Shedding Some Unneeded Pounds...
Hebrews 12:1-2 (Amplified Bible)
1THEREFORE THEN, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses [who have borne testimony to the Truth], let us strip off and throw aside every encumbrance (unnecessary weight) and that sin which so readily (deftly and cleverly) clings to and entangles us, and let us run with patient endurance and steady and active persistence the appointed course of the race that is set before us,
2Looking away [from all that will distract] to Jesus, Who is the Leader and the Source of our faith [giving the first incentive for our belief] and is also its Finisher [bringing it to maturity and perfection]. He, for the joy [of obtaining the prize] that was set before Him, endured the cross, despising and ignoring the shame, and is now seated at the right hand of the throne of God.
Summertime is here and everyone is on a kick to loss weight, get in shape or tone for the remaining months of the summer. Like everyone else I am no different, my daughter and I about two weeks ago determined that it was time to get "crack'in" and hit the diet and exercise trail. We each have our own reasons for wanting to lose some pounds but we both know that it is necessary and something that we need to do for our own betterment. During the winter months it seemed so easy not to pay attention to those extra pounds and that excess baggage I was carrying because it was covered by layers of clothing and welcomed almost by the need to keep warm, through cold months.
Strangely enough this is the cycle we must all come to in our spiritual walk, if we desire to move forward in Christ and if we are desirous of a closeness and an intimacy with God that clears the clouds of the winter and dries the rain of the spring and fall. God's love warms us and covers us so we do not need fear, anger, mistrust, control, judgement and so many other characteristics to cover us. For when He comes in, to run the race that He sets before us we must get in shape and shed the pounds of every thing and anything contrary to the knowledge of Christ. Have you ever tried to run with a backpack filled, or tried to run after a long lay off from a fitness program? Oh my goodness, the first time you attempt this you feel as if you might die, because the weight you are carrying is not something you are use to and it is weight that is not really yours to carry. But after you begin to shed some pounds and get into a regular work out routine you find those feelings of dying are few and far between.
It is time to shed those weights that hold us back from God and hold us back from really being obedient to the will of God. As you climb the hill of the week and begin your decent towards the weekend, ask Go and your self what is really weighting you down, keeping you out of God's presence and out of His perfect will? If only we can be honest with ourselves we might just find we need to take off some weight, and strip away some pounds that have been added to our lives, because of things we have lived through or gone through. It's time to detox from all those toxins in your spirit and get on a diet of prayer, the word, devotion and time with God. It is time to get fit for the journey, it is time to eat to live and live to eat!
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