Losing Weights
Here we are already into the second month of the New Year. If you are like me you may have already lost out on your resolutions. One of my resolutions was to lose some of the weight I had accumulated over the year. You know-eat more healthy meals and exercise more. I seem to just keep eating more and exercising less. And about all that exercise---my justification is that I get enough exercise at work to last me for awhile. I know that I need to recommit myself to a healthy life style. I am trying.
Though the physical side is a very important aspect of our lives, the spiritual is much more. In Hebrews chapter 12, it says that we are to lay aside every weight and the sin that easily ensnares us. Then we can run with endurance the race that God sets before us. It would seem from those statements that we can't run with endurance until we have lost some weight. That makes sense. It is the same principle as in the physical world. My stamina is almost at zero if I have not done enough to eat healthy and lose some of the extra pounds. When I try to exercise or do more than usual, I get very winded and lose my momentum. It is the same in the spiritual realm.
If we lose those weights that ensnare us then we can run the race God put before us. What are the weights that keep you down spiritually? I know what mine are. God has been dealing with me about laying down some weight. It may not be out and out sin. It could be an attitude we need to get rid of. It could be spending too much time on our favorite past times or recreational activities. Though there isn't anything wrong with doing fun things and activities, but sometimes we get so caught up in these other things that we end up not having the time or the energy to spend on the spiritual things such as prayer, Bible reading or being faithful to our church. We all have them- weights.
It is always good to have a leader, an example, who shows us the way. If you join an exercise program or weight reduction program, you always have a trainer. In verse 2 of chapter 12 of Hebrews, we find our leader, our trainer is Jesus Christ. This verse tells us to look to Jesus for He is the author and finisher of our faith. What does that mean? It means He has gone before us and has won. He is the originator and the perfecter of our faith because He endured the cross, despised the shame and then sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Wow! He did it all! And we are to look to Him. He went through so much more than what we have gone through. He is our example, our leader, our trainer. Because of what He did: died on the cross, rose and resurrected and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God- He is asking us to be more diligent in our lives. We need to take our spiritual life to a higher level. We are more than able to do it because He did it. He gives us His Spirit that we can live a life pleasing to God. But we must set priorities, lay down those things that cause us to stumble. It could be gossiping, lying, thinking more of ourselves than we should. It is anything that takes precedence over Jesus Christ, anything that takes our time away from what we should be doing for the Lord. We need a real attitude adjustment sometimes, don't we? I know I do.
Lay aside the weights. Make that resolution, or a better word is commitment, that will last into eternity. It is great to live a healthy life, but greater still to give our all to Jesus Christ. When we lay down those things He is asking, then we can run the race that God put us in. Every Christian is in a race whether we like it or not. Each one of us has a divine plan that God has outlined for us and if we seek His face and pray and determine to follow that plan, He gives us the strength and ability to do it. It is up to us to find out what that plan is and then proceed. But we can't do it if we are being caught up into things that take our time and attention away from the Lord, or those things that are ungodly and unrighteous. God will reveal what they are to us when we sincerely ask.
Lay aside the weights. Run with endurance the race that God has put you in all the while looking unto Jesus Christ. When we have our eyes on our leader, we will not fail, we will not fall. He will never lead us astray. I am ready to lay down some weights so that I can run the race with endurance. How about you?
Though the physical side is a very important aspect of our lives, the spiritual is much more. In Hebrews chapter 12, it says that we are to lay aside every weight and the sin that easily ensnares us. Then we can run with endurance the race that God sets before us. It would seem from those statements that we can't run with endurance until we have lost some weight. That makes sense. It is the same principle as in the physical world. My stamina is almost at zero if I have not done enough to eat healthy and lose some of the extra pounds. When I try to exercise or do more than usual, I get very winded and lose my momentum. It is the same in the spiritual realm.
If we lose those weights that ensnare us then we can run the race God put before us. What are the weights that keep you down spiritually? I know what mine are. God has been dealing with me about laying down some weight. It may not be out and out sin. It could be an attitude we need to get rid of. It could be spending too much time on our favorite past times or recreational activities. Though there isn't anything wrong with doing fun things and activities, but sometimes we get so caught up in these other things that we end up not having the time or the energy to spend on the spiritual things such as prayer, Bible reading or being faithful to our church. We all have them- weights.
It is always good to have a leader, an example, who shows us the way. If you join an exercise program or weight reduction program, you always have a trainer. In verse 2 of chapter 12 of Hebrews, we find our leader, our trainer is Jesus Christ. This verse tells us to look to Jesus for He is the author and finisher of our faith. What does that mean? It means He has gone before us and has won. He is the originator and the perfecter of our faith because He endured the cross, despised the shame and then sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Wow! He did it all! And we are to look to Him. He went through so much more than what we have gone through. He is our example, our leader, our trainer. Because of what He did: died on the cross, rose and resurrected and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God- He is asking us to be more diligent in our lives. We need to take our spiritual life to a higher level. We are more than able to do it because He did it. He gives us His Spirit that we can live a life pleasing to God. But we must set priorities, lay down those things that cause us to stumble. It could be gossiping, lying, thinking more of ourselves than we should. It is anything that takes precedence over Jesus Christ, anything that takes our time away from what we should be doing for the Lord. We need a real attitude adjustment sometimes, don't we? I know I do.
Lay aside the weights. Make that resolution, or a better word is commitment, that will last into eternity. It is great to live a healthy life, but greater still to give our all to Jesus Christ. When we lay down those things He is asking, then we can run the race that God put us in. Every Christian is in a race whether we like it or not. Each one of us has a divine plan that God has outlined for us and if we seek His face and pray and determine to follow that plan, He gives us the strength and ability to do it. It is up to us to find out what that plan is and then proceed. But we can't do it if we are being caught up into things that take our time and attention away from the Lord, or those things that are ungodly and unrighteous. God will reveal what they are to us when we sincerely ask.
Lay aside the weights. Run with endurance the race that God has put you in all the while looking unto Jesus Christ. When we have our eyes on our leader, we will not fail, we will not fall. He will never lead us astray. I am ready to lay down some weights so that I can run the race with endurance. How about you?
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