The Lord is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; he knows those who take refuge in him. Nahum 1:7
At his father's funeral, American Carl Lewis placed his 100-meter gold medal from the 1984 Olympics in his father's hands. "Don't worry," he told his surprised mother. "I'll get another one."A year later, in the 100-meter final at the 1988 games, Lewis was competing against Canadian world-record-holder Ben Johnson. Halfway through the race Johnson was five feet in front. Lewis was convinced he could catch him. But at 80 meters, he was still five feet behind. It's over, Dad, Lewis thought. As Johnson crossed the finish, he stared back at Lewis and thrust his right arm in the air, index finger extended. Lewis was exasperated. He had noticed Johnson's bulging muscles and yellow-tinged eyes, both indications of steroid use."I didn't have the medal, but I could still give to my father by acting with class and dignity," Lewis said later. He shook Johnson's hand and left the track. But then came the announcement that Johnson had tested positive for anabolic steroids. He was stripped of his medal. The gold went to Lewis, a replacement for the medal he had given his father. Lewis was not flawless, he too had tested positive for steroids during the olympic qualifiers but in this instance he was clean of any wrongdoing.
Sometimes we find ourselves feeling frustrated and maybe even angry that somone else has gotten what we think we deserve. That motorcycle, that house, that job or that car. We may even feel that they have gotten something they didn't deserve, because they cheated or did something dishonest. If we live faithfully and do what God asks of us, He does not forget nor does he ignore or work. At the end of life there is gold. We are not flawless and sometimes have our own sins to deal with but just like Carl Lewis when it counts are we committed to Him and give to the Father by acting with class and dignity. The immediate reward may be past but the long term reward of Christ is living eternally in his presence. The gold reward comes in the end when we are His and we "take refuge in Him."
Where is our hope, where is our believe and faith that God will supply the gold medals we need when we do His will faithfully. Do we honor Him in all that we do knowing He will handle it all. Do we strive for what is right in knowing that failure could have been ours as well but by God's grace we are clean of wrongdoing due to His grace in the end.
Much love
Preach
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