#5kMay2018 Day 31

WE DID IT!! Another “5k Every Day in the Month of May” is in the books! Congratulations to everyone who participated, and a huge CONGRATULATIONS to everyone who accomplished their goal! It really is an amazing accomplishment to run or walk at least 3.1 miles every day for 31 days.

What would “5k Every Day in the Month of May” be without a nice rain run? That is exactly what Jodi and I experienced this morning as we put in our final “Triangle Route” for the month. At around 2 miles in to the run, it just started pouring! But to be honest, given the muggy, hot morning we were experiencing, the rain actually felt pretty wonderful!

We ran 3.3 miles in 32 minutes and 26 seconds. We had a nice average pace of 9:20 per mile. It was really nice to get so many 5k runs in with my wife this year. I remember averaging a LOT more miles at a LOT faster pace last year. That was great! But this year was a little more enjoyable in a different way. Running with my wife and with my three oldest daughters was a pretty special twist for #5kMay2018.

I think that seeing my daughters set a goal and accomplish it was the highlight for me this year. What was your favorite moment from #5kMay2018?

I love that the “5k Every Day in the Month of May” reading plan ends in Acts 4. We get to experience the full life and ministry of Christ, and we also get to see the baton get passed on to the disciples, who faithfully ran with it for the rest of their lives! It is very inspiring to read.

The passage the most stuck out to me today was found in Acts 2.

Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?” And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself.” (Acts 2:37–39, ESV)

As I was reading this passage this morning, I couldn’t help but think about the people who may have joined this challenge though they don’t really know Jesus. Perhaps as they read along with the daily reading, or even the daily blog or responses from other #5kMay2018 participants, they were cut to the heart. Perhaps they have been feeling like those who heard Peter’s sermon at Pentecost. They have encountered the truth about Jesus and now they are wondering, “What shall we do?”

I think Peter’s advice from 2,000 years ago is still the same advice I would give today. Repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit!

God’s promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far from God! He is good. He is loving. He is kind. He is calling you to Himself!

As it is said, “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion.” (Hebrews 3:15, ESV)

God created us to be with Him! Unfortunately, our sins have separated us from God. We ALL have sinned and we ALL fall short of God’s glory. Our tendency is to try to make up for our sin, to right our own wrong, but it doesn’t really work like that with God. He is perfect and we cannot be with Him unless we are also perfect.

If you committed murder, but helped an old lady cross the street in the process, no just judge would let you off the hook for murder just because you helped the lady. In the same way, if you missed perfection (which we ALL have), but you did some pretty good things along the way, no just judge would say, “Well, that’s close enough…”

Sorry!

Sins cannot be removed by good deeds. It is really that simple. No one will get into heaven on account of the good deeds they have performed. It simply doesn’t work that way. The entrance fee is perfect righteousness.

That is a fee that you and I could never pay! The good news is that we don’t have to! Jesus paid it for us!

God established His law way back in the Old Testament that declared something had to die to pay for sins. There was a whole system in place that required a LOT of death because there was an awful LOT of sin (not much has changed in the sin department). Every year people would have to sacrifice a spotless living being as payment for their sins as a temporary solution. At just the right time, God sent His only Son, Jesus. Jesus was the permanent solution.

Paying the price for our sins, Jesus died on the cross as our perfect sacrifice. His death covered our sins. He is the perfect Lamb of God. He is the permanent solution! God raised Jesus from the grave to show that the payment was sufficient. Now everyone who trusts in Jesus alone as their Savior will have eternal life that starts now and lasts forever!

The entrance fee is perfect righteousness. That is exactly what we receive when we put our faith in Jesus Christ!

But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law … the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe… (Romans 3:21–22, ESV)

What shall you do? Stop fighting. Stop trying to earn your way to God. Just believe. Pray this simple prayer:

God, thank you for loving me so much and for sending Jesus to die for my sins. I believe He died for me. I believe He has made me righteous. Help me to live in that righteousness through the power of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

*5k Every Day in the Month of May 2018 was brought to you by Jeff Polen Music and Vertical Runner of Wooster.