be running in circles and can never accomplish what they want to in their lives. Every day seems to end in disappointment and frustration because nothing ever changes. The same bills will always be there. The same struggle goes on forever. Will anything ever truly change for the better? Will I always have to fight with these bad habits? Will the struggle to live for God ever get any easier? Will I ever change to be better than I am right now?
Some of us struggle with the same old habits and it just seems that the wheel is spinning; we are trying as hard as we can but nothing is changing. Let me encourage you in the Lord this morning to just keep running, but run where God tells you to run. Many of us have fought the habits of a bad temper; a loose tongue; a critical spirit; a know-it-all attitude or maybe a lack of self control for a long time and we get discouraged because these things are mountains in our lives that we just can’t overcome. We hurt one another unintentionally. We find ourselves murmuring and complaining; griping about the weather; complaining about something that isn’t right a the church; fussing about some preacher that we don’t like; or murmuring to one another about little things that start out as mole hills and become mountains because we won’t quit talking about them.
In effect, we just keep circling mount Seir just like Israel did for all those years. The march goes on, time passes, but nothing seems to really change.
I’m here to tell you that things were changing for Israel, and that all of these things in your life are changing as well. Sometimes the change happens so slowly that it’s unnoticeable for a long time, but eventually the change will be great.
Israel’s attitude changed one step at a time. With each step they drew closer to the end of their journey. Like the old saying, “How do you begin a journey of a thousand miles? By taking the first step.”
When America began to move westward across the great plains toward the coasts of Oregon, Washington and California, the old pioneers were looking at a very long and hard trip. There was a good chance that they might face warring Indian tribes, wild animal stampedes, fires that would sweep across the dry grassy plains, and some of them would not survive the journey.
In a museum out in Kearney, Nebraska there is a covered wagon on display with a little plaque on it that reads, “The cowards never started; the weak died along the way. Only the strong made it through.”
And so it is with your walk with the Lord. Those who refuse to take up their cross and follow Jesus are the cowards who would rather crawl back into their slimy pits of sin than pick up their sword and fight against the devil. Those whose faith is too weak will fall by the wayside as the seed of the gospel is stolen from their hearts, and they will die right beside the path of life. But the strong in the Lord; those who sell out to God; serve him with all their heart and remain faithful to the end, will not only survive, but will become victorious over all things.
God doesn’t give up on his people. Though many never saw their Promised Land again, and never occupied that land, God never forsook Israel. All of those who were too young to know right from wrong when Israel first came to Jordan, learned to have faith in God and then God was going to bring them right back to the Jordan again.
God won’t give up on you either. You are going to win this battle. You are going to overcome this mountain in your life, if you just remain faithful until the race is won.
Deuteronomy 2:2,3 And the LORD spake unto me, saying, Ye have compassed this mountain long enough: turn you northward.
What was God saying to the Jews? It’s time to quit circling mount Seir! It’s time to move on. Their backs were facing the Promised Land, meaning they were going in the opposite direction of where God wanted them to go, so God turned them around and placed them back on the right path.
Some have said that mount Seir is actually a vast area covering possibly an entire mountain range. That could be true since Israel wandered around mount Seir for 40 years.
The name “Seir” means holiness, and they were wandering all that time just learning to be a holy people unto the Lord! Without holiness no man can see the Lord. Without holiness you can’t see the path to walk in. Holiness is not only having a pure heart, and a clean life, but also a spirit that is in tune with God. All of us today should be learning to be Holy unto the Lord so that we too may see the path that leads to victory in the Lord.
Other people believe that mount Seir was an actual mountain that lay in their path every time the Jews would turn around. All of the trails through the wilderness would lead them to this same place eventually and they would spend many days camped at the foot of the mountain.
Now I began to think of this mount Seir and how that it could represent some the great mountains in our lives that we must overcome. We talked about all the habits and such a few minutes ago. All of these things are just huge mountains that seem to loom over us with such an ominous presence that they seem to smother us in doubt and fear sometimes.
How do you get rid of that mountain? If you had to move a mountain and there was no way around it or through it, how would you do it? You would start by moving one rock at a time. Just like you begin a journey of a thousand miles with one step, you move a mountain by moving one rock at a time.
Now sometimes you can speak to that mountain and yes, God can and will move some of the mountains out of your way. But there are some mountains in your life that you are going to have to work on yourself for a while; and maybe for a lifetime. Those mountains are there for a purpose and you just have to keep moving them one rock at a time until they are behind you instead of in front of you.
Think about that mountain for a moment – as you look around it you’ll find small rocks, large boulders, and then sometimes a sheer rock cliff. Some of the things that you face are easier to overcome than others, but they will all give way with enough time and effort. The task of overcoming your mountain may seem impossible, but then that’s where God begins to work for you. He makes the impossible possible and he will not allow you to be overcome.
Looking around you will find some high places where the sun shines brightly, and right next to that might be a deep, dark crevice in the rock, or even a dark cave where dangers may hide. In your struggle to move your mountain you will have times when you feel like you are finally winning the battle and then suddenly you find yourself in the depths of despair wondering if the victory will ever come.
I’ve experienced this in the area of temper. I may go on for many days without having my temper flare; but just when I think I have overcome it, here it comes again. But little by little, one stone at time, that mountain is coming down. I believe that most of the mountain has been moved; but there are still a few rocks and boulders that have to go.
Sometimes, in spite of how much we try to move that mountain of complaining and murmuring, we still find ourselves doing it.
Remember, Paul was talking to the church at Galatia when he said, "But if ye bite and devour one another, take heed that ye be not consumed one of another." Galatians 5:15
We still have a lot of mountains to move in our church. None of us have cleared them yet. The key is to remove them and not just keep circling around them. Never accept the excuse that “That’s just the way I am. I can’t help it.” That’s a copout! The mountains have to be overcome, removed, taken out of the way and holiness must reign in us. We can’t allow ourselves the luxury of camping on the wrong side of the mountain forever when victory in Jesus can only be found on the other side.
Remember what the Lord said to Moses and the Children of Israel in Deuteronomy 2:2,3 “… Ye have compassed this mountain long enough: turn you northward.”
It’s time to quit circling your mountain; move it out of the way; and then go on to the next one. One by one they are going to fall. God has set the way before us. It is the way of Holiness and obedience and faithfulness. Let’s run the race, but not run in circles. Let’s run the race with the Lord leading the way, overcoming the mountains in your life, and let’s reach that finish line in victory! It’s time to turn northward!
What mountain are you facing this morning? Whatever it is, you can begin dismantling it right now. Come, give it to God, seek his help. Why move it alone? You can do all things through Christ who strengthens you, but you have to let him lead you along the way. Start moving your stones right now. There’s no better time, or place to begin than here, at the altar, right now!
