When I Run I Feel God’s Pleasure

Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through him to the Father. (Col. 3:17 NASB)

In the movie CHARIOTS OF FIRE Eric Liddell, the Scottish Olympic runner, faced a dilemma, or so his sister Jenny thought. Liddell felt a call to the mission field in China, but his Olympic training interfered with his religious calling. Sister Jenny was upset.

“Jenny, Jenny,” Eric tried to explain, “you’ve got to understand. I believe God made me for a purpose – for China. But he also made me fast. And when I run, I feel his pleasure!”

In I Corinthians 10:31(NASB) we read, “Whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” Liddell’s dedication and his refusal to run on his Sabbath in fact did bring glory to God, and later in life Liddell suffered a martyr’s death in the Chinese countryside.

In our daily endeavors our actions should bear “the exact representation of His nature” (Heb. 1:3 NASB), just as Jesus’ did. When we complete a project, it should bear the imprint of God’s glory. It should reflect the quality and character that would honor the Father. According to the scriptures, we are God’s workmanship (Ephesians 2:10), and we know that when God creates, it is very good. Our workmanship should strive to reflect the same quality.

When we run, do we feel God’s pleasure?

Scattered throughout the Holy Land are the ruins of amazing structures from 2000 years past. The remains of Herod’s Palace still stand in the desert. In Capernaum archaeologists have found ruins of a meticulously crafted first century synagogue. Even at the Western Wall (the only part of Herod’s Temple that remains today) we find a quality of workmanship that rivals the best of today’s artisans.

We don’t know what structures Joseph & Sons Carpentry might have constructed, but it is no stretch to believe that their handiwork would have borne the imprint of God’s character. Joseph and Sons would have felt God’s pleasure.

Lenny C.