11 Pax showed up for a little BRR training this fine Friday morning. The route was flat, relative to the Blue Ridge Mountains. Every man pushed hard and conquered the Lexington hills. Great work men.
Conditions: Hot and Humid
The Route:
Down East Main
Left on Harmon
Rt. on Dreher
Rt. on Corley
cross Harmon up Corley
Left on Effird
cross E. Main
cont. down Fort (behind Admin building)
Left on S. Lake
Rt. on Gibson
Continue on S. Church
cross Main up N. Church
Rt. on Corley
Rt. on Harmon
Rt. on East Lake
6.2 miles. Relatively Flat
https://www.strava.com/routes/10196147
Announcements:
8/19 Jailbreak Escape
8/26 Stomp the Swamp
9/8-9/9 BRR
Devo:
Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.
Colossians 3:12-13 ESV
http://bible.com/59/col.3.12-13.ESV
When we are troubled or in pain, we turn to people who will listen patiently to our cries of distress. But I wonder how often we seek to be the person who steps up to share a hurting friend’s burden.
In today’s reading, the apostle Paul encouraged believers to put on a heart of compassion, kindness, and patience. In other words, we don’t come from the womb pre-equipped with these traits. Rather, we receive on-the-job training in imitating Jesus Christ as we bear with and forgive one another. The Holy Spirit is more than willing to instruct us in the proper ways to grow spiritual fruit. The heavenly Father then provides opportunities for us to try out our newly developed skills.
We tend to classify patience rather narrowly as “waiting.” That’s certainly part of the definition, but so are concepts like endurance, perseverance, and persistence. When we’re relating to others as Paul challenged us to do, we are not simply waiting for them to become better versions of themselves. We are enduring their hardship alongside them or persisting in our attempts to offer aid. We’re caring, listening, and serving however we can. In a world that insists on doing everything quickly, patience is an amazing gift to give another person.
By placing patience on the list of spiritual fruit (Gal. 5:22-23), God indicated that every believer could develop this trait. Whatever additional gifts and talents you possess, patience is an attribute that you can put on. Practice it for the glory of God and as a way to serve your fellow man.
Prayer