Tips for Life
by Alan Bailey
You are trying to balance the budget and you need to perform some gymnastics to do it. See, you are in the swim and you must keep your head above water. There is work to be done, a life to be lived and you must dive in and do your best.
You’re not a wrestler but there are problems waiting to be wrestled with. You are in the ring and the fight is on. No doubt you feel the weight of your duties, and you need a surge of strength to lift them. Remember, the target is up ahead, so take good aim.
Maybe you are not into cycling, but you surely will do some re-cycling. Medal winner? No certainty, but you are in the running. Just don’t drop the ball.
The game of life
You will agree with me that life’s a marathon. Not a sprint or a dash, but a long road with many twists and turns. It has a definite start and a definite finish. We have no control over the start but we have plenty of control on how we finish. Be assured that it is not a competition in which the strongest win out. Just look at some we call ‘celebrities.’ In many cases you would not want to swap with them. Many have ruptured relationships, families all over the place, bouts of depression, addiction and so on and on. No, the truly successful will be those who keep going in honesty, uprightness and integrity. They are courageous in down times and compassionate toward others.
Sometimes we are more concerned about the spectators than the game itself. What others think is usually not as important as we imagine. But here is something of great importance. God is watching 24/7. Yes, He sees and knows all about you. We are tempted to think that our little lives would escape His notice or that our existence is meaningless. God has made it abundantly clear that you matter. Your performance is very significant but it is not the issue that rules the final outcome. He knows that we cannot lift ourselves from failure — that universal characteristic.
The Bible uses the word ‘sin’ a lot. The primary meaning of the word is to ‘miss the mark’ of God’s perfect sinless character, standard. And we do it all the time. We need a Saviour to enable us to avoid the punishment for our wrong-doing, which is rightly ours. There is no other way. And God has provided Him. Jesus took on the task of saving sinners and it led Him to that mighty contest on Calvary’s cross. He won the battle on our behalf. Now He desires our allegiance. Trust in the Lord Jesus and you shall be saved (Acts 16:31). Those who belong to Him cannot lose. They share His victory. Do you need to come to Him and put your trust in Him? Then jump to it!