Philippians 3:13-14 "Brethren, I count not myself to have
apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things
which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the
high calling of God in Christ Jesus."
The greatest runner of the early 1900’s was a man named
Glenn Cunningham. Glenn Cunningham was
involved in a fire at the age of eight that burned his legs so badly, doctors
told him he would never walk again. The
burns were so bad that the doctors recommended amputating his legs. Glenn and his parents agreed to try a new
form of therapy in an effort to keep Glenn’s legs. Glenn lost all of his toes on his left foot,
the arch of the same foot was destroyed, and he lost much of the skin on his
shin and knees. In spite of all of this,
Glenn determined to walk again which he did, two years after his accident. Walking was not enough for Glenn. If he could make himself walk, he could make
himself run. Glenn pushed himself until
the day came when he could run. Glenn
kept running, first running for his high school, then for Kansas
University. He would be selected to run
in the 1932 Olympics for the United States, in which he won a silver
medal. In 1934, Glenn set the world
record for running the mile at 4:06.8.
Glenn’s story has inspired many to “hang in there” and keep their eyes
on their goal. Glenn’s example shows us
what we can accomplish when we keep our eyes on our goal. Glenn Cunningham was a Christian. He started a ranch for underprivileged
children, which he and his wife ran for 30 years, reaching over 9,000 young
people.
The apostle Paul tells us in Philippians 3:13-14 that there
was a mark or a goal that he was pressing toward. That goal motivated Paul to push or press
himself further. That goal got Paul up
in the morning, it helped Paul push through the times that were tough. At the end of Paul’s life he had accomplished
many great things. I believe the reason
that he accomplished many things that others did not was the goal that he kept
in front of himself.
January 1 of every year, millions of people make resolutions
to “better themselves.” Some people want
to eat better or exercise more, some vow to spend more time with family, and
the list of resolutions is seemingly endless.
I have made resolutions; some I have kept, some I did not. Several years ago I decided that I did not
want to make several resolutions that I may or may not keep. I decided that I would make one major goal
along with some other things I would like to accomplish that year.
This year, I would like to propose a goal to everyone, a
goal that will change your life. The goal
is not complicated, although it is not easy. I have struggled to reach this
goal, and will continue to struggle the rest of my life. The goal is to know God better, and to live
life how He wants me to live. This is not
an easy task. No one has ever lived
their entire life exactly how God wants.
If I make an effort to know God a little better each day, and to be a
little bit better of a Christian today than yesterday I will be much closer to
what God wants me to be. It took two
years of work before Glenn Cunningham was able to walk. Glenn kept striving every day, and achieved
greatness. You and I can achieve
greatness by striving to be close to Him every day.
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