Saturday May 14, 2011

Read Hebrews 12:1-2.  1Tim 6:1-16

Living a life of grace is often difficult because many things constantly get in the way. Some days it’s more like trudging through  a weed filled mud pit than driving down a super highway! Temptations come daily. Busyness pulls our heart in the wrong direction. There are demands from others each and every day.  Problems crop up in the most unexpected places. Some of the things we cannot control, but some we can.  We can take Hebrews 12:1-2 very seriously and start removing the objects and things that cause us to sin or weigh us down.  In reality, only you and God know what issues you struggle with and what things cause you to fall into sin.

If you can zoom into those things and point them out you are in a better position to start casting them off and being freed from the things that weigh you down.

Notice clearly the context though.  Only when we focus on Christ will we really cast off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. What God is saying is that we are to hurl away (with all your strength) the sins that are entangling you or pulling you down. Would a marathon runner eat chocolate cake before or during the race? Would a boxer take time to laze around before a major fight? If your TV is causing you to sin, get rid of it. If your phone is causing you to dishonour God, swap it for a phone and text only version. If the car you drive is causing pride to well up, trade it  in. Again, we are not drinking spiritual milk but digesting the Meat of the Word. This is not for the faint hearted.  We are taking God seriously and applying what we learn to our own lives. We are taking dramatic steps to make sure that ungodliness is not an option.

Athletes are serious about their training. We should be as well. Athletes focus on the goal, the finish line, the gold medal. We should be as well. Athletes feed their body nutrient rich food, avoiding junk. We should be feeding ourselves the nutrient rich food of grace and avoiding the junk of the world. Athletes train to win an event, a gold medal. We train to “win” eternity. Our medal is in heaven. Our battle lasts for this entire life but the rewards truly are eternal.

If we are serious about fighting the good fight then we need to do some serious spiritual training. One minister placed a large red dot on everything in  his house that caused him to wander from the truth. They were a daily reminder of the need to run the race with perseverance. Another believer held his 4oth birthday and rather than bring presents he told his guests to come and take anything they wanted from his house. He’s been the happiest in his entire life since he scaled down.

Sin is like cancer. It needs to be removed as soon as we know it’s there. Leaving it around will cause us harm. But as we get rid of sin the Lord will use us more and more for His Kingdom. As we step out in faith and walk the talk, God will work powerfully among us. We will see God greatly impacting others through our ministry and involvement.

As you think about church tomorrow, how can you get involved and bless others? How can you apply Hebrews 12 and 1 Tim 6 as part of your ministry and love for the Lord? How can you be available for God tomorrow?

Prayer:-

V Pray that your church gathering will be a great blessing to all tomorrow.  Pray that we would see God work powerfully among us and that His Word would deeply impact us - causing us to grow, to mature and to draw nearer to Him.

V Pray that God would bless our children and youth with maturity, with a deepening understanding of His word and a growing love for Himself.