Losing weight

Let us lay aside every weight. Hebrews 12:1

Mr Richard Semler wrote in his book “Maverick” they were having a meeting to buy U$50,000 worth in files cabinets for SEMCO. They decided to stop the company for a half day and do a clean-up. The instructions were: look at your file folders and take out every NON ESSENTIAL paper.

What happened then?

They didn’t buy any file and instead of it they sold some of the unneeded file…

What a difference!

The Bible says: “Let us lay aside every weight and the sin which so easy holds us … and run with endurance the race set before us”. Hebrews 12:1

We tend to focus on sins: they are easy to see, but weights aren’t easy to see sometimes.

Sins are easy to identify; they have names. eThey have a shape… “fat” can be hidden behind the organs…

Along our Christian lives, we get many things that can keep us from running our best race.

We can tie religiosity in our lives, rules that will make nothing but only hold us back. Sometimes we get worried about a place where to meet, communion with our brothers and sisters but we forget to preach the gospel to the ones who are lost.

We can be focused in our needs, our time, our trials and goods. We keep worried about our own life … problems that we cannot do anything to change by ourselves.

We can be very busy at the church doing a lot of good things and not doing God’s will.

God is interested in our lives and giving us good things.

Psalm 84:11 tells us that God will give us what is necessary, but not something that will holds back. When Jesus sent His disciples out to preach, He asked them to carry nothing extra, but only a bag and a stick. Nothing to make them waste time or prevent them to reach their target.

They would depend totally to God.

“If God doesn’t give you… You don’t need it”. Psalm 37:4

Don’t be worried about things you don’t have, but to please God. Paul said: Philippians 3:13-14 (New International Version- NIV)

13 Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

Ask yourself two things:

First: Do I want God’s best?

It’s not easy to wake up early in the morning while others are sleeping and prepare for the challenges. When Jesus was at the Gethsemane, He found out that it was difficult for the disciples to keep on going with Him. Without preparation, there is no celebration.

Some of us prefer the tranquillity than criticism… What is the price I have to pay to fulfil God’s plan? Second: How strong is my desire?

If you don’t have a passion, you won’t overcome your obstacles. Real power comes from the desire that is inside of us.

Long distance runners take steady strides and focus on endurance – on their goal. They do not only speed. They run each lap, restricted to their limits and think about only one thing – winning. There are no excuses.

When we “lose that weight”, we will be able to run faster and easier.

At the final lap, a taste of exhaustion is in their mouths, but they keep going. Victory isn’t cheap; it isn’t easy…

Be prepared – take out everything you don’t need but take all that will help you. Get every weapon God has issued for us. Ephesians 6:13-15.

God bless you

Clarindo