I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing. 2 Tim. 4:7-8
Karate has been an immense blessing to our family. The Godly character that is enforced, the love that is poured out on them. Not only the physical skills and character that is so important, but the opportunities to apply our spiritual walk with the Lord are etched into their hearts, minds and souls. Endless opportunities!
Tomorrow our boys enter their 2nd Karate tournament along with a few other of their friends who are also apart of the family of God.
As I thought of how to get a picture into our boys’ minds of the attitude to have on this day, the Lion came to me first.
The LION- symbolic for strength. They also live in family groups called prides. Have their special ways in which they care for one another.
Christ Jesus our King Who rules and reigns is the Lion of Judah. He is the POWERFUL ONE full of Strength. Then I considered the Lamb. Jesus the Lamb of God, gentle and humble who came to take away the sins of the world.
Imitate God, therefore, in everything you do, because you are his dear children… (Eph 5:1). Be strong, be bold. And at the same time, be humble. Like Jesus Our King.
As I pulled out my T-shirt with this logo, this became the next part of our preparations.
FIGHT THE GOOD FIGHT!
What I do know about Karate (and just a little) is it requires:
Focus – keeping the eyes and mind fixed to the goal, no turning to one side or the other, this could be harmful
Self-Control – Strength under humble control
Determination
Passion
Jesus our King, who was graciously humble and sent His son the Lamb of God to take away our sins, focused intently on His mission, with passion and determination, He went to the cross. And a KING so powerful raised to life victorious.
With our hearts, minds, souls fixed on Jesus we run the race. It is a fight. Daily temptations, selfish wills, that can easily turn our eyes off Jesus. In Karate, taking our eyes off the target can land us in danger. Spiritually taking our eyes off our goal is a dangerous place. “Do not turn to the right or the left; keep your foot from evil.” Prov. 4:27
THE IMPERISHABLE CROWN
As we live our Christian life we live it with the anticipation of Jesus forever. He is our Reward. Should we receive any earthly trophies tomorrow, these will pass away. But the attitudes of the heart, a humble warrior, will carry us all the way to eternity to Jesus our Reward, that will last forever.
CHILD OF THE KING
As we step out into the battle. We stand strong knowing who we are. A child of the KING! A part of His family. CHOSEN by Him to be here right at this very moment. Win or lose, points or no points, mistakes or perfectly executed, when it’s all said and done, our boys will walk into the loving arms of mom and dad with a big HUGE I LOVE YOU. They are accepted, they are loved. By us, and by their King.
No matter the results of the day, we know for sure, we will keep fighting the good fight until the day we meet our King. In this life, we stumble, we have days of victory, we face fears and hard situations, we live for the Lord to be continually making us better. We learn from it all, through hard times we persevere which leads to greater strength. As we grow in this race, we learn more and more the importance of keeping our eyes fixed on Him.
I thank God that it isn’t my performance that makes me accepted. I am accepted simply because of Jesus great love and what He has done for me. My heart’s desire yearns to live heartily day by day, when I stumble He picks me up in His grace, brushes me off, wipes my tears, and leads me on, holding me in His righteous right hand, strengthening me to keep fighting the good fight, all the way to my great REWARD – His KINGDOM forever.
As we enter this tournament with a few of our brothers and sisters in Christ, like the Lion and it’s Pride/family we care for one another. Speaking words of encouragement, praying for one another, rejoicing together, and lifting up one another. That is pretty special.
May we be humbly devoted to one another in brotherly love… Romans 12:10
WE are in this together for the glory of the King. “therefore, whatever you eat, drink, whatever you do, do all for the glory of God” 1 Cor. 10:31