Luptă și triumf: Plan devoțional olimpicMostră

"Găsind piesa lipsă" Triathlete Hunter Kemper and his family attended church regularly until commitments to sports made it impossible for church to be a priority.

“I found myself always traveling to sporting events on the weekends,” he says. “Eventually I didn’t find the time to go to church.”

While in college, Hunter began to sense that something was absent from his life. Unable to identify the “missing piece,” he found himself drawn to friends who called themselves Christians. Something about the way they lived their lives was compelling and attractive.

It wasn’t until Hunter graduated from college and moved to the Olympic Training Center that Hunter realized what was missing from his life

He began to attend church with friends from the Training Center. Each Sunday he would hear about God’s love for him, and that God wanted to have a relationship with him.

Hunter discovered the reason he had been feeling empty and unsatisfied with his life.

“I was a slave to my sport of triathlon,” he says. “I was fighting against the belief that there was some act or deed that I could do in order to earn God’s forgiveness.”

One Sunday after church, the truth of the gospel sank into Hunter’s heart. He could see that there was nothing he could do to earn God’s love and forgiveness, but that God offers His love and forgiveness freely through Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross.

“I knelt down before Him in the bedroom of my rental home and confessed to Him that I could no longer do it on my own,” he remembers. “I cried a lot that day; not because I was sad, but because I felt free.”

Hunter now seeks to use his sport to honor Christ, and he makes following Christ a priority with his wife and sons.

No matter what distractions fight for his attentions or what demands his sport places on his body, Hunter believes that his real strength comes from God.

“On the days when I don’t think I can run another mile, or when I don’t think I’m able to cross the finish line, I always remember that God does not grow tired or weary,” he says. “Anything is possible with God.”

Questions: How are you depending on yourself instead of God’s strength? What are you making a priority over following Jesus?

Prayer: Lord, remind me that I can do nothing apart from You. Though I may stumble and grow tired, You do not. Help me to rely on Your strength instead of my own. I want to make honoring You the priority of my life.

Triathlete Hunter Kemper and his family attended church regularly until commitments to sports made it impossible for church to be a priority.

“I found myself always traveling to sporting events on the weekends,” he says. “Eventually I didn’t find the time to go to church.”

While in college, Hunter began to sense that something was absent from his life. Unable to identify the “missing piece,” he found himself drawn to friends who called themselves Christians. Something about the way they lived their lives was compelling and attractive.

It wasn’t until Hunter graduated from college and moved to the Olympic Training Center that Hunter realized what was missing from his life

He began to attend church with friends from the Training Center. Each Sunday he would hear about God’s love for him, and that God wanted to have a relationship with him.

Hunter discovered the reason he had been feeling empty and unsatisfied with his life.

“I was a slave to my sport of triathlon,” he says. “I was fighting against the belief that there was some act or deed that I could do in order to earn God’s forgiveness.”

One Sunday after church, the truth of the gospel sank into Hunter’s heart. He could see that there was nothing he could do to earn God’s love and forgiveness, but that God offers His love and forgiveness freely through Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross.

“I knelt down before Him in the bedroom of my rental home and confessed to Him that I could no longer do it on my own,” he remembers. “I cried a lot that day; not because I was sad, but because I felt free.”

Hunter now seeks to use his sport to honor Christ, and he makes following Christ a priority with his wife and sons.

No matter what distractions fight for his attentions or what demands his sport places on his body, Hunter believes that his real strength comes from God.

“On the days when I don’t think I can run another mile, or when I don’t think I’m able to cross the finish line, I always remember that God does not grow tired or weary,” he says. “Anything is possible with God.”

Questions: How are you depending on yourself instead of God’s strength? What are you making a priority over following Jesus?

Prayer: Lord, remind me that I can do nothing apart from You. Though I may stumble and grow tired, You do not. Help me to rely on Your strength instead of my own. I want to make honoring You the priority of my life.Triatlonistul Hunter Kemper mergea împreună cu familia sa în mod regulat la biserică până când angajamentul lui față de sport a făcut ca biserica să nu mai fie o prioritate pentru el.

„De multe ori călătoream în weekenduri pentru a participa la competiții sportive” povestește el. „În cele din urmă n-am mai avut timp să ajung la biserică.”

În timpul facultății, Hunter a început să-și dea seama că ceva lipsește din viața lui. Neputând să identifice „piesa lipsă”, ieșea cu prietenii săi credincioși, era ceva ce îl făcea să dorească să petreacă mai mult timp cu ei. Felul în care ei trăiau era convingător și atractiv.

Numai după ce Hunter a absolvit facultatea și s-a mutat la centrul olimpic de pregătire, și-a dat seama ce anume lipsea din viața lui.

A început să meargă la biserică împreună cu prieteni de-ai lui de la centrul olimpic. În fiecare duminică asculta despre dragostea lui Dumnezeu pentru el și despre faptul că Dumnezeu vrea să aibă o relație cu el.

Hunter a descoperit motivul pentru care simțea acel gol din inimă și acea nemulțumire față de viața lui.

„Devenisem rob sportului meu” spune el. „Luptam împotriva convingerii că era ceva ce aș fi putut să fac pentru a câștiga iertarea lui Dumnezeu.”

Într-o duminică după biserică, adevărul Evangheliei a ajuns adânc în inima lui Hunter. El a înțeles că nimic din ceea ce ar fi făcut nu ar fi câștigat dragostea și iertarea lui Dumnezeu. El oferea dragostea și iertarea Lui pe gratis datorită sacrificiului lui Isus la cruce.

„Am îngenunchiat în camera mea și I-am mărturisit că nu mai pot să trăiesc prin puterea mea” își amintește el. „Am plâns mult în acea zi; nu pentru că mă simțeam trist, ci pentru că mă simțeam liber.”

Hunter caută acum ca prin sportul pe care îl face să Îl onoreze pe Hristos și împreună cu soția și fii săi, face o prioritate din relația cu El.

Indiferent de lucrurile care îi distrag atenția sau ceea ce sportul practicat cere de la el, Hunter crede că adevărata sa putere vine de la Dumnezeu.

„În zilele în care mă simt că nu mai pot alerga încă o milă sau nu cred că sunt în stare să trec de linia de finish, întotdeauna mi-aduc aminte că Dumnezeu nu obosește și nici nu ostenește” spune el. „Orice e posibil cu Dumnezeu.”

Întrebări: Cum depinzi mai mult de puterea ta decât de puterea lui Dumnezeu? Ce altceva e mai prioritar decât a avea o relație cu Isus?

Rugăciune: Doamne, adu-mi aminte că nu pot să fac nimic fără Tine. Deși aș putea să mă împiedic și să obosesc, Tu nu poți face asta. Ajută-mă să mă bazez pe puterea Ta, în loc să mă bazez pe a mea. Aș vrea ca prioritatea mea să fie aceea de a Te onora pe Tine."Găsind piesa lipsă" Triathlete Hunter Kemper and his family attended church regularly until commitments to sports made it impossible for church to be a priority.

“I found myself always traveling to sporting events on the weekends,” he says. “Eventually I didn’t find the time to go to church.”

While in college, Hunter began to sense that something was absent from his life. Unable to identify the “missing piece,” he found himself drawn to friends who called themselves Christians. Something about the way they lived their lives was compelling and attractive.

It wasn’t until Hunter graduated from college and moved to the Olympic Training Center that Hunter realized what was missing from his life

He began to attend church with friends from the Training Center. Each Sunday he would hear about God’s love for him, and that God wanted to have a relationship with him.

Hunter discovered the reason he had been feeling empty and unsatisfied with his life.

“I was a slave to my sport of triathlon,” he says. “I was fighting against the belief that there was some act or deed that I could do in order to earn God’s forgiveness.”

One Sunday after church, the truth of the gospel sank into Hunter’s heart. He could see that there was nothing he could do to earn God’s love and forgiveness, but that God offers His love and forgiveness freely through Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross.

“I knelt down before Him in the bedroom of my rental home and confessed to Him that I could no longer do it on my own,” he remembers. “I cried a lot that day; not because I was sad, but because I felt free.”

Hunter now seeks to use his sport to honor Christ, and he makes following Christ a priority with his wife and sons.

No matter what distractions fight for his attentions or what demands his sport places on his body, Hunter believes that his real strength comes from God.

“On the days when I don’t think I can run another mile, or when I don’t think I’m able to cross the finish line, I always remember that God does not grow tired or weary,” he says. “Anything is possible with God.”

Questions: How are you depending on yourself instead of God’s strength? What are you making a priority over following Jesus?

Prayer: Lord, remind me that I can do nothing apart from You. Though I may stumble and grow tired, You do not. Help me to rely on Your strength instead of my own. I want to make honoring You the priority of my life.

Triathlete Hunter Kemper and his family attended church regularly until commitments to sports made it impossible for church to be a priority.

“I found myself always traveling to sporting events on the weekends,” he says. “Eventually I didn’t find the time to go to church.”

While in college, Hunter began to sense that something was absent from his life. Unable to identify the “missing piece,” he found himself drawn to friends who called themselves Christians. Something about the way they lived their lives was compelling and attractive.

It wasn’t until Hunter graduated from college and moved to the Olympic Training Center that Hunter realized what was missing from his life

He began to attend church with friends from the Training Center. Each Sunday he would hear about God’s love for him, and that God wanted to have a relationship with him.

Hunter discovered the reason he had been feeling empty and unsatisfied with his life.

“I was a slave to my sport of triathlon,” he says. “I was fighting against the belief that there was some act or deed that I could do in order to earn God’s forgiveness.”

One Sunday after church, the truth of the gospel sank into Hunter’s heart. He could see that there was nothing he could do to earn God’s love and forgiveness, but that God offers His love and forgiveness freely through Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross.

“I knelt down before Him in the bedroom of my rental home and confessed to Him that I could no longer do it on my own,” he remembers. “I cried a lot that day; not because I was sad, but because I felt free.”

Hunter now seeks to use his sport to honor Christ, and he makes following Christ a priority with his wife and sons.

No matter what distractions fight for his attentions or what demands his sport places on his body, Hunter believes that his real strength comes from God.

“On the days when I don’t think I can run another mile, or when I don’t think I’m able to cross the finish line, I always remember that God does not grow tired or weary,” he says. “Anything is possible with God.”

Questions: How are you depending on yourself instead of God’s strength? What are you making a priority over following Jesus?

Prayer: Lord, remind me that I can do nothing apart from You. Though I may stumble and grow tired, You do not. Help me to rely on Your strength instead of my own. I want to make honoring You the priority of my life.Triatlonistul Hunter Kemper mergea împreună cu familia sa în mod regulat la biserică până când angajamentul lui față de sport a făcut ca biserica să nu mai fie o prioritate pentru el.

„De multe ori călătoream în weekenduri pentru a participa la competiții sportive” povestește el. „În cele din urmă n-am mai avut timp să ajung la biserică.”

În timpul facultății, Hunter a început să-și dea seama că ceva lipsește din viața lui. Neputând să identifice „piesa lipsă”, ieșea cu prietenii săi credincioși, era ceva ce îl făcea să dorească să petreacă mai mult timp cu ei. Felul în care ei trăiau era convingător și atractiv.

Numai după ce Hunter a absolvit facultatea și s-a mutat la centrul olimpic de pregătire, și-a dat seama ce anume lipsea din viața lui.

A început să meargă la biserică împreună cu prieteni de-ai lui de la centrul olimpic. În fiecare duminică asculta despre dragostea lui Dumnezeu pentru el și despre faptul că Dumnezeu vrea să aibă o relație cu el.

Hunter a descoperit motivul pentru care simțea acel gol din inimă și acea nemulțumire față de viața lui.

„Devenisem rob sportului meu” spune el. „Luptam împotriva convingerii că era ceva ce aș fi putut să fac pentru a câștiga iertarea lui Dumnezeu.”

Într-o duminică după biserică, adevărul Evangheliei a ajuns adânc în inima lui Hunter. El a înțeles că nimic din ceea ce ar fi făcut nu ar fi câștigat dragostea și iertarea lui Dumnezeu. El oferea dragostea și iertarea Lui pe gratis datorită sacrificiului lui Isus la cruce.

„Am îngenunchiat în camera mea și I-am mărturisit că nu mai pot să trăiesc prin puterea mea” își amintește el. „Am plâns mult în acea zi; nu pentru că mă simțeam trist, ci pentru că mă simțeam liber.”

Hunter caută acum ca prin sportul pe care îl face să Îl onoreze pe Hristos și împreună cu soția și fii săi, face o prioritate din relația cu El.

Indiferent de lucrurile care îi distrag atenția sau ceea ce sportul practicat cere de la el, Hunter crede că adevărata sa putere vine de la Dumnezeu.

„În zilele în care mă simt că nu mai pot alerga încă o milă sau nu cred că sunt în stare să trec de linia de finish, întotdeauna mi-aduc aminte că Dumnezeu nu obosește și nici nu ostenește” spune el. „Orice e posibil cu Dumnezeu.”

Întrebări: Cum depinzi mai mult de puterea ta decât de puterea lui Dumnezeu? Ce altceva e mai prioritar decât a avea o relație cu Isus?

Rugăciune: Doamne, adu-mi aminte că nu pot să fac nimic fără Tine. Deși aș putea să mă împiedic și să obosesc, Tu nu poți face asta. Ajută-mă să mă bazez pe puterea Ta, în loc să mă bazez pe a mea. Aș vrea ca prioritatea mea să fie aceea de a Te onora pe Tine.