Devotions For The Outdoorsman: "Can't Outrun It!

My dad is where I gained my passion for hunting and the outdoors. Now my dad loved to turkey hunt, deer hunt, quail hunt but his real passion was coyote hunting. Except my dad didn’t use a gun…he used greyhounds. I grew up with about 16 greyhounds that lived in long pens in the back yard. We had a flat bed single cab chevy truck that had a dog box on the back and each side of the box held four greyhounds with slots just big enough they could get their heads out. We had two cables that ran into the cab and one cable opened the driver side dog box and the other the passenger side.

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I spent countless hours riding in the passenger seat of the truck eating Vienna sausages, peanuts in my Dr Pepper while we drove around looking for coyotes in western Oklahoma and the Texas panhandle. When my dad would see one he would whistle and the greyhounds would look and when they spotted to coyote in a field or pasture they would begin the whimper. With a tug on the cable the door would swing open depending on the side of the truck the coyote was on and the chase began. Watching a greyhound run at 45mph chasing a coyote is an amazing sight to see! The coyote couldn’t outrun the greyhounds. He would swerve, even use fence rows or brush to try and get away but he couldn’t get away from the relentless greyhounds behind him. We did this every winter growing up hunting coyotes this way. We sold the hides and the local ranchers and farmers appreciated us helping thin out the predators on their property.

I was recently studying God’s word and was hit with this truth. I can’t outrun the grace and mercy of God. I can’t be bad enough, sin so much that God doesn’t love me and forgive me for those failures. John 1:16 tells us “For from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace.” Grace upon grace. I love that. I can’t outrun it, outsmart it, out maneuver it. I just can’t! God’s grace for me is given freely and from God’s fullness. I’m so thankful I can’t outrun it. I’ve tried. I’ve tried to run and hide but I couldn’t. God’s goodness and His grace and mercy ran me down. I’m thankful for it.

Are you running from His grace today? Do you think you have just been to bad, your sins were just to much? Do you think you can’t come to God with the mess your life is in? I want you to know that thought is a lie from the devil. You can’t outrun God’s grace. Maybe it’s been a minute since you talked to God. Today I pray you start a conversation with Him and let Him begin to cover you with His love, with His grace, and with His mercy.

Author Brad Clay is the host of Final Descent Outdoors and a licensed and ordained minister in Oklahoma. Brad served for 12yrs in vocational ministry before stepping out to do full time outdoor ministry in 2013. Brad resides in Edmond, OK.