{"id":27484,"date":"2021-04-28T11:30:58","date_gmt":"2021-04-28T15:30:58","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/?p=27484"},"modified":"2021-05-29T10:35:45","modified_gmt":"2021-05-29T14:35:45","slug":"pastors-ponderings-running-the-race-with-perseverance","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/?p=27484","title":{"rendered":"Pastor&#8217;s Ponderings: Running the Race with Perseverance"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><em>Pastor Jim submitted the following thoughts on 4\/28\/21.\u00a0 We&#8217;re starting to see the &#8220;light at the end of the tunnel&#8221; with the pandemic, but we still need to &#8220;run the race&#8221; and persevere.\u00a0 Scripture and the story of an Olympic athlete give us guidance and inspiration to continue &#8220;running the race&#8221; until the &#8220;crown is won&#8221;&#8230;<br \/>\n<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong><em><span style=\"color: #008000; font-size: 14pt;\">Greetings Friends;<\/span><\/em><\/strong><br \/>\n\u00a0<br \/>\nI pray that each of you will be blessed by this humble offering.<\/p>\n<p>PLEASE READ: (<em><span style=\"color: #ff0000; font-size: 10pt;\">click on each tab to read the corresponding verse<\/span><\/em>)<\/p>\n\n\t\t\t<div class='tabs-left et_sliderfx_fade et_sliderauto_false et_sliderauto_speed_999 et_slidertype_left_tabs clearfix'>\n\t\t\t\t<div class='et_left_tabs_bg'><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<ul class='et-tabs-control'>\n\t\t\t<li><a href='#'>\n\t\t\tPhilippians 3:14\n\t\t<\/a><\/li> \n\t\t<li><a href='#'>\n\t\t\t2 Timothy 4:8\n\t\t<\/a><\/li> \n\t\t<li><a href='#'>\n\t\t\tJames 1:12\n\t\t<\/a><\/li> \n\t\t<li><a href='#'>\n\t\t\t1 Peter 5:4\u00a0\n\t\t<\/a><\/li>\n\t\t<\/ul> <!-- .et-tabs-control --><\/p>\n<p>\n\t\t<div class='et-tabs-content'>\n\t\t\t<div class='et-tabs-content-main-wrap'>\n\t\t\t\t<div class='et-tabs-content-wrapper'>\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class='et_slidecontent'>\n\t\t\t<p>&#8220;I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.&#8221;<\/p>\n\t\t<\/div> \n\t\t<div class='et_slidecontent'>\n\t\t\t<p>&#8220;Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day\u2014and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.&#8221;<\/p>\n\t\t<\/div> \n\t\t<div class='et_slidecontent'>\n\t\t\t<p>Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.&#8221;<\/p>\n\t\t<\/div> \n\t\t<div class='et_slidecontent'>\n\t\t\t<p>\u00a0&#8220;And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that will never fade away.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div> <!-- .tabs-left -->\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<br \/>\nOne of the first Olympic champions in the history of the modern games is an American named James Connolly, the first person to win a medal after the resumption of the games in 1896&#8230;<\/p>\n<div class='et-box et-shadow'>\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class='et-box-content'><span style=\"color: #800080;\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/James_Brendan_Connolly\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">James Connolly<\/a><\/span>, who was born in south Boston, dreamed of attending Harvard University, but he couldn\u2019t afford it. He worked multiple jobs for many years to save enough for tuition; and at age 27, he finally enrolled. The year was 1896, and <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" wp-image-27497 alignright\" src=\"https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/JamesConnoly-Wikipedia-_400x400-300x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"235\" height=\"235\" srcset=\"https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/JamesConnoly-Wikipedia-_400x400-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/JamesConnoly-Wikipedia-_400x400-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/JamesConnoly-Wikipedia-_400x400.jpg 400w, https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/JamesConnoly-Wikipedia-_400x400-178x178.jpg 178w, https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/JamesConnoly-Wikipedia-_400x400-184x184.jpg 184w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 235px) 100vw, 235px\" \/>soon it was announced the ancient Olympic games\u00a0would be resuming in Athens, Greece. James withdrew his college funds and, shortly afterward, left for Europe aboard a German steamer. Other American athletes were on board, too, but they had lots of funding and could travel first class. James found himself far below deck in a cramped, musty, dank cabin with little food. He suffered terribly from seasickness.\u00a0 The ship eventually took them to Naples.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #800080;\">Shortly after leaving the ship in Naples someone in a crowd &#8220;bumped into&#8221; James on the crowded streets. Later in the day when James\u00a0reached for his billfold, it was gone. He\u2019d been robbed of every cent by a pickpocket. When he finally\u00a0arrived in Athens he was physically and mentally exhausted, penniless, frazzled, and traveling at the mercy of wealthier teammates. He had become\u00a0weak and was doubting whether he could compete. But at least he had two weeks to recover from the trip, or so he thought. An even greater shock and surprise was about to be revealed to him.\u00a0The Greeks used a different calendar than the Americans, and Olympic competition was set to begin the very next day!<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #800080;\">When morning came, James dragged himself out of bed for the opening ceremonies and stood for hours in the blazing sun awaiting the arrival of the King of Greece. When the games began, James\u2019 event, the triple jump, was first on the schedule. &#8220;I don\u2019t know if I can manage even one jump,&#8221; James said. &#8220;I\u2019m exhausted.&#8221;\u00a0\u00a0But one of his teammates pulled him aside. &#8220;I\u2019ve seen you make it this far despite all the problems you\u2019ve had getting here,&#8221; said his friend. &#8220;And I\u2019ve seen you jump. There\u2019s no one here who can beat you. Just remember. You\u2019re representing Americans now.&#8221;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #800080;\">As the competition proceeded, James watched his opponents. The French jumper had the best marks, a triple jump of 41 feet, 8 inches. Walking to the edge of the runway, James had\u00a0a rush of adrenaline along with a fresh surge of confidence. Racing down the runway, James leaped into the air and to everyone\u2019s amazement, his triple jump measured nearly 45 feet.\u00a0 Leaping to their feet, the thousands of spectators began roaring. That afternoon, James Connolly stood on the victor\u2019s stand and was awarded the medal, at that time signifying first place. Not only did he become America\u2019s first Olympic hero, he was the first Olympic champion of modern times.<\/span><\/p><\/div><\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>You know friends, as I read that story, I was reminded that we must all persevere through difficulties if we\u2019re going to win the crown God has for us. Jesus tells us in\u00a0<span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.biblegateway.com\/passage\/?search=John+16%3A28-33&amp;version=NLV\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">John 16:33<\/a><\/span>,<\/p>\n\n\t\t<div class='author-shortcodes'>\n\t\t\t<div class='author-inner'>\n\t\t\t\t<div class='author-image'>\n\t\t\t<img src='https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/et_temp\/Dove-Peace-with-Justice-20967_60x60.jpg' alt='' \/>\n\t\t\t<div class='author-overlay'><\/div>\n\t\t<\/div> <!-- .author-image --> \n\t\t<div class='author-info'>\n\t\t\t&#8220;<em><span style=\"color: #ff0000; font-size: 14pt;\">I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble.\u00a0But take heart!\u00a0 I have overcome\u00a0the world.<\/span><\/em>\u201d\u00a0\n\t\t<\/div> <!-- .author-info -->\n\t\t\t<\/div> <!-- .author-inner -->\n\t\t<\/div> <!-- .author-shortcodes -->\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>While we are assured of the victory we must still run with perseverance the race that is set before us. We must not give in or give up as we live our lives of faith. As God&#8217;s people we may have many difficult days, but like good spiritual Olympians, we must keep on going until the prize is won.<\/p>\n<p>\n<em><span style=\"font-size: 18pt; color: #008000;\">Shalom,<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n<p><em><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">Pastor Jim<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"color: #008000; font-size: 18pt;\">+\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 +\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 +\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 +\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 +\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 +<\/span><\/p>\n<p>For more Pastor Ponderings Devotionals, click this button:\u00a0\u00a0 <a href='https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/?cat=131' class='small-button smallpurple'><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Pastor&#8217;s Ponderings<\/span><\/a> \u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>As we look forward to the the end of the pandemic, the Bible and the experience of Olympian James Connolly give us guidance and inspiration to hang on and persevere.  Pastor Jim submitted this devotion on 4\/28\/21.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":24914,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[131],"tags":[87],"class_list":["post-27484","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-pastors-ponderings","tag-victory"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27484","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=27484"}],"version-history":[{"count":16,"href":"https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27484\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":27517,"href":"https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27484\/revisions\/27517"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/24914"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=27484"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=27484"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=27484"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}