Rugged Pursuit
Withdraw to the Wilderness
Ride With Me
When we experience something amazing, we always want to tell everyone right away! But the single greatest thing in our lives often seems to be the hardest to talk about. Why is that?
“Sing to the Lord; praise his name. Each day proclaim the good news that he saves. Publish his glorious deeds among the nations. Tell everyone about the amazing things he does.”
Psalms 96:2-3 (NLT)
On a hot, mid-August day, I rode the mountain bike trails at a place called Griffin Bike Park in West-Central Indiana. I rode all evening until dark. As I always do, I ended up riding way longer, and for many more miles, than I originally intended. One reason this always happens is because I just don’t want to stop riding. The main reason, though, is because I always get lost! I get in the groove and just keep pushing on, always wondering what is down the next trail. My curiosity gets the best of me and while my smile gets wider and wider, so does the distance between me and the car! That’s okay though because some of the best experiences in mountain biking, and in life, are often the unexpected ones.
I had a great time trying out new trails and seeing new parts of the park that I had never seen before. I also got a killer workout and was completely worn out at the end. Despite being exhausted, I still had such a good ride that I wanted to tell someone right away. I was riding alone and was thinking the whole time I was peddling, “what a shame that no one else is here to experience this with me!” I loved it so much that all I could think about was who I could share the moment with and who I could bring along next time so they could experience the seemingly endless trail system for themselves.
Have You Heard the News?
When we have good news, discover something new, or do something amazing, we always want to tell everyone we know. We get on social media and post pictures, we text all our friends, and we talk about it the whole next day at work. But why don’t we do that with the Gospel? Is there really any better discovery than the fact that God has given us the chance to have our sins forgiven through the sending of His son? Truly there can be no greater news than this! Why aren’t we telling everyone!?
“I once was lost but now I am found, and I….am too shy to talk about it.”
There’s some sort of disconnect here. Why aren’t we talking to people about Jesus? Is it that we don’t really believe He is who He claims to be? Or are we for some reason ashamed of Him? Why do we have this idea that everyone wants to hear about what we ate for dinner last night, but that no one would want to hear that their sins can be forgiven and they can live guilt free? Why do we want to tell everyone on our news feed about our latest weight loss success and the “new, life-changing product” that made it all possible, but we can’t be bothered to tell them that they can live for eternity with Jesus in Heaven?
Something doesn’t add up here. We need to seriously reevaluate our hearts. Maybe it’s time to do a spiritual inventory to find out what is standing in the way of us telling our closest friends about the greatest thing in this world, and in the next.
The Greatest Story Ever Told
Guys, the Gospel of Jesus Christ is the greatest story there is! Why does it no longer excite us? We were once completely lost and hopeless. By the grace of God, Jesus died willingly on a cross to take the punishment for our sin. He chose to take our place so we would no longer be condemned. He loves us that much! Then, He rose from the dead three days later, walked out of the grave, and is our living Savior.
How can we be so relaxed and passive about that? Who else has ever done anything even remotely close to something like this? Who else would be willing to die an excruciating, bloody death just for the chance to have a relationship with you? No one on this earth, that’s for sure.
What About You
- What spiritual milestone have you experienced that you want to share?
- What is holding you back from having conversations about the work God is doing in your life?
- Who is one person that could benefit from hearing your story?
- Who will you talk to about your faith this week?
Let’s Ride!
Tell everyone you love about how your life has been changed by this wild ride called faith. Proclaim the good news that He saves (v2). Tell everyone about the amazing things He does (v3). Ask them to hop in the saddle and hit the trails with you.
If you don’t understand what’s so great about this Jesus guy, ask someone! Don’t just take my word for it, come see for yourself what it is like to live life as a follower of Christ.
So listen, don’t miss out on this amazing ride!
Come ride with me!
2.22.19
*If you want to know how you can begin a relationship with Jesus, or take your faith to the next level, contact us today! Click the “CONTACT” button, or email us at ruggedpursuitdevo@gmail.com.
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