The Tortoise and the Hare is one of Aesop's Fables I’m sure you are familiar with.  It’s the story of a race between unequal opponents.  The hare was lightning fast.  The tortoise was as slow as a…well, tortoise!

The day of the race came.  The signal was given and the hare soon outdistanced his slow partner.  Deciding that the race was as good as over, the hare decided to stop to rest for a while.  As he napped, the slow but steady tortoise not only caught up with the hare but passed him.  By the time the hare awoke from his nap, it was too late.  Fast though he was, he lost the race.  Thus the idiom, “Slow and steady wins the race.”

Long before Aesop wrote the story of the Tortoise and the Hare, Solomon made this observation, “The swiftest person does not always win the race, nor the strongest man the battle” (Ecc. 9:11).  Speed and strength do not always guarantee victory.   Endurance does.  “But those enduring to the end shall be saved” (Matt. 24:13).

I just watched a Discovery Channel documentary on BUD/S (Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL) Training.  It’s the story of eighty men who began the six month training course designed to turn them into a formidable fighting unit.  The training is unbelievably difficult.  Consequently, of the eighty candidates who started the program, only sixteen finished.

Not everyone who starts finishes.  But everyone who endures wins.  Be an overcomer!  Stay in the race and plod on.  And if you are feeling a little weak and weary, just tap into the energy of the Spirit.  He will renew your strength enabling you to, “run and not be weary…walk and not faint” (Isaiah 40:31).

Pastor Todd Weston

In his book, Growing Strong in the Seasons of Life, Charles Swindoll tells the story of Yusuf Ismail the Terrible Turk.  

He was a 350-pound professional wrestler from Bulgaria who enjoyed an undefeated record throughout Europe.  In 1898 he came to the United States where he challenged Strangler Lewis for the American Heavyweight Championship.  The match was a total mismatch.  Lewis was outweighed by 150 pounds and could not overcome Yusuf’s brute strength.  Easily defeating Lewis, Yusuf had the $5,000 in prize money converted to gold coins which he carried in a money belt.

Shortly after his victory over Lewis, Yusuf took the first ship back to Europe booking passage on the ill-fated S.S. La Bourgogne.  Many miles at sea, the ship sank on the morning of July 4, 1898.  Yusuf fell overboard with his money belt full of gold coins.  The added weight was too much for even the Terrible Turk to stay afloat.  Before the lifeboats could reach him, he sank straight to the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean.  If only he would have taken off the heavy money belt!

The Hebrew writer gave this word of warning about encumbrances, “Let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us” (Hebrews 12:1).  The thing about weights is that they are not sinful things; they’re just things.  Got any weights in your life?  Any spiritual distractions?  Is there anything getting in the way of your walk with God?  Are there any encumbrances diverting your attention and dampening your enthusiasm?

If so, do what Yusuf Ismail the Terrible Turk should have done.  For the sake of your spiritual survival, lay it aside.  Do it now.  Only then will you be able to run with perseverance the race set before you.

Pastor Todd Weston  

About 3,500 years ago God looked down, saw Abraham, and said, “Now there is a great dad!”  Have you ever wondered what God’s idea of a great dad is?  The answer is found in Genesis 18:19 where God said of Abraham, “For I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the LORD, to do justice and judgment.”

The comparison in this passage is between Abraham and Lot.  Lot was the man who relocated his family to the wicked cities of Sodom and Gomorrah for financial gain, blew his testimony, forfeited his influence, and eventually lost his family.  Lot knew about God. Abraham knew God, and God knew Abraham! 

This is where it starts for dads and moms.  It begins with knowing God; with having a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.  The second step is providing godly leadership in the home.  The Bible says Abraham, “commanded his children and his household after him.” 

James Dobson from Focus on the Family once said, “The father’s most important responsibility is to communicate the real meaning of Christianity to his children.”  That is what Abraham did, and he did it by words and deeds.  He taught his family, and then he set the example.  The verse said he commanded his children and household after him.  Here is what that means –

·         He taught patience by being patient

·         He taught honesty by keeping his promises

·         He taught obedience to God by being obedient

·         He taught right priorities by setting them for himself and his family

Abraham had a great reputation in heaven.  Do you?  If not, it isn’t too late to change.  Look to your heavenly Father and ask Him to help you be the kind of father He wants you to be.  Then follow the example set by Abraham.  Know God personally.  Lead your family faithfully.  And don’t just tell them; show them. 

Do this and you, too, can be known in heaven as a great dad!

Pastor Todd Weston  

The place was Capernaum – a fishing village located on the northern shore of the Sea of Galilee.  Jesus was teaching in a house that may have belonged to Simon Peter.  Wherever Jesus went He attracted large crowds.  This time was no different.  The house was filled beyond capacity.  You couldn’t even get near the door.  Had there been a fire marshal in town, he certainly would have shut the meeting down. 

As Jesus continued to teach, four men stood outside the house formulating a plan.  Their paralyzed friend was on a stretcher.  Their dilemma was how to get their friend past the crowd to Jesus.  There seemed to be no way.  Then they hit upon an idea.

At first the crowd inside the house became aware of a strange sound coming from the roof.  Can you imagine their shock when all of a sudden debris and dirt started falling down on their heads?  In a few moments daylight broke through.  Then appeared the faces of the four men as they peered down through the sizeable hole they just dug in the roof.  I wonder if Jesus broke into a smile or maybe a silent chuckle as He considered the comical side of what was happening.

While Simon Peter was frantically looking for his homeowner’s insurance policy to see if it covered the damages, these four men lowered their friend on the stretcher directly in front of Jesus.  Seeing their faith, Jesus performed the double miracle of salvation and healing.  The paralytic who had to be lowered through the roof on a stretcher got up and walked out of the house completely healed!

Sue Anderson, who leads our prayer team ministry, made this great observation from this story:  Hope in and of itself would have stopped at the door. But real faith will dig a hole in the roof! The audacity of the faith of these four men captured the attention of Jesus!  The story teaches that Jesus is moved by faith that dares to believe and refuses to give up.

What miracle are you in need of today?  Don’t be discouraged by a few obstacles or setbacks.  Don’t give up because of the seemingly impossibility of the situation. Possess and practice audacious faith.  Dig a hole in the roof.  Believe and keep believing until the answer comes.

Pastor Todd Weston