Hebrews 12:1
1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us
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I quoted this verse as part of a post that I wrote when my pastor passed away in November but as I was thinking about New Years and what I feel God is leading me to in 2011 it once again came to mind in a slightly different context.
A few days ago we officially began the year 2011 and since then the days in my planner have been flying by as Launch quickly approaches. At this point procrastination is deadly and the challenge I’ve been struggling with since I was accepted for the race must officially be dealt with. I have to somehow pack my life into a 65L backpack weighing in under 40lbs. How do you make your whole life travel size?
It’s not an easy thing to do but when you think about it downsizing your life actually is a very Biblical thing to do. In a physical sense if your are not weighed down by a bulky load you can move faster, with greater ease and comfort. Therefore stripping away a heavy load is beneficial in a race situation where you want to finish well. Spiritually we are also more likely to succeed if we make it a practice to strip away that which holds us away from God so that we can run freely into his arms.
Paul encourages believers to run the race and then advises them to “strip off every weight that holds [them] down.” Right now the thing standing between me and boarding my flight for my first stop on the World Race is a large pile of equipment on my bedroom floor. As much as I want and feel the need to take everything with me I am also aware that a lot of my stuff actually isn’t necessary. In order for me to make it to Launch on Friday I am going to need to give up a lot things that I want but don’t need during the next 11 months.
It’s hard but at the same time it’s a huge blessing because if I wasn’t willing to leave stuff behind I wouldn’t be able to go and experience everything that God has for me in 2011. I mean imagine if I planned on taking everything I own with me on the World Race. I would have to cart around huge pieces of furniture, bags of clothing and boxes filled with books from my library. I would be so occupied with moving my possessions that I would either miss out on the greater treasure that God was offering me or simply decide that it wasn’t worth the effort and give up.
I would miss out on SO much!
By giving up what I enjoy but don’t really need I am setting myself up to recieve all of the blessings that God has for me as I travel the world to serve him. The same thing goes in a spiritual sense. As human beings we are impacted by the world around us. We pick up bad habits, grudges, and have experiences that stick with us as we grow up and continue to live our lives. Pretty soon all of the excess that we pick up starts to have an affect on how we view the world. Suddenly it becomes more difficult to forgive, we swear, lose our tempers or watch TV and don’t even consider whether it brings God glory. Our bad habits overrule our good ones and we find ourselves pleading in our defense when we should be dropping to our knees.
As Christians we are called to strip off all that hinders us. What is holding you back from serving God with total abandon? What is stealing away the blessing that is available to you in 2011? Why not resolve to do as Paul admonishes in Hebrews 12:1 and pick up a membership at God’s strip club?
