The Running of the Bulls occurs every July 7th-14th in Pamplona, Spain. 6 Spanish fighting bulls, along with 6 steer, run from the Corrales de Santo Domingo to Pamplona’s Plaza de Toros (bullfight arena.) Over 1 million spectators watch thousands of runners over the 8 days of the San Fermín Festival. Let me emphasize the word SPECTATORS. People enjoy other people risking their lives for sport and they have no problem saying "I can't do that!" When in reallity they can do it, they just won't do it. Some Christians don't want to be totally sold out to following Jesus because they would rather watch those who are committed from a safe place out of the race. The Holy Spirit empowers each of us to run the race and run it with power and might as warriors for Christ. Join the "running of the Christians" because it happens every day.
Romans 8:1 So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. 2 And because you belong to him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death. 3 The law of Moses was unable to save us because of the weakness of our sinful nature. So God did what the law could not do. He sent his own Son in a body like the bodies we sinners have. And in that body God declared an end to sin’s control over us by giving his Son as a sacrifice for our sins. 4 He did this so that the just requirement of the law would be fully satisfied for us, who no longer follow our sinful nature but instead follow the Spirit.
The law of Moses fell short as a complete once and for all sacrifice for the sins of man. But the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross was a completed once and for all sacrifice for that sin. The life of an individual who lived by the law of Moses was not a spirit-led life but a life that looked to the scheduled time of redemption to be accomplished on a particular date by the priest standing in as a middle man between God and man. The forgiveness was temporal at best and many times it led to those priests believing they were “better” than the people who were coming to them. When Jesus died on the cross His sacrifice took care of the penalty of sin across the board and the ground was level at the foot of His cross. Sinners trying to make themselves right with God fell short in their human attempts. Jesus gives us the Holy Spirit to live a victorious life and a life that is more and more dependent on the Spirit of God. In the last part of verse 3 Paul says And in that body God declared an end to sin’s control over us by giving his Son as a sacrifice for our sins.
We can’t live this life in Jesus without Jesus. Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to fill us and enable us to live it with His control. Nothing about us is capable of living the life God wants without the presence and power of the Holy Spirit. The worst words for prideful people to hear is “You can’t do this.” A point of growth in our walk with the Lord is when we learn to say “I just can’t do this.” That is when we are the position God wants us to be in. 2 Corinthians 12:9 says “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me.
To combat the prideful heart God many times will humble us and get us to the place of surrender so that we will be in the right position to grow in Him. God breaks through all of our pride and self sufficiency and helps us realize we are only sufficient in His sufficiency. That changes our perspective on life itself and helps us learn to depend totally on God. I JUST CAN’T DO IT! BUT GOD CAN!!
The Pilgrimage continues….
David Warren
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