“Now Joseph had been taken down to Egypt. Potiphar, an Egyptian who was one of Pharaoh’s officials, the captain of the guard, bought him from the Ishmaelites who had taken him there. The Lord was with Joseph so that he prospered, and he lived in the house of his Egyptian master. When his master saw that the Lord was with him and that the Lord gave him success in everything he did, Joseph found favor in his eyes and became his attendant. Potiphar put him in charge of his household, and he entrusted to his care everything he owned. From the time he put him in charge of his household and of all that he owned, the Lord blessed the household of the Egyptian because of Joseph. The blessing of the Lord was on everything Potiphar had, both in the house and in the field. So, Potiphar left everything he had in Joseph’s care; with Joseph in charge, he did not concern himself with anything except the food he ate. Now Joseph was well-built and handsome, and after a while his master’s wife took notice of Joseph and said, “Come to bed with me!” But he refused. “With me in charge,” he told her, “My master does not concern himself with anything in the house; everything he owns he has entrusted to my care. No one is greater in this house than I am. My master has withheld nothing from me except you, because you are his wife. How then could I do such a wicked thing and sin against God?” And though she spoke to Joseph day after day, he refused to go to bed with her or even be with her. One day he went into the house to attend to his duties, and none of the household servants was inside. She caught him by his cloak and said, “Come to bed with me!” But he left his cloak in her hand and ran out of the house.” (Genesis 39:1-12 NIV)
A long time ago, in a place near you, during an era before high school’s had athletic training facilities comparable to those you find at the college level, and in the years before high school athletics trainers actually went through special training to treat you with expert knowledge and advise athletes on what specific workouts they should focus on, to ensure a youth’s physical condition, basketball coaches typically relied on a couple of phrases that were in their regular repertoire of expressions. One of them was, “Line up! You are going to run some sprints until I tell you to stop!” The other one was, “Give me thirty!” Let me prove my position. In the old days, during basketball practice, if you messed up a play your ears vibrated as they heard, “Give me thirty!” Yes, I’m talking about practice, not a game, practice!” Smile! If you missed a wide-open layup, again there was the resounding order, “Give me thirty (laps around the gym)!” If you were caught talking instead of listening to the coach, yes, you would hear the same phrase, presented powerfully as it came out of the coach’s perturbed, perfectly stern face, communicating a sense of sure seriousness, so much so that you immediately took off running after hearing the words, “Give me thirty!”
This morning, I’m going to modify that last phrase that I pulled from the archives of my memory of things that occurred decades ago, and I will assume the role of your coach regardless of the time you read this meditation and imagine hearing my voice as I emulate the great coaches of old. Are you ready? Here you go! “Give me 24!” Look, 24 because I want you to focus on each and every hour of this day, from the rising of the sun until the going down of the same, and through the night as you await the sun to rise again! Did you hear me? “Give me 24!”
Now tomorrow, when you wake up Sunday morning, on the Lord’s Day, just imagine me telling you the same thing, “Give me 24!” And then hear me speaking to you directly, “Get to church!”
Hear is some advice. Run like Joseph in the situation that he faced when the world tries to ruin your day or for a longer time, and possibly even your life! Run like the writer in Hebrews prescribed, as he was inspired by the Lord. Run, starting right now, using the technique described by the inspired writer of Hebrews, quoted in our closing passage. Imagine the heroes of faith in Heaven looking down on you. They are counting on you and so am I! Be blessed!
Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.” (Hebrews 12:1-2 English Standard Version)
Committed to the climb,
Mark L. King