My friend once said something that always resurfaces right before Thanksgiving:
“The goal for the next 6 weeks is to maintain, not gain.”
The comment came from a conversation about Halloween candy I’d eaten. It felt impossible to lose the excess weight with the next 3 goody-filled holidays looming in sight!
That convo popped into my mind as I read Hebrews 12 this AM. Paul likens Christians to runners readying for a race & exhorts us to strip off every weight that slows us down, especially sin that so easily trips us up.
I’ve always thought of “weight” & “sin” synonymously here, but 3 new tidbits of revelation surfaced:
•Sin is sin in whatever context,
but not all weight = sin
•Weight to you may not be weight to me
•Weight becomes weight in moments of excess, but weight may be a help, not a hinderance, in moderation
So a weight, then, is simply a legitimate thing turned to false use. The word for “weight” used here means a heavy encumbrance or burden.
Just last night, one of my son’s friends shared how her team trains for beach volleyball. They begin each practice wearing a weighted vest & run 1 mile barefoot down the beach. She said it’s the most exhausting thing she’s ever endured & how grateful she feels when that heavy weight falls to the ground!
God has set a path before each of us that may take us over different terrain, but we’ll all reach the same destination if we keep our eyes fixed on Jesus. We’ll need far more than patient endurance, however, if we continue to bear the weight vest of burdens & distractions that hinder our course.
So the question that surfaces is this:
Where is there excess “weight” in my life, & what decisions can I make to lighten the load?
There’s no spiritual life without dying. Positive spiritual progress requires a negative fleshly process!
We must be willing to cut away any weight or sin that so easily entangles! There may be seasons where our aim is simply to “maintain & not gain”, but if we remain there too long, our endurance begins to wain under the weight we carry.
Father, show us any excess weight that can be swiftly sliced away. Reveal any habits or daily decisions that hinder us from running the race You have set before us!
💡EZEKIEL 29:1-30:26
💡HEBREWS 11:32-12:13
💡PSALM 112:1-10
💡PROVERBS 27:17
Bình luận