Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:4-7.

Behold…the Lord is near. Can we stay here for a moment and drink in the truth of the presence of Creator God – Father, Son, Spirit? Life changes when you grasp onto that truth. Sin darkens our hearts and minds and brings an emptiness and despair we can only escape with God’s love. I love our psalm, Psalm 141, because David gives us a way of living that chooses God’s truth. I call to you, Lord, come quickly to me; hear me when I call to You. May my prayer be set before You like incense; may the lifting up of my hands be like the evening sacrifice. Set a guard over my mouth, Lord; keep watch over the door of my lips. Do not let my heart be drawn to what is evil so that I take part in wicked deeds along with those who are evildoers; do not let me eat their delicacies. Let a righteous man strike me – that is a kindness; let him rebuke me – that is oil on my head. My head will not refuse it, for my prayer will still be against the deeds of evildoers. Their rulers will be thrown down from the cliffs, and the wicked will learn that my words were well spoken. They will say, “As one plows and breaks up the earth, so our bones have been scattered at the mouth of the grave.” But my eyes are fixed on You, Sovereign Lord; in You I take refuge – do not give me over to death. Keep me safe from the traps set by evildoers, from the snares they have laid for me. Let the wicked fall into their own nets, while I pass by in safety.

There is no death in God and He holds the keys to Life. Last night I watched the movie Race on Netflix. It was the story of Jesse Owens, an African-American athlete and track star. To quote from Biography: “An astonishingly gifted athlete who excelled in the 100m, 200m, long jump and relay, Owens’ track record speaks for itself. In 1935, he managed to set three world records within the space of an hour at a meeting in Michigan. It remains a feat that has never been equalled.” He qualified and competed in the 1936 Olympics held in Berlin setting Olympic records and winning 4 gold medals. His final gold medal was won under duress because the Nazis wouldn’t allow 2 American Jews to compete in the relay race; so at their urging, Owens and another man on their American Olympic track team competed in their place. Even with the Nazis cheating, their belief in their “superiority” was defeated. Resoundingly. Owens just wanted to run.

What about our race? Do we even understand what our race is? How about running toward life that is Good? How about running away from life that is death here on earth? This day I call the heavens and the earth as witness against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live and that you may love the Lord your God, listen to His voice, and hold fast to Him. For the Lord is your life, and He will give you many years in the land He swore to give to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Deuteronomy 30:19-20. The Lord is our life and we, all of us, are His children dearly loved. His Love brings new understanding so we can stop the hate that is destroying our life lived in this present age. Life and death/ blessings and curses. Our choice.