Author Archives: Monica Bass

Victory by Endurance

In the context of a larger conversation, a friend happened to mention last summer that she had completed a moderate workout the evening before—running for forty-five minutes on a treadmill at 5.7 mph. Without much thought, I noted the comment and reminded myself that I really needed to be exercising.

Less than a week later, I determined to begin, and I set a goal for myself of forty-five minutes per day. I decided that I should start my new plan with moderation, and remembering my friend’s earlier statement, I decided forty-five minutes on the treadmill at 5.7 mph would be good for the first day. (She said it was moderate!) It didn’t take long for me to realize that this was a strenuous workout! I chalked it up, however, to being very out of shape and determined to persevere.

Four miles and forty-five minutes later, I staggered off the treadmill and collapsed on the floor. The next day, I could hardly walk. (If you’ve not been much of a runner, let me encourage you that this is not a good start!)

During those grueling forty-five minutes, I grasped for something to occupy my mind—anything to distract myself from my exhaustion. I thought of Hebrews 12:1, “And let us run with patience the race that is set before us.” Continue reading →

Reward Offered

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“There is a reward for whoever finds Dad’s keys first.” These words, occasionally spoken by my mom when I was growing up, were like music to my ears! You might think that I would have looked just as diligently for the keys before the reward was offered—when I first heard they were missing. And, truthfully, I did look. But there was something about the promise of a reward that added zeal to my search.

In Hebrews 11:6, God promises a reward for those who diligently seek Him: “But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him” (Hebrews 11:6) Faith is believing that God is who He has declared Himself to be and that He rewards those who will seek to know Him personally.

But it goes a step further—faith is actually reaching for the reward. In other words, if we truly believe that God rewards those who seek Him, and if we count that reward worthy of the effort, it will affect our actions. We will make seeking Him a priority. Continue reading →

What to Say When You Talk to Yourself

Some of the most significant conversations we have had, have probably been those we had with ourselves—even when we didn’t realize we were talking.

We say things to ourselves more often than we realize. Sometimes it’s a direct conversation, and other times, it’s the simple process of thinking.

Words are powerful. As Proverbs 18:20 says, “Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof.” This is true, not only of what we say to others, but of what we say to ourselves as well. Continue reading →

The Cross, the Resurrection, and Monday Morning

On Easter, we joyfully celebrate the cross and the resurrection. On this special Sunday, we thank the Lord for His unspeakable sacrifice on Calvary, and we rejoice in the display of His incredible power evidenced by the empty tomb.

But what about Monday? What difference does the resurrection make in your life as you pour milk into your Cheerios on Monday morning? Shouldn’t an event of this magnitude change our lives?

The Resurrection of Christ not only has the power to change our eternal destiny, but it reveals a power that has the ability to forever alter every aspect of our lives—our responses, our relationships, our perspectives, our very motives.

I wonder how our lives would change if we understood and daily experienced “..what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power, Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places” (Ephesians 1:19–20). Continue reading →