Back on the Dreadmill

After 2 weeks of illness and recovery, I got back on the dreadmill this morning. I know it's good for me and I know its the right thing to do, but I don't like it. Partly that's because I don't get anywhere.

I could run outside, but then I wouldn't be able to watch Sportscenter. (I've never actually typed that word before. Now I can't stop thinking that it is a product to make things smell like sports. Like a Glade plug-in for an unused locker room. "Sport-scenter: the scent of sport, wherever you need it." I digress.)

The treadmill keeps me on pace in my running and helps me track my progress better. It records my workouts to my phone which uploads them to Nike+, which tells me how many cheeseburgers I've burned through. It's safe and convenient. But, I don't get anywhere. In many ways, my running seems like it is in vain.*

Paul worries about this too. In Galatians 2:2, he takes some precautions to ensure that his running is not in vain. He has a goal in mind and he doesn't want to waste any steps along the way. His goal? To spread the gospel to the gentiles. To become all things to all men so that he may save a few. To do what Jesus called him to do.

So, when he visits Jerusalem, he tells them the gospel. He doesn't hold it back. He doesn't assume they already know. He doesn't worry about repetition or about what they will think of him. He presses onwards toward his goal... no matter what it takes.

Are we spiritually running in vain? Are we doing churchy things or religious things without ever moving closer to the goal Christ has given us? Are our steps making disciples of the whole world or are we journeying in vain? When was the last time I shared the gospel with someone? When was the last time I ran toward the goal I've been given?

*If my goal in running was to get somewhere, I would totally be running in vain. But, since my goal is to get in better shape and take care of my heart, the treadmill is perfect.

Luke 2 - All People

The angel shows up to speak to the shepherds and they bring "good news of great joy that will be for all the people." Again, the angels say all people. So many times when we read this, we think to ourselves, "Right, all people. Not just the Jews, hooray for us." Or we link this with Paul's writings and think, "There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for we are all one in Christ Jesus." True. But. This says that Jesus was good news for ALL people. That means sinners too. Way too often, we encounter people who don't believe or actively disbelieve in Jesus and we are quick to write them off. Even worse, if they've hurt Christianity or hurt us personally, we might be waiting for the judgment day to come. Here's the thing: Jesus is good news for them too - they just haven't truly seen or understood it yet. That's where we come in.

Luke 1 - Clearing things Up, Once and for a while

Luke starts out on an interesting note. He says that many people had “undertaken” to write out an account of Jesus, but he was going to do a better, more thorough job than they had in order to clear up any doubts that his man Theophilus may have had. This means that there were doubts in those days about what really went on in Jesus’ life. The old telephone game was at work before there were even telephones. It should come as no surprise that today we have other erroneous books popping up (the Gospels of Thomas and Judas to name 2) now and again in the mainstream media. This isn’t a new game or a remarkable discovery, just the same old that Luke was writing to clear up. He wanted to Reset some incorrect thinking that was out there.