Run Your Race 11-4-10

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Welcome, Heavenly Father. Come, Holy Spirit. In every dimension and in every way You would express Yourself in my life today, I honor You and embrace You. … “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. From now on there is reserved for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will give me on that day, and not only to me but to all who have longed for His appearing” (1 Timothy 4:7-8). The big line from the movie we watched last night was “Let him run his race!” In the movie Secretariat, about the greatest race horse that ever lived and is buried on a Kentucky horse farm not far from here, those are the words from the father to his daughter when the young foal was born, long before anyone ever imagined the destiny of greatness burning in his heart. And most of the movie, filmed right around here and based on the true story, centers on the emotional pressures, gut-searching risks, and chances to quit by the daughter in the face of the mocking voices of all who tried to keep her from letting her horse run his race. And my favorite part is how the movie begins and ends with Scripture from the Book of Job about of the greatness of Your creation in the heart of the horse—not to mention when a choir sings, “O happy day, when Jesus washed my sins away” as Secretariat crosses the finish line in the climax of the movie. And so many critical moments of holding on to hope and never giving up to the death of her dream are set with brilliant Kentucky sunrises over the morning mist blanketing rolling hills of the bluegrass, as another dark night yields to the dawn of a new day. What an inspiring movie! Thank You for Your Holy Spirit who speaks to our hearts, “Run your race.” Thank You for the voice of our heavenly Father who speaks to everyone and everything that would seek to hinder us or hold us from running our race and fulfilling our destiny that burns in our hearts. Like the daughter in the movie, Your apostle Paul endured much, but kept the faith to finish his race, encouraging every follower of Christ to do the same: “We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed” (2 Corinthians 4:8-9). The key to running our race, to not holding back, to living out the destiny You created to burn in our hearts is to keep looking to You—“Let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus …” (Hebrews 12:1-2). That’s how I want to run my race, how I want to fight my fight, how I want to keep my faith, as best as I can and all by Your grace, with my might fixed on You. That’s the triple crown I want—the crown of righteousness reserved for me and for all who long to live their lives for You. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays To continue receiving Morning by Morning: Friends, you should have received an email last week "Tommy's MBM Devotionals: Confirmation Necessary" with a link to click in order to sign up from our new server to keep receiving my daily prayer devotional. If you haven't done it yet, please click that link in that email as soon as possible to verify to our new server you want to be on the list. Thank you for joining me in the journey! Note: For a few days, you may get two. Please bear with us as we sort this new system out. Thank you! The Fountain School of Spiritual Ministry, Level II, Nov 10-13, 2010, for Equipping, Training, and Impartation for Ministry, in Lexington, Kentucky with Messiah Ministries & Tommy Hays. Please contact Marilyn Walker, our Director of Ministries for Information or to Register: DirOfMinistries@aol.com or 859-317-1594 Tommy Hays & Messiah Ministries "Preparing the Way of the Lord ... Ministering the Healing Love of God" Messiah Ministries 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, Kentucky 40502 www.messiah-ministries.org MessiahMin@aol.com To order Tommy Hays' books and our ministry resources or contribute to our ministry on-line: www.shop.messiah-ministries.org God bless you!