Race to the King

I’ve been thinking for a while how I would go about writing this post, and the good news is that I found a way but the bad news is up till now while I was thinking I have not really thought about any other posts and thus not blogged. So hopefully this will be a good one and make up for the fact that I only have two posts on the month. I finished the book of Judges fairly recently and one verse that is constantly repeated is “In those days Israel had not king: everyone did as he saw fit”, it appears a few times and really sums up well the chaotic atmosphere in Israel at the time. Basically Judges takes place at a time similar to the 2010 Red Sox, a bridge year, Joshua and Moses are long gone, and the Israelites aren’t really established as a permanent nation yet. But the key in the verse is that Israel really was never supposed to have a king, and that is because God was supposed to be the ruler over them, He conceded a bit though (for more see Deuteronomy 17), but up till now God is still in charge. But looking at the verse you can see it says “Israel had no king” and thus didn’t have God. The rollercoaster theme of running from and to God in Israel is clear, and the results are clear too. When we don’t have God as king over our lives, when we pursue our passions over His for us we ultimately lose our lives. It takes sacrifice and work, it’s not easy, I wouldn’t lie and say it was, but the results of a godless life are just plain sad. God created us, He knows us, and He made us for His glory that we may be fulfilled. There is so much we all could do, so many amazing and miraculous lives we all could lead but the sin of the world that we hang on to holds us down like a weight. In church the other day the message was about running, and after my first track season I can identify with it. When you are on the blocks and ready to sprint a 100m, you don’t want extra weight, the shoes we wear are basically slippers so our feet can be quick. When we lose the chains that hold us back from God and pursue a life worth living that is where we experience real joy. When we leave Him to pursue something that is wrong and ungodly we leave our true fulfillment and joy behind. It’s never a question as to whether or not a life lived for God is worth it, it’s if we are willing or not to pursue it.