A Super Man

Look, it’s a Bird! It’s a Plane! No, it’s…my 4 Year-Old.

My 4 year-old son has Superman Fever. Furthermore, he claims to have Superman power. Just feel his muscles and he will prove it to you. He has a Superman cape, lawn chair, flip flops, sandals, pajamas, and, hopefully, I can write this in mixed company…UNDERWEAR (boxers and briefs).

Frequently, he “flies” into my home office hoisting a burning airliner, a derailed locomotive, or an evil mechanical monster. He claims to gain his power from the famed Superman “S,” affixed to all the superhero’s trademarked merchandise. I love watching him fantasize about saving the world from disaster. I wish he could.

50 Marathons in 50 States in 50 Days

A real life "Superman" is attempting the unbelievable to help folks recover from disaster. Sam Thompson from Vicksburg, MS has sacrificed many hours helping the survivors of Hurricane Katrina. However, he feels many people have forgotten the victims of America’s worst natural disaster. So, he wants to jog the nation’s memory (pun intended).

The 25 year-old plans to run 50 marathons (26.2 miles)in 50 states in 50 days. If successful, he will log a total of 1310 miles. He began by completing a marathon course in Colorado on July 1 and he is scheduled to achieve his mind-boggling goal on August 19 in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi. He is attempting this Herculean feat to remind the world that the Mississippi Gulf Coast continues to recover. You can check out his website at 50in50in50.com.

As of today, Sam Thompson did not have a sponsor. All of his travel expenses are coming out of his pocket. He is making physical and financial sacrifices to express his concern. He is running for his fellow Mississippians.

For Whom Do You Run?

While Sam Thompson is running a race for the people on the Mississippi Coast, all of us are running in a spiritual race. In the race of life, Christians run for Jesus. The Bible says …let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus,…Hebrews 12:1-2 (NKJV).

The Apostle Paul wrote:

Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it. And everyone who competes for the prize is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an imperishable crown. Therefore I run thus: not with uncertainty. Thus I fight: not as one who beats the air. But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified.--I Corinthians 9:24-27 (NKJV)

Lordship, Followship, and Disciplineship

To run for Jesus we must practice lordship. Jesus must be the Lord of my life if I am to claim to be one of his followers. Adrian Rogers said, “If I put things between me and Christ, it is idolatry. If I put Christ between me and things, it is victory!” Often, people ask, “Where is the Holy Spirit working?” The truth is the Holy Spirit is working where Jesus is Lord.

Followship is the act of going where Jesus leads. So, following Jesus means being obedient no matter what is required. Jesus is enough to when we surrender all to Him.

True discipleship is disciplineship. We are not led by emotions in our obedience to God. Sometimes we don’t “feel” like praying or studying God’s word. Our emotions are not to be our Lord. As Paul wrote, “I discipline my body and bring it into subjection.” In the stewardship of the blessings of God, we must practice discipline.

Let the Dead Bury the Dead

Then another of His disciples said to Him, "Lord, let me first go and bury my father." But Jesus said to him, "Follow Me, and let the dead bury their own dead.” –Matthew 8:21-22 (NKJV)

Of course, Jesus advocated honoring parents, but the problem with the disciple in this passage is his “Me first” attitude. He said, "Lord,...me first." Some scholars have stated the man’s father may not have been dead and he was planning to wait until he died to follow Jesus. However, even if he had died, the spiritually dead can bury the physically dead. Following Jesus involves sharing the message of eternal life with the spiritually dead. Nothing is to take priority over answering the call of Christ.

You Ran Well, But...

May we escape the type of evaluation given by Paul to some of the folks in Galatia, You ran well. Who hindered you from obeying the truth? (Galatians 5:7). Super men and women always run in the footsteps of Jesus, consistently casting aside "the sin which so easily ensnares us."