Food for the Race by David Jeremiah

Wednesday, April 25 Food for the Race    My soul melts from heaviness; strengthen me according to Your word.  Psalm 119:28    Extreme athletes—marathoners, triathletes, distance runners, road bikers—know that nutrition can be a secret to success. Carbohydrates and protein before an event; more carbs, electrolytes, and liquids during; and within a critical half-hour window after extreme exertion, more carbs, liquids, and electrolytes. Strength depends not just on conditioning but on nutrition.

Recommended Reading: 1 Corinthians 3:1-4

And the same is true in the race of the Christian life. Paul used the analogy of extreme sports—runners in the Greek games—to illustrate the endurance needed for the Christian life (1 Corinthians 9:24; 2 Timothy 4:7), as did the writer to the Hebrews (Hebrews 12:1). What, then, is the nutrition needed for finishing the race? Prayer is certainly critical as Jesus demonstrated (Matthew 26:36). But alongside prayer, nothing is as sustaining as the truths of God’s Word: “Revive me, O Lord, according to Your word” (Psalm 119:107). Why? Because it is living and active (Hebrews 4:12); it tells us the truth about the past, present, and future; it affirms the promises God has made to us (2 Peter 1:4).    Are you weak or strong today? To maintain your strength for the race, take in daily portions of nutrition from God’s Word.    Within the Scripture there is a balm for every wound, a salve for every sore. Charles H. Spurgeon