Speak Thru Me

Since we have a huge crowd of men of faith watching us from the grandstands, let us strip off anything that slows us down or holds us back, and especially those sins that wrap themselves so tightly around our feet and trip us up; and let us run with patience the particular race that God has set before us.

Keep your eyes on Jesus, our leader and instructor. He was willing to die a shameful death on the cross because of the joy he knew would be his afterwards; and now he sits in the place of honor by the throne of God.

If you want to keep from becoming fainthearted and weary, think about his patience as sinful men did such terrible things to him. Hebrews 12:1-3 (TLB)

Kim Koratsky lives in Tennessee. This is the sixth devotional she has written for The Upper Room. The first three were rejected. It was not until the fourth that Kim received the much anticipated email saying, "Your meditation is being held for further consideration," meaning it might actually be published. Some might ask why Kim continued to write and submit after three rejections. The answer is prayer and perseverance.

In order to write and submit a devotional Kim must pray, study, and read scripture. After her initial rejections, Kim still felt led to write more after she prayed about it. It came to her that sometimes God may be talking only to her as she writes, and sometimes God may be trying to reach someone else through her writing. Whether God uses what she writes to speak just to Kim or to speak through her to someone else, those words accomplish what God intends (Isa. 55:11). Kim must continue to run each race set out before her; she must not be discouraged, and she must not give up (Heb.12:1-3).

Prayer, study, and reading scripture are important every day in our lives. It is how God can communicate not only with us but through us.

Prayer: Dear Father, guide us so that we can be your face, hands, and feet to others. Help us to finish each race set before us, in Jesus' name. amen.