Plan de Devocionales Olímpicos: Lucha y TriunfoMuestra

"Vive tu Fe para que Otros la Vean"

Amber Neben is a living testimony of God’s providence. Since 2001, Amber has raced professionally as a road cyclist. Her success in UCI (Union Cycliste Internationale) category 1 races and her Olympic status have given her quite a platform in the cycling world. But in order to achieve such greatness, she had to overcome a lot of obstacles.

At the age of four, Amber was in the hospital with spinal meningitis and was not expected to live. Even if she did, doctors predicted that she would have brain damage and loss of hearing. Her parents had friends who began to pray for her, which resulted in her parents attending church.

Once a runner, Amber experienced stress fractures which kept her inactive from running. She later turned to cycling and was picked for the road world championship team in 2001 and 2002. The following year, she tested positive for a banned substance which she stated came from contaminated supplements. Although the doping was unintentional, Amber had to serve a six month ban.

In 2004, she missed the United States Olympic Team by eight seconds, and in 2007 she was treated for melanoma. She finally made the Olympics in 2008 and 2012, despite overcoming severe injuries from crashes. Through all her struggles, Amber stayed true to her Christian faith, trusting God to carry her through her journey. And those around her noticed how she responded to those troubles.

“Living a life that reflects Christ, walking in a way that honors God and is real, and being genuine in who you are is huge. People need to see Christians live a Christian life,” says Amber.

Amber’s sport gives her the platform to live out her faith by setting an example for others. And when she has chances to share with others what God has brought her through, her testimony impacts people much more after they’ve already seen how she lives her life.

Questions: How do you handle life’s struggles? How can your life and faith demonstrate a positive example for those around you? Reflect on how God has brought you through your struggles. What can you praise God for? How can you use your story to encourage others? If you’re going through something right now, pray for God to work through you during this time.

Prayer: God, thank You for saving me and making me Yours. Thank You for the journey You’ve brought me through. Show me how to reflect You as I go through struggles, in a way that encourages others to follow You. Fill me with Your Spirit today and enable me to live out my faith in a way that honors You. I pray that I make an impact on someone today. Amen.

Kenyan Wilson Kipsang, one of the fastest long-distance runners in the world, won an Olympic bronze medal and has been a world record holder in the marathon. He raced to victory in cities like London, Berlin, Frankfurt, and New York City.

Modeling what it means to live one’s life fully devoted to Jesus Christ is Wilson’s primary purpose. He wants his athletic success to be a platform for helping other runners, his fans and his Kenyan countrymen. He runs that others might catch a glimpse of Him.

Winning races is not his first goal or prime passion. While he receives joy and energy from God when he runs, finishing first is not his purpose.

Wilson is singularly devoted to Jesus. Drifting from his first love, Jesus, is what he fears the most. He does not want to wake up one day to find that he has settled for things of personal glory and fading value.

Doing the right thing is trusting God and gripping His Word, no matter what others may say or do. “If (I) have faith, then I am not alone. The Holy Spirit is there. God is with me to advise me, to take care of me,” Wilson says. “I will always know that I am doing the right thing, and I will always try to listen to the voice of God.”

Question: When you wake up tomorrow morning, will you do the right thing by committing yourself to keeping Christ Lord and intentionally walking with Him throughout your day? Make it a priority to spend time in your Bible, meeting in private with Christ. Will you read His Word, meditate on it, and then ask Him for wisdom as to how you are to apply it each day? Or will you launch into your day striving to attain things of lesser value?

Prayer: Heavenly Father, I humbly ask You to burn into my easily distracted heart a committed love and thirst for You and Your Holy Word, the Bible. Give me the courage and resolve to hourly surrender all of my life to You for Your purposes and Your glory. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.Prayer: Heavenly Father, I humbly ask You to burn into my easily distracted heart a committed love and thirst for You and Your Holy Word, the Bible. Give me the courage and resolve to hourly surrender all of my life to You for Your purposes and Your glory. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Amber Neben es un testimonio vivo de la providencia de Dios. Desde 2001, Amber ha competido profesionalmente como ciclista de ruta. Su éxito en la UCI (Unión Ciclista Internacional) en carreras de la categoría 1 y su estatus Olímpico le han sido una gran plataforma en el mundo del ciclismo. Sin embargo, con el fin de lograr tal grandeza, tuvo que superar muchos obstáculos.

Con 4 años, Amber estuvo en el hospital con meningitis espinal, y no había mucha esperanza de que viviera. Y aunque sobreviviera, los médicos predijeron que iba a tener daños cerebrales y pérdida de la audición. Sus padres tenían amigos que comenzaron a orar por ella, esto llevó a que los padres asistieran a la iglesia.

Ya como corredora, Amber experimentó fracturas por estrés, que la mantuvieron inactiva. Más tarde probó el ciclismo y fue elegida para el equipo de campeonato mundial de ruta en 2001 y 2002. Al año siguiente, dio positivo por una sustancia prohibida la cual ella afirmó que venía de suplementos contaminados. A pesar de que el dopaje no fue intencional, Amber tuvo que cumplir una expulsión de seis meses.

En 2004, no entró en el Equipo Olímpico de los Estados Unidos por ocho segundos, y en 2007 fue tratada por un melanoma. Finalmente fue a los Juegos Olímpicos de 2008 y 2012, a pesar de superar lesiones graves por accidentes. A través de todas sus luchas, Amber se mantuvo fiel a su fe cristiana, confiando en que Dios la llevaría en sus viajes. Y los que la rodeaban se dieron cuenta de cómo respondía a aquellos problemas.

"El vivir una vida que refleje a Cristo, caminando de una manera que honre a Dios y sea real, y ser genuino en lo que eres es tremendo. La gente necesita ver a los cristianos vivir una vida cristiana", dijo Amber.

El deporte de Amber le da la plataforma para vivir su fe siendo un ejemplo para los demás. Y cuando tiene oportunidad de compartir con otros por lo dónde Dios la ha llevado, su testimonio impacta a las personas mucho más después de que hayan visto cómo vive su vida.

Preguntas: ¿Cómo manejas los problemas de la vida? ¿Cómo pueden tu vida y fe ser un ejemplo positivo para los que te rodean? Reflexiona cómo Dios te ha ayudado a superar estos problemas ¿Por qué motivos puedes alabar a Dios? ¿Cómo puedes usar tu historia para animar a otros? Si estás pasando por algo en este momento, ora para que Dios trabaje en ti durante este tiempo.

Oración: Dios, gracias por salvarme y hacerme Tuyo/a. Gracias por el viaje por el que me has llevado. Enséñame cómo reflejarte a medida que avanzo a través de las luchas, de una manera que anime a otros a seguirte. Lléname con Tu Espíritu hoy y permíteme vivir mi fe de manera que Te honre. Señor, te pido que pueda ser de impacto en alguien hoy. Amén