February 24 - February 2010
Greetings Friends;
It has been a while since I have written some devotions. Many of you are aware of some of the reasons which have precluded me from writing like I would want to. However, the recent snow falls have given me an opportunity to revisit one of my joys. Thank you to the couple of people who have asked and continue to ask me to continue writing.
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PLEASE READ: Psalms 92:1-2
It is good to praise the LORD and make music to your name, O Most High, to proclaim your love in the morning and your faithfulness at night, ”
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Psalms 5:1-3 = Give ear to my words, O LORD, consider my sighing. Listen to my cry for help, my King and my God, for to you I pray. In the morning, O LORD, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait in expectation."
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Psalms 88:13 = But I cry to you for help, O LORD; in the morning my prayer comes before you."
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Psalms 55:17 = "Evening, morning and noon I cry out in distress, and he hears my voice."
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Although it has been limited at best, or very late night viewing, I have been enjoying the winter Olympics from Vancouver, British Colombia, Canada. It is always exciting to watch young amateur athletes in friendly competition. In some ways, it does bring the world closer together, even if it is only for a few weeks. As I presented in my sermon of last Sunday, there are many spiritual lesson we can learn from the Olympic competition. The Apostle Paul drew upon the Olympic games of his day to communicate spiritual truth. With that in mind, I have a couple of devotions over the next couple of days which I pray will assist each of us in our daily walk with God through Jesus Christ. While some of these stories deal with summer Olympics rather than winter Olympics, nevertheless, we can learn a great deal for our lives and our spiritual development. Today's story is about Eric Liddell.
It almost goes without saying that when we think of the modern Olympics and Christians in the same sentence, we think of Eric Liddell, the Flying Scotsman. Eric was born in 1902 in China where his parents were missionaries for the London Mission Society. He attended Edinburgh University where he was hailed as one of their best track and field runners ever. He ran the 100 yards and the 220 yards for the university.
Liddell represented England in the 1924 Paris Olympics. When he learned the heats were to be run on Sunday, he declared that he could not run on Sundays as it would violate his convictions regarding the Sabbath. He switched to the 400 meter competition where he won a gold medal. You may recall how his story has been made famous in the movie "Chariots of Fire."
What many people don’t know is that after the Olympics, he followed in his parents’ footsteps as a missionary to China. It was there during World War II that he was interned in the Weishien Concentration Camp where he died while serving Christ Jesus.
Sally Magnusson, in her biography of Liddell, explained the secret of Eric Liddell's radiant life: "Every morning about 6 a.m., with curtains tightly drawn to keep in the shining of our peanut-oil lamp… he used to climb out of his top bunk, past the sleeping forms of his dormitory mates. Then, at the small Chinese table, (he would sit) with the light just enough to illumine (his) Bibles and notebooks. Silently (he) read, prayed, and thought about the day's duties, noted what should be done. Eric was a man of prayer..."
Liddell represented England in the 1924 Paris Olympics. When he learned the heats were to be run on Sunday, he declared that he could not run on Sundays as it would violate his convictions regarding the Sabbath. He switched to the 400 meter competition where he won a gold medal. You may recall how his story has been made famous in the movie "Chariots of Fire."
What many people don’t know is that after the Olympics, he followed in his parents’ footsteps as a missionary to China. It was there during World War II that he was interned in the Weishien Concentration Camp where he died while serving Christ Jesus.
Sally Magnusson, in her biography of Liddell, explained the secret of Eric Liddell's radiant life: "Every morning about 6 a.m., with curtains tightly drawn to keep in the shining of our peanut-oil lamp… he used to climb out of his top bunk, past the sleeping forms of his dormitory mates. Then, at the small Chinese table, (he would sit) with the light just enough to illumine (his) Bibles and notebooks. Silently (he) read, prayed, and thought about the day's duties, noted what should be done. Eric was a man of prayer..."
That was his great secret. He knew how to devote his mornings to meeting with his divine Coach. There are many lessons that can be drawn from Eric Liddell’s life, but chief among them is this: Champions for God often devote their morning hours to spending time with God. As Eric Liddell knew, when we begin the morning with God, we can enjoy God's presence all day long. Henry Ward Beecher said, "The first hour of the morning is the rudder of the day."
How are we spending the "first hour" of each day? How are we living the other twenty-three hours?
Shalom,
Pastor Jim
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