Most people don’t remember who won the 400m semi-final at the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona. They do, however, remember an incredibly moving moment between a father and a son. As 65,000 spectators gathered in the stands, Derek Redmond passed 250 meters at the seventeen-second mark and suddenly felt a pop in his hamstring. He went down and stayed down for nearly 30 seconds as his competitors sprinted toward the finish line. Soon, officials crouched beside him, trying to help escort him off the track.

Suddenly, something dawned on the runner. “I looked up, and realized I was in the Olympic semifinals,” Derek said later. “I looked down the track and saw the others and said, ‘I must finish the race.’” Brushing off the officials and the medical team, Derek got up and began to limp down the track. His agony was clear, but still he pressed on. Section by section, people in the stands above stood up and cheered.

Meanwhile, Derek’s father, Jim Redmond, made his way down from the stands, hurdling over chairs and dodging Olympic security as he ran toward his son. Once he reached Derek, the elder Redmond put his arm around his son’s back, and Derek put an arm around his father’s neck. The two walked to the finish line together. Nearly thirty years later, it is still one of the most amazing and emotional scenes in Olympic history.

No matter the setbacks or pain of the past, the one thing you must focus on and pursue as a Christian is the finish line of your faith. The Apostle Paul wrote in Philippians 3:13, “But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ.” In a world where ease is emphasized and faithfulness is mocked, Paul’s extraordinarily focused mindset inspires us to run our race undeterred.

Like Derek Redmond, the Apostle Paul was no stranger to pain, injury, and setbacks. In his mission to share the Gospel with as many people as possible, he suffered floggings, beatings, near-death stoning, shipwreck, prison, hunger, thirst, sleeplessness, cold, nakedness, and danger from every side (2 Cor. 11:23-27). Despite all this, he was resolute on the race God set before him.

How about you? Similar to Derek Redmond, you and I have a Heavenly Father who does not leave us to cross the finish line alone—as Paul himself declared in Philippians 4:13, “I can do all this through Him [God] who gives me strength.” Let Derek Redmond’s story—and Paul’s example—remind you “to press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called you heavenward in Christ.”

Stay focused on the finish line, my friend.

Adapted from Pastor Dudley Rutherford’s new book, One Thing: Rediscover a Simple Faith in Our Complicated World, available now on Amazon and wherever books are sold. Pastor Dudley Rutherford is the senior pastor of Shepherd Church, which has three campuses in the Greater Los Angeles area. You can watch services online or connect with Dudley at dev.fishhookcms.com/ and on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

President Abraham Lincoln once said, “Give me six hours to chop down a tree, and I will spend the first four sharpening the ax.” Lincoln wisely highlighted the importance of preparation in order to reach one’s goal. When we look at some of the most successful business people and athletes in the world, the common denominator in all of their stories is their extraordinary mental and physical preparation.

Take NFL quarterback, Tom Brady, for instance. I’m not Brady’s biggest fan, but I can’t help but respect his discipline. Brady knows that every year, on the first Sunday in February, the Super Bowl is coming. It’s not a surprise. He can count down the days. He knows it’s a reality. He wants to be successful. He wants to win. And he knows the only way he has a shot at winning is to be ready. So, he prepares mentally and physically for the event. Every day, he does what most of us aren’t willing to do: he gets up early, works out like a beast, and prepares his body and mind for that sure coming of Super Bowl Sunday.

Far more important than training for something physical is your spiritual preparation for the second coming of Christ.

The Lord’s return will be the culmination—the highest and most decisive point—of all of history. It will be an epic, final battle between good and evil, light and darkness. Every saga you’ve ever seen on the silver screen (and I hate to break it to you fans, but this includes Star Wars) will pale in comparison to this fateful day.

As a Jesus follower, this reality needs to be your ultimate focus. Of all the things to prepare for in life—sports, tests, graduation, a job, marriage, parenthood, retirement—the one thing for which we really need to prepare is Christ’s return.

I find that when it comes to the Second Coming of Christ, people generally fall into three different categories:

1. They don’t believe that it will ever happen, so they live life without an eternal mindset. So, when Jesus comes again—and he will come again—they will be totally unprepared.
2. They believe it is true, but that it will happen so far into the future that they have all the time in the world to have fun and not do anything to advance the gospel. Therefore, when Jesus comes again—and he will come again—they will be totally unprepared.
3. They believe it is true and that it could happen any day, so they live their lives with an eternal mindset, in expectant hope of Christ’s return. Therefore, when Jesus comes again—and he will come again—they will be joyfully prepared.

In which category do you fall?

Are you living your life in a way that reflects your confidence that the Lord is coming back, just as He promised? The truth is, this reality will influence your entire perspective and decision-making. It is the one thing needed to adopt an eternal mind-set based on God’s timetable, not ours.

The Bible makes it clear that Jesus Christ will return to the earth in glory and power to judge the living and the dead and to make all things new (Matt. 24:27–30; Rev. 22:12–13). Despite this fact, people won’t believe, and they will mock. You may find it difficult to keep going, to keep trusting Jesus, to keep doing the right thing, to keep abiding in God’s Word. Time may pass, and it may look like Christ is never going to return. And you may begin to wonder, “Where are you, Lord? This world is too cruel, too difficult, too challenging, too much temptation, too much sorrow. You’re taking so long! Are you ever coming back?” But my friend, if you ever find yourself feeling this way, I urge you not to let this thought distract or derail you from preparing for God’s kingdom.

Second Peter 3:8 says,

“But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day.”

The world may doubt or mock the Lord’s return, or it may seem as though you have all the time in the world to do what God has called you to do. The truth is: God is patient and on a different timetable than we are—and you need to be prepared for Jesus’s return. What are you doing today to prepare? Pray and ask the Lord for wisdom, discipline, and a holy game plan in order to be ready for Christ’s Second Coming.

Pastor Dudley Rutherford is the author of, One Thing: Rediscover a Simple Faith in Our Complicated World, available now on Amazon and wherever books are sold. Pastor Dudley Rutherford is the senior pastor of Shepherd Church, which has three campuses in the Greater Los Angeles area. You can watch services online or connect with Dudley at dev.fishhookcms.com/ and on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

“You, God, are my God, earnestly I seek you; I thirst for you, my whole being longs for you, in a dry and parched land where there is no water.”

David penned these words in Psalm 63:1 when he was in the dry desert of Judah as his own son, Absalom, led a rebellion against him. David could have turned to many things during this difficult time. He could have turned to despair and helplessness. He could have turned to allies for help, or to false gods, or even to his own strength and military prowess. But instead, David’s psalm makes it clear that in arid seasons, we must turn to God  because our closeness with Him is water for the soul.

Law or Grace?

Fast forward to the New Testament in Galatian 3:1-3. The Apostle Paul is concerned for Christians living in Galatia because they had wandered into the metaphorical dry land of relying on the works of the law rather than grace. The law points out our sin and declares us guilty, but it can’t do anything to set us free. Grace provides freedom from our sin through the work of Jesus Christ’s sacrifice on the cross.

The New Testament reveals that Jesus, God’s One and only Son, is the Living Water. He declared that whoever believes in Him will have rivers of living water flowing from within them (John 4:13-14; John 7:38). He is our Shepherd who leads us to springs of living water (Revelation 7:17). He is our Source, our Hope, our Redeemer, and, incomprehensibly, our Friend. He is the Savior of the entire world, and our faith in Him is the one thing we need.

Don’t Muddy it Up

It’s beautifully simple, but doesn’t it seem that people often take something clear and then muddy it up a bit? We like to take that which is uncomplicated and straightforward, and add to it. We take a good thing and we tack on distracting bells and whistles or steps and procedures that are not only unnecessary, but also exhausting.

This is the confusing and tiresome predicament the churches in Galatia found themselves in—so soon after they were taught the simple truth of the Gospel. The Apostle Paul wrote a letter, we now know as the Book of Galatians, to a group of churches in the area of Asia Minor who had been thrown into confusion. Some off-base religious people told them that in order to obtain salvation, new believers needed to observe Jewish customs—including circumcision. (Say it with me: “Ouch!”) Paul’s response to this false teaching was compelling and forceful. In Galatians 3:2 he wrote, “I would like to know one thing from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by believing what you heard?”

Trying or Trusting?

Every Christian today is also faced with the question of, “What is the one thing that saves us?” Is it observing the Sabbath on a certain day? Is it obeying a set of rules or laws? Is it doing enough good deeds? In other words: Are you saved by God’s grace, working through your faith and belief—or are you saved by works of the law? Trusting or trying. Trying or trusting. The two will always be at odds.

If you are a believer in Christ and have wandered into a spiritual desert of works and the law, it’s time to turn to the Living Water. It’s time to recognize that the law cannot save us from sin. Imagine your car breaks down on the side of the road in the middle of the night. You grab a flashlight and pop open your hood to see what the problem might be. That flashlight is like the law. It shines a light, exposing what is wrong, but it can’t do anything to fix it. You can’t fix a transmission or a gasket with a flashlight, right? No, you need the right tool. Likewise, Jesus is the answer to the problem. Our belief in Him is the one thing that saves us.

Yes, out of our faith in Him and our decision to follow Him, we become new, and we desire to do right things. But our neither our good works, nor the law, saves. So, embrace the sweet salvation that flows from Christ alone.

Adapted from Pastor Dudley Rutherford’s new book, One Thing: Rediscover a Simple Faith in Our Complicated World, available now on Amazon and wherever books are sold. Pastor Dudley Rutherford is the senior pastor of Shepherd Church, which has three campuses in the Greater Los Angeles area. You can watch services online or connect with Dudley at dev.fishhookcms.com/ and on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Distraction, worry, and resentment are, what I like to call, “worship thieves.” As Christians, our joy, peace, contentment, devotion, humility, and gratitude can be taken right from under our noses by these subtle thieves. We have to be aware of their tactics, because it’s difficult to see the one thing that’s truly important in our faith—which is to maintain a heart of worship and awe of God—when we’re overwhelmed with tasks, responsibilities, and expectations. We can be consumed with how other people view us and with doing all the things we think we’re “supposed to do.”

This is where Martha found herself in Luke 10:38-42, when Jesus, the Messiah, arrived at her house.  Martha busily made preparations for Jesus and His disciples who were her esteemed guests. She was serving everyone, which is a very kind and wonderful thing to do. All of us should have a heart of service, amen? Meanwhile, her sister Mary sat at the Lord’s feet, listening to everything He had to say. Martha saw this and became frustrated. She asked Jesus if He cared. Then, she demanded that He tell Mary to come and help her. Luke 10:41–42 says:

“The Lord answered, ‘Martha, Martha! You are worried and upset about so many things, but only one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen what is best, and it will not be taken away from her’” (CEV).

Have you chosen what is best? Yes, work, responsibilities, and even service are facts of life; however, they shouldn’t actually be the priority.

I once saw a video demonstration where a person poured a bunch of pebbles into a glass jar. When he or she tried to put larger rocks into that same jar with after the pebbles were poured in, the rocks didn’t fit. The pebbles took up too much space. But when they placed the big rocks into the jar first—and then the pebbles—it all fit into the jar. It’s the same for us as we balance our worship and devotion with the everyday tasks in life. If we put our relationship with Christ first, we’ve made sure the most important thing fits into the space of our lives. With that foundation, there will be room for all the smaller things that do not have as much impact on eternity or the Kingdom of God. And anything that doesn’t fit beyond that, was probably not that important anyway.

Work and worries will constantly try to distract you from true devotion to the Lord, but don’t allow them to steal your joy and perspective. When you remain at the feet of Jesus, it is the one thing that brings true peace, fulfillment, and contentment. Choose what is best.

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Adapted from Pastor Dudley Rutherford’s new book, One Thing: Rediscover a Simple Faith in Our Complicated World, available now on Amazon and wherever books are sold. Pastor Dudley Rutherford is the senior pastor of Shepherd Church, which has three campuses in the Greater Los Angeles area. You can watch services online or connect with Dudley at dev.fishhookcms.com/ and on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.