Since I have been sick all throughout this week, I decided that I would finally finish this book that I have slowly been reading through. The Pursuit of Holiness by Jerry Bridges is actually a book that I read through many years ago, but I just thought it would be something that I should pick up once again and read through to continue to challenge me in my desire to grow in my relationship with Jesus.
In 1 Corinthians 9:24, it says, "Run in such a way as to get the prize." When I was back in high school, I was a part of the cross country team. I joined the sport basically to be in shape for soccer, which would take place right after the cross country season, but there was something that I definitely learned in this sport that I will never forget. YOU NEED ENDURANCE. You see, track was not for me. I am not a very good sprinter, but what I did discover in cross country was that although I was not the best on the team, I was still able to endure throughout these long races. Now to be quite honest, the races were not that long (only 3 miles), especially when you compare it to the LA Marathon which is 26.2 miles long. Now I have never been a part of a marathon, but I definitely do appreciate and respect these men and women that can continue to run that race that is set before them with endurance.
If you have ever watched one of these races, whether a high school cross country race or the LA Marathon, there is something that needs to be said by each of them. IT DOESN'T MATTER HOW GOOD YOU START, IT IS HOW YOU FINISH THAT MATTERS! As we bring this mentality into the Christian "race of faith," we want to be like the Apostle Paul who stated at the end of his life: "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith." I have seen so many people in my life who start out their "race" so good and strong, but end up losing sight of the end and simply give up. I DO NOT WANT TO BE ONE OF THOSE PEOPLE!
I want to remind each of us today that we must understand that until that day when the Lord calls us home (Philippians 3:20), we must continue to ENDURE to the end. But the question is... How do we do that?
In this book, The Pursuit of Holiness, I believe that Jerry Bridges does a great job breaking down how we are to as believers in Jesus Christ are to live a holy life and finish our race. God commands His people to "be holy, for I am holy." (Leviticus 11:44) But holiness is something that is often missing in the Christian's daily life. According to Jerry Bridges, that's because we are not exactly sure what our part in holiness is. In this book Jerry breaks down:
- How God has equipped us to lead holy lives
- Guidelines for determining right from wrong
- How reason and emotions influence our will
- How habits and personal disciple play a part in holy living
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