Losing Weights

June 28, 2011 – 11:23 am

“Therefore then, since we are surrounded by no great a cloud of witnesses [who have borne testimony to the Truth], let us strip off and throw aside every encumbrance (unnecessary weight) and that sin which so readily (deftly and cleverly) clings to and entangles us, and et us run with patient endurance and steady and active persistence the appointed course of the race that is set before us.” Hebrews 12:1 AMP

It is hard to run a race and win if we have all kinds of weights hanging on us. Talk about imbalance! We can still participate in the race; however, we will not enjoy it very much, and it is unlikely we will win. A weight to the Christian is simply anything that takes us away from God. That’s why He told us to lay aside those things. Lay aside the sin that wants to cling to us, entangle us, bind us up, and get us off focus to the point where we are no longer putting God first. Instead, something else has become first and is weighing us down in our race. We have lots to do as Believers! We are continuously throwing off weights and sins and training our eyes to stay glued to Jesus, who is our leader and source of our faith, and who is bringing us to maturity in Him. “Looking away [from all that will distract] to Jesus, Who is the Leader and the Source of our faith [giving the first incentive for our belief] and is also its Finisher [bringing it to maturity and perfection]. He, for the joy [of obtaining the prize] that was set before Him, endured the cross, despising and ignoring the shame, and is now seated at the right hand of the throne of God.” (Hebrews 12:2 AMP) The King James Version calls Jesus the “author and finisher of our faith.” From these verses of Scripture, it is obvious that God does not want any of His children to live at a disadvantage. He wants us to have everything we need to run our race, and He gives us all His wisdom and strength to run it well. This is the abundant life Jesus died to give us! When we talk about abundant life, all kinds of things come to mind; but the abundance God gives us also has a purpose we can never lose sight of. Each of us has a part to play in the harvest of souls God is drawing in these last days. Each of us has a harvest of souls crying out, “Please, come show me the way! Give me the truth! Reveal the eternal love and life of God to me!” Our Promised Land is not just a nice house and car, a happy and healthy family, and an enjoyable and successful career. Our Promised Land is the people we will influence for Jesus Christ. I don’t mean to beat you over the head; it’s important to get things right in our lives because the harvest is on the line. God can’t take us into our Promised Land if we continue running around in the wilderness, fussing and fighting with folks, not walking in love or holding to the truth of God’s Word. It’s time to lay aside those weights that are holding us back and please Jesus instead of ourselves. Some people in the church want to live a life that doesn’t have any impact on people’s lives. It doesn’t matter to them if their lives never reflect anything about God. My opinion is, they might not be truly saved; at best, they are saved and are settling for so little. There is a higher calling and a richer life that reaches for perfection in Jesus and makes a powerful impact on this world. As for me, I prefer to “press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:14). I want to win that race and capture that prize. I don’t want to cross the finish line alone. I want to fly across that finish line bringing hundreds of thousands of souls into the Kingdom of God. The only way I can do that is to keep from being bound by and getting entangled with the things of this world. For example, God put me in check about how I related to my business life. He said, “Don’t get all sidetracked with it. Remember My purposes in it. Keep it all in context of My will for your life and don’t go off and try to create your own significance and financial security. I am the author and finisher of your faith!” God wants us to prosper in everything we do. He also wants us to keep that prosperity in godly perspective. Otherwise, it will become a weight that will hold us back and keep us from doing our part in this last days’ harvest. Make no mistake about it, people are God’s priority. He proved that by sending Jesus to die for our sin so that we could be reconciled to Him. That’s how much the harvest means to Him! 

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