Paul wrote to the Corinthians in his second letter to remind them that what ever ministry he had it was because of the mercy of God at work in his life. Mercy is what God had shown him, but for Paul he recognized his responsibility to, "...renounce the hidden things of shame, not walking in craftiness not handling the word of God deceitfully, but by manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God." For Paul it was all about the preservation of the Gospel message, and never forgetting the importance of reliance on the mercy and grace of God. I really believe this is the reason Paul never lost heart in his pursuit of God and his proclamation of the word of God.

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In a recent study of 1Corinthians 12, I was reminded of the awesome work of the Holy Spirit in the life of every believer. Consider what Paul says on the matter, "But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all." It is easy to think that my spiritual gifts or gifts are some how exclusive to me and my personal faith, but in reality God; from the very beginning has intended that those gifts be used for the unity of the Body of Christ. These "spirituals" (charismata) or grace gifts are the result of my immersion into the fulness of Christ. They are not to be confused with physical or natural talents that come at birth, but rather they are super-natural endowments that result from the new birth in Christ. Once again as Paul reminded the Corinthians, "But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He wills." So, in the vast diversity of the Body of Christ there is this singular work of the Holy Spirit to supply each local church with exactly those spiritual gifts that are necessary for it to function and fulfill God's wonderful plan of redemption and sanctification. How wonderful is our God, and how thorough is His preparation of His church to meet the biblical mandate that He has set before us. Matthew 28:18-20 "And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19 “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 “teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.

"No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it." Hebrews 12:11

No doubt the most effective changes that take place in my life are those that began with a trial, tribulation or personal crisis. It is in those situations I have the option of doing one of two things, relying on my own ingenuity or totally trusting in God's Word and the Holy Spirit to direct me through the mind field of difficulty.
The idea of getting out of personal difficulty without first learning what God wants to teach me is, as Paul says, to miss out on the "...harvest of righteousness and peace." The deepest times of growth and maturity for me have not been in times of prosperity and blessing, but rather in the valley's of darkness and dispair, which has caused me to rely on God's presence.
We never want to miss out on training afforded us by the ever present work of the Holy spirit as He instills in us a reliance on the power and presence of Almighty God. Let God be all that He has determined to be in your daily life and there will be a new found degree of faith and trust in his ability to speak into your daily circumstance.

 There are at least four different references by the Apostle Paul of running in a race. In each one of those passages there are four things that stand out. He talks about "...finishing the race with joy."  Then he reminds us that we run the race, ".... to obtain a prize." Next Paul exhorts us that in the midst of the race we need to be able to say, "...I have kept the faith." And lastly, we need to, "...run with endurance the race that is set before us." anyone who has ever done any long distance running knows that they become a slave to the clock. What do I mean by that statement, simply that we have to learn to pace our selves inorder to finish the race. We have to pace our selves in the race of life making sure that the ultimate goal is to finish first in Christ. The old bumper sticker, "He who finishes with the most toys wins!" is a reminder of the worldly ideal that most people aim for. Yet, we are reminded to, "...lay aside every weight, and sin that so easily ensnares us." Make sure you pace yourself to win the ultimate prize! 1Co 9:24 Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it.

   For those of us who love the game of Baseball there is nothing more exciting than the World Series. Everyone has their favorite team, but at this time of the year we simply put that aside and watch the two best teams in baseball come together for this seven game series to determine who has the best team in baseball. What always fascinates me about this "Fall Classic" are the individuals that will arise to the challenge of playing to their full potential in order to propel their time to the final victory.
   As much as I love the game, I have a greater love for the Lord Jesus Christ. And I always look for the story within the story when it comes to baseball and its players. One such story that caught my attention is that of Albert Pujols of the ST. Louis Cardinals. He has been touted as one of the greatest baseball players of all time. At the age of 30 years old he has already more accomplishments as a baseball player than most could hope for. Yet in a book about his life, "Pujols: More Than A Game" we get a glimpse into the man and his faith in Jesus Christ. I enjoyed reading that Albert Pujols asks opposing runners at first base, “If you died today, where do you think you’re going to go?” Lamb and Ellsworth the books authors, lucidly describe both the season-by-season baseball exploits of Pujols, but also the impact he’s having on some lives for eternity."
  Really! That's what is important, if you died today, where do you think you are going? Here is a professional baseball player, who in the midst of the game has the spiritual awareness to ask that question in the midst of the game. We can be busy playing the game of life, but when it comes to the question of eternity it is no game. Our relationship with Christ will be the game changer, to know Him and to have put our personal faith and trust in Him will answer the question, "If you died today, where do you think you will be going?"
But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith which we preach): that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.” For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him. For “whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved.”   (Ro 10:8 -13).

In Acts chapter nine we see Saul going through a continued transformation in the Holy Spirit.  After his conversion on the road to Damascus, after receiving the Holy Spirit, Saul ministers to those that were in Damascus. I like what happens in Acts 9:20, "Immediately he preached the Christ in the synagogues, that He is the Son of God." There was no hesitation on the part of Saul when it came to serving Christ. There was no seminary, bible college, just a willingness to bear testimony of what he knew to be true in his own personal relationship with Christ. Yes, there was resistance to his message, there was even those who would plot to put him to death. Yet there was such a strong compulsion for sharing Christ tat he would not be distracted from his mission.The result of that persistence was two-fold. It was of a personal benefit for Saul in that he could see the immediate results of his life being transformed by Christ, and seeing it replicated in the lives of others. Secondly there was the perpetuation of the gospel as Saul, under the threat of death would go from Damascus, to Jerusalem, to Caesarea and then to Tarsus. The result of Saul's persistence was two fold, "...comfort in the Holy Spirit" and "...they were multiplied." Pray that the Lord would give you persistence in the faith.

“For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? Matthew 16:26

(Php 3:7-8 But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. 8 Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ.