#5kMay2020 Blog (Day 9)

I did not wake up ready to run this morning. It was cold. I was tired. I’m sure I could come up with countless other excuses, too, but the bottom line was I just wasn’t feeling it today.

That happens. You don’t always wake up ready for action. That’s life.

One thing that I love about this challenge is that it doesn’t care. The challenge doesn’t care if you’re tired—I still have to go get it done. The challenge doesn’t care if it’s cold outside—I still have to go and get it done. The challenge doesn’t care about any of my lame excuses—I still have to go and get it done.

So… at about 4pm… I went and got it done.

Daily Run: Jodi and I ran a little longer route today. We did what we call the “Long Fairlawn Loop”, running a total of 5.15 miles in 46 minutes and 26 seconds, for an average pace of 9:01 per mile. It was cold, windy, and miserable, but somehow we managed to overdress…

Daily Bible Reading: This is the first of four times throughout the month that we will read about the crucifixion of Jesus. The cross of Christ truly is the centerpiece of Christianity. It is the centerpiece of time. Everyone who lived before the cross of Christ was setting their eternal hope on the promise of the coming Messiah who would one day set all things right. Everyone who lives, or has lived, or will live since the cross of Christ sets their eternal hope on the fact that it is finished. Jesus, the promised Messiah, died for our sins. With one act of ultimate submission to the Father’s will, He redeemed, rescued, and restored all who have, had, or ever will put their faith in Him alone for salvation.

For as meticulous and thorough as Matthew tends to be throughout his gospel, he spends a surprisingly little amount of time detailing the crucifixion. Perhaps it was because it was too emotional of an event for him to go into greater detail about. Perhaps it was because he was not personally present at the cross, and therefore did not have extensive first-hand information.

Either way, it seems fitting to follow Matthew’s lead as we come to the first of four times we will read about the excruciating death of Christ on our behalf. We’ll keep this short and simple:

Jesus died. He could have saved Himself, but doing so would have led to our eternal destruction. Instead, He willingly laid down His life so that we could truly live. He was mocked, beaten, and killed… and He did it all for us.

How will you respond to what He has done? Will you mock Him, like the religious leaders did? Will you hold a posture of indifference, like so many did? Or will you turn to Jesus, like the Centurion did?

When the centurion and those who were with him, keeping watch over Jesus, saw the earthquake and what took place, they were filled with awe and said, “Truly this was the Son of God!”

Matthew 27:54, ESV