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Matt. 5:41 - "And whoever shall force you to go one mile, go with him two." NASB
I was speaking to a well known college wrestling coach a few years back about one of his National Champions. I asked him this question, "What is the difference between him and your other wrestlers? He said without hesitation, "Oh that is an easy question to answer. He does more than he is asked." "How so?" I inquired. He said, "If I tell the team to do 100 pushups he will do 110. If I tell the team I want 20 laps he runs 25. If I tell them 25 pull ups he will do 30. Everything I ask the team to do he will always add more to it." Jesus taught what this wrestler was doing 2,000 years before he was born. He was going the second mile.
So what is happening in your life right now where you need to make a commitment to go the second mile?
Another wrestler said he visualized his opponents in bed sleeping and he was up training getting the edge over his opponents. I am not sure which type of motivation will work for you, but my recommendation is find the one that works and allow it to catapult you to the next level. Think On These: The world might be improved with less television and more vision. The largest room in the world is the room for improvement. Stay Pumped, Gary A. Serago Minister of God's Word
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I Sam.17:36-37- "Your servant has killed both the lion and the bear; and this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, since he has taunted the armies of the living God.” And David said, “The Lord who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear, He will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.” And Saul said to David, “Go, and may the Lord be with you.”
When was the last time you remembered some of your victories that you had with the Lord? This is very important please take some time either now or when you finish this Pump Up and replay some of the victories you and the Lord have shared in your life.
He saw himself defeating this enemy like he had defeated others before. David didn’t fight alone. He knew God was with him when he entered on to the battlefield. When you go into battle do you see the Lord going with you? If you don’t see God traveling with you don’t go. The Lord has helped you defeat other enemies in your life and He will help you as you face these new ones. Be like David and remember how the Lord has helped you in the past and will now help you as you travel into your future.
When I saw that check I was excited for a second, BUT I couldn’t take the check. I personally thought I had preached the worse sermon ever. So I informed the elder I could not accept money for that sermon. I signed the check and gave it back to him. Later that afternoon I got a call from the Boilermaker’s Union Hall to report to Shippingport, PA at the power plant the next morning. When I got my first paycheck it was for $350.00. God gave me 10 times the amount I gave to Him. God had delivered me from that financial crisis and He has delivered me from many different types of crises since then.
Once you have mentally visualized you and God conquering your enemy then it is time to actually fight the fight. Get Going with God! It is the way to success. Think on This: When we let God guide, He will provide. The Lord calls for us to stand, though not always to understand. Stay Pumped, Gary A. Serago Minister of God's Word Luke 18:38-42 - And he called out, saying, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!" 39 Those who led the way were sternly telling him to be quiet; but he kept crying out all the more, "Son of David, have mercy on me!" 40 And Jesus stopped and commanded that he be brought to Him; and when he came near, He questioned him, 41 "What do you want Me to do for you?" And he said, "Lord, I want to regain my sight!" 42 And Jesus said to him, "Receive your sight; your faith has made you well." NASU
His Faith Led Him To Try Something This blind man was led by his faith to yell out for Jesus to have mercy on him. Where has your faith been leading you? No, seriously, where has your faith been leading you? Have you ever met a person who was really alive? One guy says, "They have passion for something they want to accomplish." I say, "They have faith and are living accordingly. They aren't afraid to try something others would consider crazy." His Faith Was Opposed This man was crying out to Jesus and those who were leading him were sternly telling him to be quiet. Do you understand the ramifications of their advice? If he had listened he would have remained blind. You cannot expect people who don't have the faith you do to support you or even understand what you are trying to accomplish. If your faith is leading you to try something out of the ordinary and others are telling you to "forget about your crazy idea." You are probably on the right path. You need to know your faith in something will many times be opposed by others just like this blind man's faith was opposed. All great plans are opposed and many times from the ones you went to for support. The blind man was "STERNLY" told to be quiet by those who were leading him. The ones who were supposed to know what they were doing and where they were going were 100% wrong. We have probably all read the saying, "The Ark was built by amateurs and the Titanic by professionals." Has Your Faith Led You To Being Threatened Or Ridiculed? The blind man was threatened to "shut up" but that didn't stop him. In 1979 I wanted to go to Bible College and as I shared my idea with other people I could've received more support if I told them I wanted to rob a bank or Fort Knox. I was told this was the craziest idea that I have ever had and that I had a lot of crazy ones, but this was right up at the top. I was informed (as if I didn't know) that I had a family (3 children) and who was going to support my family if I were in college? I was reminded of my past in that I had been out of high school 9 years and if you will remember you weren't that great of a student in high school. Last but not least you have a great job as a union Boilermaker. You are going to throw away a job that some people would love to have to chase after this crazy dream? Faith Is Always Rewarded Well, as some of you know my faith led me to Eastern Christian College in August 1979 and I graduated in 1983 as the Salutatorian of my class and all three of my children survived the experience and pretty much every negative thing that was said to me about going to college NEVER HAPPENED. I do want you to know that my faith was tested while in college, but I kept believing and stuck to my plan. His Faith Was Rewarded The blind man and Jesus have an encounter and Jesus asks him, "What do you want Me to do for you?" He says, "Lord, I want to receive my sight!" In other words, his faith has led him here to ask Jesus for help. Have you ever wondered why those who were leading the way wanted him to be quiet? What were they thinking? It really doesn't matter what they were thinking because whatever it was they were wrong. Did you see what Jesus said? "Receive your sight; YOUR FAITH has made you well."His faith was rewarded because he would not listen to the naysayers. His faith was rewarded. Has your faith led you to your reward? What Reward Is Your Faith Going To Bring You? No, I am serious where is your faith going to lead you? We don't just read the Bible and say, "Oh that was nice, good for him or her." The Word of God is for us and it is to challenge us to Step Up and Step Out on Faith. So get your faith in gear and then let me know how and when it was rewarded. I can hardly wait to hear all the great conquests of your faith. Think on These: Mankind needs a faith that will not shrink when washed in the waters of adversity and affliction. Feed your faith and doubt will starve to death. Stay Pumped, Gary A. Serago Minister of God's Word Matt. 7:12 - “In everything, therefore, treat people the same way you want them to treat you, …”
Zig stood over the ball, looked at the hole and as he drew the club back and made the birdie putt, he looked at his son and asked him, “Were you cheering for me?” His son immediately answered, “I always cheer for you dad.” What would our answer be to our loved ones if they asked us that question, “Were you cheering for me?”
Yet, Jesus gave us a life lesson that never becomes outdated when He said, “treat people the same way you want them to treat you.” This is Jesus' most important lesson that He ever taught. I am sure we all would rather be cheered for in this life than be criticized. So why is it that we find it so hard to treat others the way we want to be treated? The Pharisees criticized Jesus for healing on the Sabbath, but when one of their animals got incapacitated they immediately went to help regardless if it were the Sabbath or not. Jesus’ life lesson here will never become outdated when he said, “Treat people the way you want to be treated,” plain and simple.
He never ever called his wrestlers names or belittled them in any way when they were on the mat wrestling or any other place. Coach Hampe was the Cheerleader for his wrestlers and I am sure some of those boys won matches because they didn’t want to let their coach down who was cheering them on from the edge of the mat. I believe Coach Hampe was living out the teachings of Jesus by treating people the way he would want to be treated.
You not only can but you absolutely need to break this pattern. Become a positive influence in someone’s life today. Be a cheerleader to others because we all know we can accomplish more with positive reinforcement than negative criticism. Think on These: Blowing out someone else’s candle won’t make yours shine any brighter. Criticizing another man’s garden doesn’t keep weeds out of your own. The difference between coaching and criticizing is your attitude. Stay Pumped, Gary A Serago Minister of God's Word |
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