{"id":28279,"date":"2021-08-05T15:23:21","date_gmt":"2021-08-05T19:23:21","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/?p=28279"},"modified":"2021-08-20T10:09:19","modified_gmt":"2021-08-20T14:09:19","slug":"pastors-ponderings-running-the-race-with-perseverance-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/?p=28279","title":{"rendered":"Pastor&#8217;s Ponderings: Running the Race with Perseverance"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><em><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">During the summer of 2021&#8230; during the 2020 Olympics (postponed a year due to the pandemic), Pastor Jim submitted the following thoughts on how our faithfulness and persistence will lead to a guaranteed victory.\u00a0 Christ has already secured a crown for us in heaven, and that will be even better than a gold medal on the winner&#8217;s podium.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><em><span style=\"color: #008000; font-size: 18pt;\">Greetings Friends;<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n<p>As you may be aware the Olympics are being held in Tokyo, Japan. The competition, the stories behind the athletes, and the actual performances by the athletes are inspiring and can be a source of encouragement.<\/p>\n<p>Below is the brief story of a former Olympic athlete from the United States named James Connolly.\u00a0 His story is one of confidence, perseverance, and strength.\u00a0 I pray that each of us will be blessed.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><em><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">Please read the following verses (click\/tap the tab to open each verse)&#8230;<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n\n\t\t\t<div class='tabs-left et_sliderfx_fade et_sliderauto_false et_sliderauto_speed_444444 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\t1 Corinthians 9:24-27\n\t\t<\/a><\/li> \n\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\n\t\t<\/a><\/li> \n\t\t<li><a href='#'>\n\t\t\tRevelation 2:10-b\n\t\t<\/a><\/li>\n\t\t<\/ul> <!-- .et-tabs-control --> \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>\u00a0&#8220;Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize.\u00a0 Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: right;\">\u00a0<span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.biblegateway.com\/passage\/?search=1+cor+9&amp;version=NIV\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">1 Corinthians 9:24-27<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n\t\t<\/div> \n\t\t<div class='et_slidecontent'>\n\t\t\t&#8220;I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: right;\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.biblegateway.com\/passage\/?search=Philippians+3&amp;version=NIV\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Philippians 3:14<\/a> <\/span><\/p>\n\t\t<\/div> \n\t\t<div class='et_slidecontent'>\n\t\t\t&#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<p style=\"text-align: right;\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.biblegateway.com\/passage\/?search=2+Timothy+4&amp;version=NIV\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">2 Timothy 4:8<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n\t\t<\/div> \n\t\t<div class='et_slidecontent'>\n\t\t\t&#8220;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<p style=\"text-align: right;\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.biblegateway.com\/passage\/?search=jam+1&amp;version=NIV\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">James 1:12<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n\t\t<\/div> \n\t\t<div class='et_slidecontent'>\n\t\t\t&#8220;And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that will never fade away.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: right;\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.biblegateway.com\/passage\/?search=1+peter+5&amp;version=NIV\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">1 Peter 5:4<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n\t\t<\/div> \n\t\t<div class='et_slidecontent'>\n\t\t\t&#8220;Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you the crown of life.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: right;\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.biblegateway.com\/passage\/?search=Revelation+2&amp;version=NIV\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Revelation 2:10b<\/a><\/span><\/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>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h4><em><span style=\"color: #993366;\">Hungry for the Prize&#8230;<br \/>\n<\/span><\/em><\/h4>\n<div id=\"attachment_28291\" style=\"width: 230px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-28291\" class=\"wp-image-28291\" src=\"https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/JamesConnolly2-Olympian-_USOPM-org-_400x300-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"220\" height=\"165\" srcset=\"https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/JamesConnolly2-Olympian-_USOPM-org-_400x300-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/JamesConnolly2-Olympian-_USOPM-org-_400x300.jpg 400w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 220px) 100vw, 220px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-28291\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">James Connolly, US Olympian 1896 (photo from USopm.org)<\/p><\/div>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">The very first Olympic champion in the history of the\u00a0modern games\u00a0is an American named James Connolly, the first person to take first place after the resumption of the games in 1896.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/usopm.org\/james-connolly\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">James Connolly<\/a><\/span> was born in south Boston and 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 soon rumors spread that the ancient Olympic games\u00a0would be reborn in Athens. At Princeton University, runner Robert Garrett had already decided to go, taking three teammates with him. Princeton gave them six weeks off for the trip.\u00a0 Back at Harvard, Arthur Blake, another runner, was granted permission to attend the Olympics. But when James asked for the same privilege, the school refused. The dean of the school is quoted as saying, \u2018You\u2019re only an undergraduate.\u00a0If you leave now, you will have to quit\u2014and you may not be allowed back in.&#8221;\u00a0 James replied, &#8220;I\u2019m a good enough jumper to beat anybody in the world. I\u2019m going to Athens to prove it. And if that means quitting Harvard, then I quit right now.&#8221; James withdrew his college funds and, shortly afterward and sailed for Europe. <\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h4><span style=\"color: #800000;\"><em>Pressing on Through Obstacles&#8230;<br \/>\n<\/em><\/span><\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">The other 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 on the journey across the ocean.\u00a0 The ship eventually took them to Naples.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">James was no sooner off the boat in Naples when someone bumped into him 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 a bit out of shape. 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>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h4><em><span style=\"color: #993366;\">Encouragement Overcomes Difficulties&#8230;<\/span><\/em><\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">When morning came, James dragged himself out of bed for the opening ceremonies and stood for hours in the blazing sun awaiting the beginning of the games. 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 One of his teammates pulled him aside and said, &#8220;I\u2019ve seen you make it this far despite all the problems you\u2019ve had getting here, 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>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h4><em><span style=\"color: #993366;\">Perseverance Helps Bring us to Victory&#8230;<\/span><\/em><\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">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!\u00a0 James had won the Olympic event! That afternoon, James Connolly stood on the victor\u2019s stand and was awarded the silver 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>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"color: #800000; font-size: 14pt;\">=\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 =\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 =\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 =<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">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 <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.biblegateway.com\/passage\/?search=jn+16&amp;version=NIV\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">John\u00a016:33<\/a><\/span>, &#8220;<em><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">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 <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">While we are assured of the victory we\u00a0must 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\u00a0many difficult days, but\u00a0like good spiritual Olympians, we must keep on going until the prize is won.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><em><span style=\"color: #008000; font-size: 18pt;\">Shalom,<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n<p><em><span style=\"color: #ff0000; font-size: 10pt;\">Pastor Jim<\/span><\/em><\/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\u00a0 +\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 +<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>For additional Pastor&#8217;s Ponderings articles, 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>American athlete James Connolly dreamed of competing in the Triple Jump on the world stage.  When the Olympics returned in 1896, he quit college and sailed for Athens.  His persistence paid off; He won the first place prize.  Victory is assured, but we are called to &#8220;run the race with perseverance&#8221; until the prize is won.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2956,"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-28279","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\/28279","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=28279"}],"version-history":[{"count":16,"href":"https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28279\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":28296,"href":"https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28279\/revisions\/28296"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/2956"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=28279"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=28279"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=28279"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}