Running the Race

Reevaluate, Refresh, GO! January 27, 2010

So the new (and my last as an undergrad!) semester has started and is in full gear.  It’s a new year, a new semester, a new season is coming, the weather is changing, buds will soon start to bloom and winter will travel to a different part of the world.  All of these new and exciting things are so refreshing, as most new things tend to be.  However, I have a question that I think we all need to ponder: With all of the new things happening around me, what new things are happening IN me?

Reevaluation is such an important tool in pursuing excellence and humility.  We always need to make sure that what we are doing is efficient, working well, and the best that we can do.  It is also an extremely humbling experience (believe me, I know) to look at what you have worked so hard for and admit that it might not be very good. (James 4:10) As for the personal aspect of reevaluation, we need to be in communion with God and ask Him what it is He is wanting to refurbish in our lives; what it is He wants to show us about ourselves; what it is He wants to recognize about ourselves; what steps He wants us to take in order to pursue a Christ-like life, etc.

Now I see this all of the time (mostly in myself) that I will ask God to reveal what He wants me to do or pursue, He will tell me, and then I’ll say ‘ok cool’ and wait for Him to fix it.  Church, we can NOT sit around and wait for things to happen. If we see something that needs change, we need to do the best we can to chase after what is Good.  (1 Peter 3:11) Sometimes, all we can do is pray and there is absolutely nothing wrong with that.  But, for example, if you know that God has lit a passionate fire in your heart to see the homeless population decrease, you can’t just sit around and pray for it to end, rather, pray for it to end AND go out and do something about it! (Hebrews 11:6) My dear friends Whitney Johnson, Nick Pegram and Deanna Privett are FANTASTIC examples of this! They became passionate and now go out in search of people who are homeless and build friendships with them, talk with them about Jesus, bring them to places where they can get their physical and spiritual needs met, etc. THAT is what Jesus calls us to do! Not to just sit and pray but to also GO! (Matthew 28:19-20)

So what is it that God has put on your heart? To love people in a more intentional way? To have better communication skills? To go back to church? God will answer the question if we ask it but it is up to us to pursue His will and if you have the Holy Spirit, you are fully capable of fulfilling any and all of God’s commands because He will not leave you alone, and His promises are more than we can imagine. (Jeremiah 1:8)

Directions for use: Reevaluate, Refresh, GO! (repeat frequently)