Verse of the Day - Matthew 5:6

"Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled."
~ Matthew 5:6 (NIV)

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U.S. swimmer Michael Phelps has done the amazing at Beijing 2008, becoming the winning-est Olympic gold medal winner EVER in a single games! What an astonishing athlete! I listened to an interview with him early on in the games, where he talked a little about his regimen -- what he does in order to compete at this elite level and win. Wow! The amount of time spent in the gym and in the water is grueling. I can't even remember all that he said, but I was just amazed at the desire of this young man to be the best in the world. He hungers and thirsts for victory in a way that takes him to a level that most only dream of . . .

Do we hunger and thirst for the things of God with even half that discipline? Could we consider ourselves a part of the elite level of spiritual athletes, or are we just "hittin' the gym" once a week, or worse yet, just sittin' on the couch watching spiritual "sports" on TV?

The apostle Paul was no stranger to sports analogies -- I think maybe he was no slouch as an athlete . . .

If anyone competes as an athlete, he does not receive the victor's crown unless he competes according to the rules.
~ 1 Timothy 2:5 (NIV)

We are surrounded by a great cloud of people whose lives tell us what faith means. So let us run the race that is before us and never give up. We should remove from our lives anything that would get in the way and the sin that so easily holds us back. ~ Hebrews 12:1 (NCV)

Don’t you realize that in a race everyone runs, but only one person gets the prize? So run to win! All athletes are disciplined in their training. They do it to win a prize that will fade away, but we do it for an eternal prize. So I run with purpose in every step. I am not just shadowboxing. I discipline my body like an athlete, training it to do what it should. ~ 1 Corinthians 9:24-27 (NLT)

Paul was like the Michael Phelps of the first century church. He hungered and thirsted . . . after righteousness, after being in the Lord's will, after serving God with everything he had. He took his spiritual walk with God as seriously as gold-medal athletes take their rigorous training -- because he took God that seriously.

So, how serious are we about God, and about our walk with Him? Do we truly hunger and thirst after right standing with Him, after holy living, after complete and utter devotion in our hearts toward Him? Or are we ho-humming our lives away, grabbing a sip now and then of the Living Water, while we veg on the couch of life?

God wants to be our top priority . . . our number one goal . . . our prize. May we get on our knees and seek Him and His righteousness with a hunger and thirst that rivals that of the athletes we've watched recently in Beijing. Develop a regimen that drives you to the foot of the cross and to the depths of His Word. Dig deep in your conversations with Him, allowing Him to work on your inner being. Give the utmost and best you've got, because there is nothing more worthwhile than a life lived in total abandonment to God. Make Him your hunger and your thirst . . .

Love,
Joelene