As we look at The 7-Ups of Encouraging Yourself In The LORD I want to continue and see what is next.

The 7-Ups of Encouraging Yourself In The LORD – Reach Up!

The other evening my wife and I were watching a great Christian television movie.  It was called “Grandpa’s Shoes”.  I highly recommend it.  It was a movie about running.  I was exhausted just watching the movie.  I did not even have to go out and run.

There was something I noticed about each of the races featured in the movie.  At the finish line each runner pushed out their chest and leaned forward.  This was an attempt to breach the finish line just a fraction of a second quicker.

Maybe it is the same in running the Christian life.  When we are discouraged it seems that we implode so to speak.  We turn inside out.  We focus inside.  It is usually, “Poor, pitiful me” or “Woe is me!”

Paul gives you and I some excellent advice that I think will help dispell discouragement.  Look at Philippians 3:14, “I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.”  when I think of the phrase “I press toward the mark” I think of those runners pushing out their chest and leaning forward to try to breach the finish line first.  This is how we need to run our race.

We must stop having the pity parties for ourselves and get encouraged as we reach up to God.  The great thing is that He is reaching down to us before we are reaching up to Him.

So, how are you doing?