Pray-Read the Bible-Worship

June kicks off another season of triathlon racing. That is, contests of varying distances that include swimming, biking, and running done one right after the other. The “Sprint” distance is a swim of ½ mile, a bike ride of 13 miles, and a run of 3.1 miles. The “Olympic” distance is twice the sprint distance. Many have heard of the “Ironman” made famous in Hawaii it is a stroll in the park with a 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike ride, and 26.2 mile run.

Over the last three years I have completed and will again participate this year in Sprint and Olympic distance triathlons. It’s really fun that DeWitt has its own Tri. This year it will be August 1st.

It seems obvious that in order to complete a triathlon one needs to prepare for it. Workouts that balance all three areas are better on the body and more helpful for completing the race than focusing on just one thing.

I would suggest that a spiritual journey is a lot like a triathlon. To fully engage in the journey, it is important to balance three things: Prayer, Bible, and Worship. Those three activities, when practiced, will strengthen our spiritual lives so that we can accomplish what the Apostle Paul calls “the race marked before us” (Hebrews 12). Some might add a fourth area and that is service, however, I am a firm believer that service is really an expression of prayer, Bible, and worship in action.

Paul enjoyed using the phrase “therefore” in his writings. Therefore, if what I am saying is valid, we should be training by praying, reading the Bible, and worshipping so that we can persevere in the race marked before us. From individual to individual the training plan might look different but the end result is the same: an experience of God that is eternal.

I challenge you to step up your training this summer. Increase your prayer moments, whether they are asking or listening, spoken or silent prayers; build on your core Bible knowledge, individually or in a small group; commit to regular worship attendance this summer.

Persevere in the race.