What (or Who) Inspires You?

My brother, Ken, is one of the people in my life who inspires me. He is a very strong athlete and four years ago, completed an Ironman triathlon (you may see some faces you know in this video). An Ironman consists of a 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike, and a 26.2 mile run. This event takes place over the course of one day can last anywhere from 8 hours for the professional racers to 17 hours for those with amazing determination and amazing life stories. Anyone who wants to accomplish this goal requires very strong discipline, incredible endurance, and a strong support system of family and friends. Ken inspires me to set goals, to prioritize, and to be more disciplined.

In Jeremiah 32 and 33, God uses Jeremiah to remind the Israelites of His promises of restoration. He promises that after some time of punishment and discipline that God will restore His people to himself. He will bring them back to a time of peace and prosperity. One my new favorite promises in these chapters is:

"...I will inspire them to fear me,
so that they will never turn away from me."
~Jeremiah 32:40

God promises that he will inspire His people. How wonderful is that?!?! Inspiration is not something that we have to come up with on our own. It comes from God himself. Merriam-Webster defines "inspire" as a verb: "to influence, move, or guide by divine or supernatural inspiration". Another definition is "to breathe or blow into or upon". Does this sound familiar? These are descriptions we use for how the Holy Spirit works in our lives.

The second part of this verse is just as important. It reveals the purpose and result of God's work and desire: "they will never turn away from me." God gives inspiration to us so that we desire to know Him, want to be obedient to him, and are restored to Him. What a blessing!

In these chapters, we see two scenarios that compare results of when God's people are inspired (or not):

• In chapter 32, Jeremiah listened for God's voice and knew that his cousin was going to offer his land. When Jeremiah's cousin arrived and offered the land, there was no doubt in Jeremiah's mind that this was "the word of the Lord". Jeremiah was prepared, acted quickly, and the result was that Jeremiah was able to purchase land and he and his family would be able to reclaim it when Israel was restored.
• In chapter 34, we are reminded about the covenant command for a master of slaves to set them free. In some cases (probably many cases), the slave owners would repent to God and then release the slaves to honor the covenant. However, they quickly changed their minds and went to find the slaves to return them to slavery. The result was God's discipline of the Israelites and His promise of "'freedom' to fall by the sword, plague and famine."
  

I prefer to have God given land under my feet than to be burdened with death, plague, and famine, don't you?

My brother's inspiration is contagious. My mom and I have spent much time together doing races (of a MUCH smaller and slower scale). One of our favorite verses to share with each other as we train and venture off to the races is found in Hebrews:

"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses,
let us throw off everything that hinders and
the sin that so easily entangles,
and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.
Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith,
who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame,
and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men,
so that you will not grow weary and lose heart."
~Hebrews 12:1-3

Lord, we claim your promise that you will inspire us. Draw us close to you and show us clearly where we need to repent of sin and entanglements so we can be restored to you and bring you Glory. Thank you for enduring the cross and for holding us safely in Your hand!