Pastor's Weekly Message                                                August 21, 2016

"Going for Gold"

Watching the 2016 Rio Olympics has been a refreshing departure from the monotonous news coverage of the 2016 election and the Donald Trump for President reality show.   The Rio Olympics have been interesting to watch because of the many compelling stories including the story of Simone Manuel, the first African American woman to win a gold medal in swimming, the dominance of U.S. gymnast Simone Biles and the history making greatness of U.S. swimmer Michael Phelps and Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt.

The one thing that all of these athletes share in common is a singular desire to win gold.  All of them strive to be the best in their sport. Indeed, the Apostle Paul talked about this in making a comparison between the athletes and our own endeavors as disciples of Jesus Christ.  In 1 Corinthians 9:24-25 (Msg.) Paul said, "You've all been to the stadium and seen the athletes race. Everyone runs; one wins. Run to win. All good athletes train hard. They do it for a gold medal that tarnishes and fades. You're after one that's gold eternally."

What Paul says is that God expects us as disciples of Jesus Christ to strive for excellence.  He expects us to go for gold --  a gold medal of discipleship.  He wants us to excel in our prayer life; to excel at helping others; to excel in forgiveness; to excel in loving God and others; and to excel at enduring hardship.  

This is also true as our young people head back to school.  The Lord wants our students to strive for educational gold. The Lord wants them to strive for excellence and this includes striving to do well on each and every homework assignment and striving to do well on each and every quiz and test.

We must remember that in God's kingdom, unlike in the Olympics, all are winners in Christ Jesus. So as we head back to school, let us go for gold. If we do our best, then God will do the rest!

Peace and Blessings,
Pastor Kip Banks, Sr.

 

Prayer Conference Call Number - 
Please join us for our daily (M-F) prayer conference call. These 10-minute calls are a great way to start your day and include a daily scripture lesson.  Please join us at (1-641) 715-3272 access code: 732413# at 7:00 a.m.


East Washington Heights Baptist Church | 202-582-4811 | www.ewhbc.org
STAY CONNECTED: