September 7 2011

Get Up!

Reading: Proverbs 24:15-16, 15 Do not lie in wait like an outlaw against a righteous man's house, do not raid his dwelling place; 16 for though a righteous man falls seven times, he rises again, but the wicked are brought down by calamity.

Lasse Virén made a sensational Olympic debut in the 10,000m at Munich in 1972. The 23-year-old policeman was in fifth place midway through the race when he stumbled and fell. It seemed his chance had gone, but Virén got up and chased down the leading group. With 600m left, Virén made his move and ran away from his rivals to win in a world record 27:38.4, a second inside the seven-year-old mark of Australian Ron Clarke. Another Olympian, John Akhwari represented Tanzania by running the Marathon in the 1968 Olympic Games. During the race he fell, badly cutting his knee and dislocating the joint. Rather than quitting, he continued running. By 7 p.m. an Ethiopian runner won the race. With only a few thousand fans left in the stadium, John Akhwari limped through the gate. He wore a bloody bandage. He finished last among the 57 competitors who finished (74 begun the race). When asked why he continued running, he said simply, "My country did not send me to Mexico City to start the race. They sent me to finish." The competition won him the title of "a King without crown."

As followers of Jesus Christ, we have an even greater cause to get back up and keep running. There is no greater cause or finish line that what we have to encourage us to continue to run the race. Often though, all the attention is placed on verse 16 to get up… but, together, these two verses are powerful. In a sense, it says, “Don’t bother lying in wait or raid a righteous man’s house because, no matter what you do to him, he’s just going to rise up again anyways.” I LOVE that!!! Men, no matter where you’re at, even if your dirty, injured and scraped up spiritually, let’s get up and continue our journey with Christ.

What has caused you to stumble and fall?

What can you do to get up and keep going today?
REVIEW

How were you able to get up and keep going today?


How did you accomplish this and what can you do to help in staying on your feet?