5k Every Day in the Month of May 2017 (Day 4)
Today was my last day of running in the mountains. I wanted to make it a great 5k!
I ran the same route that Jodi and I ran yesterday morning. Today I was able to run it in 23 minutes and 36 seconds. That is an average pace of 7:35, which I was really happy with given the conditions.
Some of the uphill climbs felt like they would never end, but I was able to keep a solid pace uphill, and I was flying downhill (I hit a 5:55 pace at one point, only briefly). The views were as breathtaking as ever this morning, and it was a brisk 31 degrees. I am definitely looking forward to an Ohio run tomorrow.
Reading through Matthew 10-12 today, I was struck by the difficulty of following Jesus.
In Matthew 10, Jesus appoints and sends out his Apostles, but tells them about how hard it is going to be and warns them that they will be persecuted.
Truly following Jesus is hard!
But he is with us, he gives us reason to have no fear, and he promises great rewards.
Matthew 11 is one of my favorite chapters in Scripture. For some reason I am encouraged by John the Baptist’s momentary lack of faith. Here is this great man of God, who in a moment of weakness wonders of his life’s work was worth it -or if he missed God by proclaiming that Jesus was the promised Messiah…
So John, in prison, sends his disciples to Jesus to ask if he was, in fact, the Christ. Jesus answers with a definitive YES in a way that John would clearly understand, and then he goes on to say:
And blessed is the one who is not offended by me.” – Matthew 11:6
What a powerful statement. Let me paraphrase:
“I am God and I do what I want when I want because… well, because I am God. All of my ways are good and right even though they often seem bad and wrong. If you trust me, and believe that I am for you, and have faith that I am working all things together for the good, then you are blessed.”
Another part of Matthew 11 that gives me great comfort is several verses later when Jesus describes the impossibility of pleasing men.
“For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, ‘He has a demon.’ The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Look at him! A glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ Yet wisdom is justified by her deeds.” – Matthew 11:18-19
Again, I will paraphrase:
“John, a man anointed and sent by God, didn’t eat and drink in a way that satisfied the masses, so they rejected him -he’s too weird. I, Jesus, was rejected as a possible messiah because I ate and drank too much and didn’t hang out with the ‘right’ people. There is no satisfying these people, but the truth will be unmistakably revealed in the end.”
Have you ever felt like this? Like no matter what you do it is too much or not enough? I sure have! Thankfully, we are not called to satisfy the fleeting expectations of the masses. We are called to follow, honor, and glorify our audience of One.
The truth will be unmistakeably revealed in the end.
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Great job on your 5k Jeff. That’s a great time.
I ran 3.13 today. I wanted to be a over achiever. Lol. Pace time 9:15 over all 28:56. Think I’m stuck in the 9 pace area. A little rainy in Ohio today.
I really related with when Jesus sent the disciples out and said do not be anxious about how you are to speak or what you are to say, for what you are to say will be given to you in that hour. For it is not you who speak but the spirit of your father speaking through you. (Matthew 10:19-20)
Guess this stuck out because there have been times when I’ve been talking to people about the God and what I had to say was nothing that I knew or had in my mind but it came out. Then there’s times I feel like a idiot and I feel it went bad but who knows what is God’s plan.
Thanks! I did my best! It was hard work for me up around 9,200 ft.
9 minute miles are great. Good job! It’s fun to go out and run as fast as you can sometimes, but most days it’s nice to just get some miles in at whatever pace feels good.
Thanks for sharing what stuck out to you from today’s reading!
Morning seems to work best for us, and we got both “3s” in this morning. We’re just walking, but, for some reason, it was the most difficult day. No matter which way we go from our place, there are ugly hills! Ugh! But I keep wondering how I’d ever make it up those huge hills if I was running!
This morning I felt like I was drinking from a firehouse as I listened to Matthew 10-12. There is so much there, and I appreciated your thoughts Jeff. Thanks for sharing!
Firehouse confirmation here, too!! So much truth, but not easy to swallow. Way to keep going on your “3s”!!
We ran our 5k this morning in 24 minutes and 30 seconds (average pace of 7:54 per mile). One of the parts of the scripture for today that stood out to me was Matthew 10:28. “And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.” While I feel like I am in no danger of having my body killed as a result of my faith here in the U.S., it made me think about how my faith should be so strong that I don’t have any fear outside of him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.
Good word, and great run! You two are really moving!!
Awesome run, JP! I know how hard that altitude can be! Even from Horseback lol.
Today was trying. I kept looking out and being depressed, constantly raining. I didn’t want to run. It looked miserable and dreary, and I didn’t figure I’d do well. Then, a comment above encouraged me. I did it! 3.3 miles. It wasn’t a great run, time wise. But, we are called to run the race that is set before us, not do it better then someone else. It turned out to be a slower, but enjoyable run.
I relate on other comments on these chapters of Matthew. Reading your thoughts on the chapter help comprehend things even better. God is good!
Glad you got your run in! Good job!
It will be good to have you back! I did 8.4 miles this AM with Jrock and he was asking about you…think he misses ya! 🙂
Haha!!! I miss you guys, too. We had an amazing week in Colorado, but SO GLAD to be back!
Another 5k competed on the treadmill.
I like the part in chapter 10 where it said if they don’t like or hear your message, just shake off the dust and move on. My feelings tend to hurt if people don’t accept what I’m communicating and it can be tempting to avoid talking about a Gospel that can be offensive. So I like the thought of sticking with the exciting, true message of the Bible and moving along to people that will listen to it.
Good point.
Jesus says “the harvest is plentiful”, so there are plenty of people who will be receptive to his message of free salvation through the cross. Plus, it is HIS message that we are sharing, not ours. So if people aren’t interested, then they are not interested in HIS message, not ours.
Good word.
Ran this morning bright and early. A little worried due to the fact ran way too fast last night, but actually felt great.
Chapters really made me think and put myself in the disciples shoes. I can become quiet stubborn. What would I do? Would I follow? I remember a sermon on how the disciples fishing jobs were quite profitable. I have to admit money does get in my way when it shouldn’t.
I like that idea of trying to put ourselves in the disciples’ shoes and asking what we would do in that situation -especially since we are often called to very similar situations. Glad your run felt great!
Day 4. Done. Appreciate every one’s comments on the scripture. I also like Matthew 11. Today was one of those days when verse 28 was needed. “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”
Amen!
Day 4 done ✅ Randy ran 3.8 miles in 31:40 at an 8:14 pace and I did a treadmill 5K in 28:29 with a 9:10 pace. As I was reading the part where Jesus was saying woe to the cities that had rejected Him, I wondered what He would say to our country/the church today. I feel it would be similar. I wonder what another Great Awakening would look like?? I wonder if this country or even humanity in general would have the “tolerance” for a revival.
Wow. Good questions. I think the answers have to start with us! Would we personally have the tolerance or interest in a revival? If we are open, then that puts us one step closer to society as a whole being ready. It is amazing what God can do with a single person fully committed to Him!
Good job on your running! Keep up the good work!
Today was a busy one but I managed to get my 5k in walking in the Denver airport. There’s a first time for everything I guess.
Haha. Walking a full 5k at the airport was definitely epic! Way to stick to your commitment!