I was watching a movie of the life of one man today and I find that his testimony is one that really speaks to me about God. It encouraged me tremendously in my faith and reminded me yet again that God is foremost interested in me, and therefore a desire for a close personal relationship with Him is the real key to capturing God's heart and his overpowering glory. Guess as the month of May begins, I find myself having to make many decisions about my life especially that of my vocation as well as balance that with the discipline to get back into a daily study routine for my 4 papers in 2 months time (and my dissertation dateline increasingly coming up!)
What I am about to share reminded me that God takes pleasure in me and with that, I live by His grace each day in the knowledge that I'm privileged to live in this adventure on earth of becoming who God made me to be.
In 1924, the Summer Olympics were held in Paris. Eric Liddell was a young Scotsman who was due to represent England in the 100m sprint in which he was the clear favourite to win. He truly possessed a gift - a gift to run like the wind. But, in Paris, he found out that his desire to honour God through winning his race was not to be. He discovered the heats for the 100m fell on Sunday and simply refused to run on the Sabbath day. Tremendous pressure came upon him from all the race officials and from the British camp. But Eric Liddell's mind was made up - God was his highest priority. He flatly refused to run on Sunday. His convictions were stronger than the Olympic committee. So Eric Liddell gave up his spot in the 100m and another team mate gave him his place in another race. However, in an effort not to waste the sprinter's talent, eventually Eric Lidell was entered for the 200m and 400m events, both of which he had never run before. In the 200m race, he surprised many by taking the bronze medal, but it was the 400m event that he really displayed his prowess. Eric Liddell had drawn the worst starting position in the race, way out on the rim of the curve. His would be the last spot to hear the starter's gun and with no visible competitor it would be difficult for him to judge his own progress throughout the race. The gun sounded and Eric Liddell shot out the blocks like a gazelle. He led from the start of the race. The race announcer began to get excited : "They've cleared the last curve. Liddell is still leading! He's increasing his lead! Increasing and increasing! Oh, what a race!" He could speak no more, being choked with excitement. Against all odds, Eric Lidell won the gold medal in the 400m race. But wait a minute...Not only did he win it, he broke the world record with his time.
What lesson can I take away with me here? It was not the gold medal that honoured God, but Eric Liddell's putting God before everything else. I started to apply that to my own life too. It is putting God before everything else that honours God not doing everything it takes to get my distinction at the expense of putting God first.
Funny enough, that probably wasn't the most important messafe of the film or of Eric Liddell's life. Eric Liddell if you read about him was also called to be a missionary to China. His sister shared his zeal for God but felt that perhaps his sprinting pursuits got in the way of his calling to ministry. She felt he was compromising by competing in the Olympic games.
Here is what touched me most. In one of the most memorable scenes in the movie for me, Eric Liddell and his sister are walking together in a filed, debating about his calling and his competition. Turning to his beloved sister, Eric Liddell declares with passion " God made me for a purpose - for China but He also made me fast. And when I run, I fell His pleasure. When I fun, I feel God's pleasure!"
What a declaration! And it was evident when he ran. He always seemed to find a hidden reserve of power and speed in the last 100m of each race, bursting past his opponents at the finishing line and everytime you could see that burst of ecstasy beaming from his face. He was inspired by God. His trademark running style was that of him throwing his head back as he ran (i.e. his head tilting back). Perhaps an unconventional running style but one that was inspired by trust. He trusted to God to get to the finishing line. He ran with faith. He did not even look where he was going. It was this same trust that carried over into Eric Liddell's spiritual life. It was this trust that also took him to China as a missionary. Head up, trusting his God. Eric Liddell died very young in a Japanese concentration camp during World War II, still faithfully serving God. He finished his race strong.
I asked myself this question. Have I ever felt His pleasure? Do I feel His pleasure now? What does that mean?
Feeling God's pleasure is the confident assurance of knowing God is delighted through seeing His perfect plan unfold in your life. It is the joy and satisfaction that fills His heart when we are true to the original blueprint of our life. And, it is more than just obeying Him, or choosing the right career or marrying the right person. It is more than being morally pure or leading a cell group as important as those things are. It is also about being true to yourself, and being in harmonry with your God-given temperatment and personality. It is about being comfortable with the you He made and the you He wants you to be. It is about feeling okay with playing your specifid role in the world today and in the body of Christ.
Last nite I was talking to a friend who was telling me how he and many others who are unhappy with their life and career are that way because they're stuck in a job they do not enjoy. Perhaps that is how some of us feel when our parents forced us to take up music lessons. They drag us to practice and practice. Its like medieval torture - you persevered and survived. You manage to tolerate the torment. Haha..
But it probably wasn't long afterwards that we discover something we really enjoy. For me, it was finding a love for sports. That's when I began to actually enjoy for a change, to anticipate the activity, to practise without being asked. I loved it not because I was an instant all star but because it just fits me better. It was how I was wired.
What now for me? In terms of my vocation and transitioning back to working life after this, i need to be doing something I truly allows me to be myself - that i truly enjoy and do with passion.
Isn't it cool that grants us permission to be ourselves? And He sets us free to be that person within the context of something bigger than us. We retain our individual identities when we are involed in a larger setting, such as the church. Like a body has many parts with different but complimetary functions, God has placed each one here for a purpose. You and I have an irreplaceable contribution to make. Noboday can take my place. Nobody can take your place. The team always needs you. There are no subs on the bench for this one. Know that as we play our role, God will feel pleasure and share it with you.
Erid Liddell was an individual who discovered who he was and took great delight in pursuing that identity. For him, that identity unfolded in 3 parts. Firstly, it was to be an Olupmpian. He gave everything he had to this role and without compromising his integrity, he brought great glory to God, enjoying the process. Secondly, his life was spent as a missionary to China, and he devoted himself faithfully to that work with the same passion adn fervour he had done on the track. And finally, his life was spent as a prisoner during World War II, locked up because of his faith in Christ and work for Christ. He died in that prison and I felt God really loved this guy so much. How many people get the opportunity to witness to the entire world through winning an Olympic gold medal? How many of them go on to serve on the foreign mission untouched mission field, bringing others to God and teaching others of God? And how many also have the great privilege of being a true matyr for their faith in Jesus Christ? This guy was special. His life was a offering to His God. And so evidently did it display and showcasted the glory of God.
Well, of course each person's calling is different. I'm sure he doesn't call all of us to be Olympians or missionaries or matyrs but He does call us to work out our own salvation. He wants to use who we are to ascibe honour, worth, value and glory to our great God.
Thanks for listening to my random thoughts....hmmm, does it even flow? haha
What I am about to share reminded me that God takes pleasure in me and with that, I live by His grace each day in the knowledge that I'm privileged to live in this adventure on earth of becoming who God made me to be.
In 1924, the Summer Olympics were held in Paris. Eric Liddell was a young Scotsman who was due to represent England in the 100m sprint in which he was the clear favourite to win. He truly possessed a gift - a gift to run like the wind. But, in Paris, he found out that his desire to honour God through winning his race was not to be. He discovered the heats for the 100m fell on Sunday and simply refused to run on the Sabbath day. Tremendous pressure came upon him from all the race officials and from the British camp. But Eric Liddell's mind was made up - God was his highest priority. He flatly refused to run on Sunday. His convictions were stronger than the Olympic committee. So Eric Liddell gave up his spot in the 100m and another team mate gave him his place in another race. However, in an effort not to waste the sprinter's talent, eventually Eric Lidell was entered for the 200m and 400m events, both of which he had never run before. In the 200m race, he surprised many by taking the bronze medal, but it was the 400m event that he really displayed his prowess. Eric Liddell had drawn the worst starting position in the race, way out on the rim of the curve. His would be the last spot to hear the starter's gun and with no visible competitor it would be difficult for him to judge his own progress throughout the race. The gun sounded and Eric Liddell shot out the blocks like a gazelle. He led from the start of the race. The race announcer began to get excited : "They've cleared the last curve. Liddell is still leading! He's increasing his lead! Increasing and increasing! Oh, what a race!" He could speak no more, being choked with excitement. Against all odds, Eric Lidell won the gold medal in the 400m race. But wait a minute...Not only did he win it, he broke the world record with his time.
What lesson can I take away with me here? It was not the gold medal that honoured God, but Eric Liddell's putting God before everything else. I started to apply that to my own life too. It is putting God before everything else that honours God not doing everything it takes to get my distinction at the expense of putting God first.
Funny enough, that probably wasn't the most important messafe of the film or of Eric Liddell's life. Eric Liddell if you read about him was also called to be a missionary to China. His sister shared his zeal for God but felt that perhaps his sprinting pursuits got in the way of his calling to ministry. She felt he was compromising by competing in the Olympic games.
Here is what touched me most. In one of the most memorable scenes in the movie for me, Eric Liddell and his sister are walking together in a filed, debating about his calling and his competition. Turning to his beloved sister, Eric Liddell declares with passion " God made me for a purpose - for China but He also made me fast. And when I run, I fell His pleasure. When I fun, I feel God's pleasure!"
What a declaration! And it was evident when he ran. He always seemed to find a hidden reserve of power and speed in the last 100m of each race, bursting past his opponents at the finishing line and everytime you could see that burst of ecstasy beaming from his face. He was inspired by God. His trademark running style was that of him throwing his head back as he ran (i.e. his head tilting back). Perhaps an unconventional running style but one that was inspired by trust. He trusted to God to get to the finishing line. He ran with faith. He did not even look where he was going. It was this same trust that carried over into Eric Liddell's spiritual life. It was this trust that also took him to China as a missionary. Head up, trusting his God. Eric Liddell died very young in a Japanese concentration camp during World War II, still faithfully serving God. He finished his race strong.
I asked myself this question. Have I ever felt His pleasure? Do I feel His pleasure now? What does that mean?
Feeling God's pleasure is the confident assurance of knowing God is delighted through seeing His perfect plan unfold in your life. It is the joy and satisfaction that fills His heart when we are true to the original blueprint of our life. And, it is more than just obeying Him, or choosing the right career or marrying the right person. It is more than being morally pure or leading a cell group as important as those things are. It is also about being true to yourself, and being in harmonry with your God-given temperatment and personality. It is about being comfortable with the you He made and the you He wants you to be. It is about feeling okay with playing your specifid role in the world today and in the body of Christ.
Last nite I was talking to a friend who was telling me how he and many others who are unhappy with their life and career are that way because they're stuck in a job they do not enjoy. Perhaps that is how some of us feel when our parents forced us to take up music lessons. They drag us to practice and practice. Its like medieval torture - you persevered and survived. You manage to tolerate the torment. Haha..
But it probably wasn't long afterwards that we discover something we really enjoy. For me, it was finding a love for sports. That's when I began to actually enjoy for a change, to anticipate the activity, to practise without being asked. I loved it not because I was an instant all star but because it just fits me better. It was how I was wired.
What now for me? In terms of my vocation and transitioning back to working life after this, i need to be doing something I truly allows me to be myself - that i truly enjoy and do with passion.
Isn't it cool that grants us permission to be ourselves? And He sets us free to be that person within the context of something bigger than us. We retain our individual identities when we are involed in a larger setting, such as the church. Like a body has many parts with different but complimetary functions, God has placed each one here for a purpose. You and I have an irreplaceable contribution to make. Noboday can take my place. Nobody can take your place. The team always needs you. There are no subs on the bench for this one. Know that as we play our role, God will feel pleasure and share it with you.
Erid Liddell was an individual who discovered who he was and took great delight in pursuing that identity. For him, that identity unfolded in 3 parts. Firstly, it was to be an Olupmpian. He gave everything he had to this role and without compromising his integrity, he brought great glory to God, enjoying the process. Secondly, his life was spent as a missionary to China, and he devoted himself faithfully to that work with the same passion adn fervour he had done on the track. And finally, his life was spent as a prisoner during World War II, locked up because of his faith in Christ and work for Christ. He died in that prison and I felt God really loved this guy so much. How many people get the opportunity to witness to the entire world through winning an Olympic gold medal? How many of them go on to serve on the foreign mission untouched mission field, bringing others to God and teaching others of God? And how many also have the great privilege of being a true matyr for their faith in Jesus Christ? This guy was special. His life was a offering to His God. And so evidently did it display and showcasted the glory of God.
Well, of course each person's calling is different. I'm sure he doesn't call all of us to be Olympians or missionaries or matyrs but He does call us to work out our own salvation. He wants to use who we are to ascibe honour, worth, value and glory to our great God.
Thanks for listening to my random thoughts....hmmm, does it even flow? haha
1 comments:
I herad the quote of Eric Liddell and looked him up on the internet and your blog came up. I took great joy in reading you thoughts about Eric and the Lord in your own life. Thank you for posting this, it helped me tonight.
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