Pastor's Corner
A message from Pastor Andy Ross...

Past Devotionals

Stay in the Race! - October 28, 2005

Read Mark 13:1-13.

Dear friends,

My mom has a saying which I remember frequently: "Sometimes life gets teejus!" (That's my mom's way of saying "tedious"!)

Young men and women being killed in Iraq and Afghanistan. A child succumbing to cancer. A teenager becoming paralyzed because of a drunk driver.

And then - there are the ways you can be persecuted because of your faith. You blow a whistle on an ethical injustice. You take a stand that leaves you standing alone (seemingly). You become ostracized because you are not quiet about your love for the Lord.

You see - the prosperity gospel is a lie.

The real gospel of Jesus Christ means that you now have a hope and a strength to stand in there, because the going gets rough (and often rougher) for Christians.

Check out Mark 13:1-13. Jesus gives us some frightful warnings, and charges us to stand firm to the end. That's our job - not to be always comfortable, always delighted and happy, always looking like a "winner." No - our faith means we know we can stand in there, because of One who is standing with us.

Once, during the filming of Ben Hur, Charlton Heston came up to the famous producer Cecil B. DeMille with concern, "I think I can drive the chariot all right, Cecil, but I'm not at all sure I can actually win the race."

Smiling slightly, DeMille said, "Heston, you just stay in the race, and I'll make sure you win the race."

Doesn't that sound like Jesus to you? Friends - stay in the race today! And know that there is a Friend who will make sure you win.

God's blessings to you this day!

Andy Ross
Pastor