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British Athletics/Getty Images

"I jump into a sand pit for a living"

Jonathan Edwards, World record triple-jumper

Peace and Hope

Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God. Romans 5: 1-2

There is so much to encourage us in these two verses. We start with Paul’s bold statement that we have been justified though faith in Jesus. That is, we have been reconciled with God. Our sins, which separated us from God, have been forgiven.

Paul adds that we have peace with God. That peace is more than an external experience, it is God’s Spirit coming to live in us. Paul also reminds us that it is by grace – God’s generous gift – not something we can or have earned. That is sometimes hard for sportspeople to grasp as we are constantly told that to achieve anything, we need to work hard for it.

The result of all that is hope. We have a hope for the present and the future, a hope of sharing in God’s glory.

Today’s meditation does not tell you how to act in the world of sport but it reminds you of all that God has done for you and that your significance as a person is based on what God has done. Therefore it allows you to compete and train without having to prove your worth by your performance.

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