I have always been intrigued by data… and numbers. Today’s date, 11-11-11, is a perfect same-numbered palindrome and is unique as only on one day in every 100 years will the date include two digits for the day, month and year that are identical.
This happens one time in a given generation. Most people who are born tomorrow will not live to experience such a date. Today will probably be one of celebration for a number of children who will be turning 11 on 11.11.11.
And, do the math – 111,111,111 x 111,111,111 = 12345678987654321. Pretty cool huh?
11-11-11 and Other Special Days
Unique and special days like 11-11-11 - birthdays, anniversaries, major holidays and graduation days - are worth writing about and celebrating. 11-11 is also Veterans Day. We celebrate it because major hostilities of World War I were formally ended at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918 with the German signing of the Armistice. this is always a special day for me as I’m a veteran of 20 years of service in the Army.
If you are reading this, it’s wonderful that you are alive and can experience this unique day, along with the other special and unique days that you’ve celebrated in your life and that you may celebrate in the future. But, how many more days of celebration will you have here on earth?
Any one of us can be here today, and gone tomorrow – in the blink of an eye. Sooner or later death on this earth will happen to us all. And when it happens to you, where will your soul be afterwards? Will it forever be in Heaven with your Creator, God? Or, will your soul be forever in Hell. You have a choice regarding your eternal destiny. You have a choice whether or not to have a full life here on earth – the kind of life that the Son of God died for us all to have.
“Seek the Lord while you can find him. Call on him now while he is near. Let the wicked change their ways and banish the very thought of doing wrong. Let them turn to the Lord that he may have mercy on them. Yes, turn to our God, for he will forgive generously.“ Isaiah 55:6-7
11-11-11 Is s Significant day
Yes, today is a significant day. You have a choice to seek and choose the Lord while you can, to live a full life on this earth and for all eternity in heaven, or to live an anguished life, separated from God, forever.
I hope you choose to live a full and eternal life with God.
You and I can experience true and long-lasting joy and an eternally full life because of Jesus’ suffering and death. Jesus tells us the type of joy and blessings we can experience in His Sermon on the Mount.
The above paragraph is an introduction to a post I made on this topic last year during Holy Week. In lieu of writing a new post, I thought it would be wise to point you to last year’s entry on this topic.
Have a wonderful day and be reminded that the One who loves you more than any person died so that you can experience joy and life – to the fullest and eternally.
The 2010 Winter Olympics are over. Over the course of 17 days of this year’s competition, Team USA earned 37 medals — the most ever by one country in one Games, besting Germany’s mark of 36 set at Salt Lake. The feat was even more impressive considering it was the first time the U.S. earned the most medals in a Winter Olympics since 1932 at Lake Placid. Germany won 30 medals and Canada, the host country, won 26 total medals.
Medals Made of Recycled Material
And here’s a piece of trivia for you. This year’s 549 medals contained metal from recycled TVs, computers, and keyboards that might have otherwise ended up as e-waste. (More on this here.) I suspect that over a period of enough time, these medals will likely become tarnished.
Physical Conditioning and Discipline
To be good enough to win an Olympic medal, whether it be bronze, silver or gold, takes a tremendous amount of talent, skill and, for most of the events, a high degree of physical conditioning. Preparing for an Olympic competition requires discipline and perseverance. In the end the award that athletes receive is a medal, along with the distinction of being recognized as the world’s best athlete in their respective sport.
“All athletes are disciplined in their training. They do it to win a prize that will fade away, but we do it for an eternal prize.” 1 Corinthians 9:25
Running the Race of Life
Our life as a Christian is like an Olympic athlete training to win a medal. Whereas the prize for the athlete is a medal, our prizes are at least two-fold.
One prize is the abundant life that we are able to live because we are walking day to day with Jesus and by the power of the Holy Spirit. The more disciplined we are at incorporating spiritual exercises into our lives on a daily basis, the more rewarding and fulfilling our life can be. The more we live according to the guidebook that God gives us, the Bible, the sweeter our life can be. God has this “prize” for us on this side of heaven.
“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that theymay have life, and have it abundantly.” John 10:10
Paul encourages the Corinthians to run the race of life with endurance and that the crown we will receive will last forever. He encourages us to press on, to persevere, to endure. As athletes require discipline in physical training and in what they eat to be competitive enough to win an Olympic medal, we must be disciplined in various forms of spiritual exercises to win the crown of a full and abundant life. ( Corinthians 9:24-25 )
The more disciplined and consistent we are in our spiritual exercises, the more abundance we will tend to receive this side of heaven. This is one reason Jesus died on the cross for you and for me.
The other “prize” that God makes available for us is the crown of eternal life that we’ll spend with Jesus after we leave this earth. It becomes available to us when we accept Jesus in our heart as our Savior. Isaiah 35:10 tells us that everlasting joy will crown the heads of those who walk with Jesus in a personal way. Unlike the tarnish that will probably occur with the metal of the Olympic medals, our crown of everlasting life and our joy will continue forever.
I encourage you to be disciplined in applying the principles of the Bible in such a way that you’re experiencing a full and rewarding life – the kind God desires for you. And I pray that you are confident that you’ll live eternally in the presence of God because of a choice you’ve made to invite Jesus into your heart.
A Few Questions to Consider
What disciplines in your life contribute most to your level of spiritual fitness?
Are you experiencing an abundant life in the way Jesus has made it available for you?
What spiritual exercises could you incorporate into your life to give you a more full life?
Imagine running for over 2 and 1/2 hours in a competitive race and coming in second – one second behind the winner. That’s what happened in the running of the 2009 Boston Marathon in the women’s division.
Salina Kosgei won the race in 2:32:16. The second place finisher was Dire Tune. American Kara Goucher was third. In the men’s race, Deriba Merga won in 2:08:42. An American, Ryan Hall placed third – the best American finish in many years.
I hope that in the running of the most important race of your life – your spiritual race – that you are not doubting whether or not you will win a prize at the end of the race.
Hebrews 12:1-4 encourages us to run our race of faith – from start to finish – with our eyes set on Jesus. If we do that… run our race of life with Jesus, then we are assured of receiving the prize of eternal life. 2 Timothy 4:7-8 tells us that we will receive a crown of righteousness and that Jesus will present it to us. This award – this prize – is available to each person that eagerly awaits Jesus to return because they know that upon that day, they will enter into heaven with Him – and they will win their race. In this race, all who believe in Jesus will receive the best prize – eternal life!
Are you running the race of life with Jesus? I hope so. This is certainly one race that you don’t want to finish second in.
I have always been intrigued by data… and numbers. Today’s date, 11-11-11, is a perfect same-numbered palindrome and is unique as only on one day in every 100 years will the date include two digits for the day, month and year that are identical.
You and I can experience true and long-lasting joy and an eternally full life because of Jesus’ suffering and death. Jesus tells us the type of joy and blessings we can experience in 
The 2010 Winter Olympics are over. Over the course of 17 days of this year’s competition, Team USA earned 37 medals — the most ever by one country in one Games, besting Germany’s mark of 36 set at Salt Lake. The feat was even more impressive considering it was the first time the U.S. earned the most medals in a Winter Olympics since 1932 at Lake Placid. Germany won 30 medals and Canada, the host country, won 26 total medals.
To be good enough to win an Olympic medal, whether it be bronze, silver or gold, takes a tremendous amount of talent, skill and, for most of the events, a high degree of physical conditioning. Preparing for an Olympic competition requires discipline and perseverance. In the end the award that athletes receive is a medal, along with the distinction of being recognized as the world’s best athlete in their respective sport.
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