I was so excited when one of our athletes won the first medal in this Olympic Games for my country. I was among the millions of my countrymen, both at home and abroad, that felt a sense of pride for that young man.
A modern stadium holds thousands of people, and the London Stadium has been packed to capacity for the past ten days. Each visitor is from a particular country, and they all come to cheer on their team of athletes. Different athletes have testified to the strength and courage they've received hearing the shouts of their countrymen cheering them on.
There is a scripture that says that a believer is surrounded by a crowd of invisible witnesses. This scripture is found in Hebrews 12. The preceding chapter speaks about the heroes of faith, the believers from olden and modern times who have died before us and gone to heaven. Paul is implying that they are like the spectators at the London Olympics 2012, looking and cheering on the believers that are still alive on the earth. But these heavenly "spectators" cannot be seen by us. God has revealed this fact to Paul and he in turn relays it to us.
Every runner, swimmer, gymnast, shooter or other type of athlete had to persevere in their training to get them into the Olympics. And they all had to persevere through the qualifying round, the preliminaries, the semi-finals and the finals to get the gold, silver or bronze medals. So we as believers, have to pray, read God's word, study it, and apply it to our lives for us to achieve the rewards that our Lord has planned for us, both in this present life, and in the world to come.
And we need to teach these things to our children as well.
:"Wherefore that we are also compassed about by a great crowd of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us." Hebrews 12 verse 1 (KJV)
A modern stadium holds thousands of people, and the London Stadium has been packed to capacity for the past ten days. Each visitor is from a particular country, and they all come to cheer on their team of athletes. Different athletes have testified to the strength and courage they've received hearing the shouts of their countrymen cheering them on.
There is a scripture that says that a believer is surrounded by a crowd of invisible witnesses. This scripture is found in Hebrews 12. The preceding chapter speaks about the heroes of faith, the believers from olden and modern times who have died before us and gone to heaven. Paul is implying that they are like the spectators at the London Olympics 2012, looking and cheering on the believers that are still alive on the earth. But these heavenly "spectators" cannot be seen by us. God has revealed this fact to Paul and he in turn relays it to us.
Every runner, swimmer, gymnast, shooter or other type of athlete had to persevere in their training to get them into the Olympics. And they all had to persevere through the qualifying round, the preliminaries, the semi-finals and the finals to get the gold, silver or bronze medals. So we as believers, have to pray, read God's word, study it, and apply it to our lives for us to achieve the rewards that our Lord has planned for us, both in this present life, and in the world to come.
And we need to teach these things to our children as well.
:"Wherefore that we are also compassed about by a great crowd of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us." Hebrews 12 verse 1 (KJV)
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