Here we are. Day one of the highly anticipated Chasing God fast. Are you ready? Are you expectant? Do you trust that God will make this all worth the effort? Of course He will. He IS our reward. As we lay our lives down intentionally we are promised something more…

Jesus said in Mark 8:35 “Whoever wants to save their life will lose it and whoever loses their life for me and the and for the gospel will save it.

So many times in the last week I’ve practiced this prayer… “Lord, You know what I (normally) do, but show me what YOU are doing? Where are YOU going?” I’ve had to deny that voice of convenience and lay down my old normal to follow. I had to tell my flesh to “SHHH…. Be quiet! I’m going to listen to what the Father is saying!”  

As we begin this fast, let’s link arms with an expectant attitude. Then, we can encourage each other along the way.

We know that for the joy set before Him, Jesus even endured a cross. But what was the joy set before Him?

Consider the account in John 4 when Jesus and his companions took an inconvenient detour through the land of Samaria. The disciples go on to get lunch but Jesus has other ideas. He chooses to wait by himself at a well in the hot sun at noon for a women He knew would come. Because of His decision, He is available for a life-giving encounter that would ignite an evangelist and spark change in a region. When His disciples returned, they expressed concern about whether someone should have brought Jesus something to eat, but glowing in the joy of that divine appointment and the fruit it would bring, we read in John 4:34-35, “My food,” said Jesus, ‘is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work. Don’t you have a saying, ‘It’s still four months until harvest’? I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest.”

Thank God for Jesus’ righteous example. He redirects our eyes to what is important, eternally important!

The woman at the well had a past, and she had a future. No matter what her past, that encounter with Jesus propelled her to go forward! She left her jars and ran back to tell the good news.  

Let’s pray: Father, help us fix our eyes on the mountaintop ahead, trusting in the good things You have ahead for us as Your children. Help us remember who You are and keep our eyes on where You are pointing. Thank You for Your love. Help us to agree with YOU along the way. Keep our hearts, minds and attention fixed on You that we may run this race with endurance. In Jesus’ name. Amen!

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