
On your mark...
Last Edition Recap
How have you applied the last edition to your life?
Opening Prayer
Jesus, we know what it is like to get ready for life. Now teach us how to become, and stay, ready within our souls. Amen
Intro
If you have ever watched the Olympics, you would have noticed highly trained athletes packing the track and field, ready to compete in their ultimate events.
Take the 100m sprint, for example; some of the fastest people on earth are ready to run against one another and the clock to experience a moment of glory. They have prepared for this. The time comes, and you hear the announcer pronounces, “On Your Mark ….”
– (Now pause and rewind) –
This sprinter has not ended up on the world stage by accident. He has spent years training and preparing for this moment of glory. She sacrificed much and did what it took to ensure she was ready to run the biggest race of her life. How hard they have trained, practised, prepared and sacrificed is defined by the moment they place themselves on their mark. Everything has come to this. Are they ready for the moment of glory? At this point, it’s not about winning or losing. What matters is the effort they have put into their preparation to be the best they can be, ready for their respective countries and themselves.
Come what may, they are ready to experience the glory. The only way an athlete can experience the true glory of the moment is if they have prepared for it. If you have an unfit, untrained, and unprepared person to run the same sprint race as the fit, trained, and ready athletes, that person might feel a slight sense of glory for being there, but I guess they would not be prepared to run the race. Instead, they’d prefer to run away to save themselves from the embarrassment.
Your spirituality operates on the same principle. The more you prepare yourself to experience the TRUE Glory of God (Attending church, reading the Bible, praying, etc.), the readier you will be when God pronounces, “On Your Mark…”. When that moment comes, will you be ready to run the race, or will you run away embarrassed?
Chat Point 1
At one point in your life, have you ever trained for something? (e.g. Sporting event, chess tournament, cook-off, etc.)
- What and when was it?
- How much effort did you put into your preparation?
- Why did you practice so hard?
- What does this quote tell us?
“Try to keep your soul always in peace and quiet, always ready for whatever our Lord may wish to work in you. It is certainly a higher virtue of the soul, and a greater grace, to be able to enjoy the Lord in different times and different places than in only one.” – Saint Ignatius.
Key Focus
Mark 1:3
“a voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.'”
Chat Point 2
- Is there a particular part of this topic that has stood out for you?
- What do you think the main point is?
- What do you think God is trying to tell us?
- What would you want to say to God after reading this?
- How can we apply this lesson to our lives this week?
Final Thought
“The quality of our worship is not based on our activities but our character. Churches mistakenly assume that the better the music, the more impressive the building, and the more eloquent the preaching, the more wonderful the experience will be. Genuine worship, however, originates from within our hearts. If our relationship with God is not healthy, all these things are nothing more than religious pageantry.”… “if you are not satisfied with the quality of your worship, don’t be too quick to blame your environment.” – Henry Blackaby.
What are your prayer requests?
Closing Prayer
Gracious Lord, we are not worthy of glory. Glory should be entirely yours. Please help us lead our lives in the way that will bring you glory. Please help us to be prepared for when you call. Amen.
In-between Chats: Personal Reflection
- What is the one thing you can do for better preparation?
- When will you apply it?
- Tell the person you trust what you have decided. Let them help keep you on track.

Edition Writer: Rev Kevin Zondagh
Executive Coach, Life Coach, and Ordained Minister. Founder of CoffeeChatConnect and the Exemplar Coaching Company.