DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT

Jesus is our example. He is a champion who, at the end of His race, received a crown of joy. When an athlete runs, he runs to win a trophy. In our verse today, what is “the joy set before Him”? It’s winning the race. He “endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”

The crown gave Him the ability to endure. If you keep the crown in mind, you can bear the cross. But you cannot have the crown if you despise the cross. We are crucified with the Lord Jesus Christ.

I have a few trophies I won back in high school on a championship football team: a gold football, a letterman’s sweater and a silver cup. Do you know what happened to all those trophies? Someone broke into the house and got the gold football. The moths had a camp meeting in the sweater, and it’s gone—no more letters on the letter sweater. What happened to the silver cup? I haven’t the foggiest.

ACTION POINT

Athletes run “to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an imperishable crown” (1 Corinthians 9:25). There is a prize for you to possess. Follow your Lord and walk as Jesus walked.

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When You Are Bitter

Some bitter people are like a porcupine. They may have a lot of good points, but they’re hard to be near.

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When We Say Father

Matthew 6:9-13

There is nothing more important than knowing how to pray. Jesus teaches us how to pray in Matthew 6, beginning with a very specific instruction to call God, “Father.” In this message, Adrian Rogers explains the power of prayer, and what it means when we say “Father.”

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