Weight

Read Hebrews 11.

Hebrews 12:1-2 (NLT)
1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge cloud 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 that God has set before us. 2 We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith.
---------------------

I love history, so one of my favorite passages in the Bible is Hebrews 11. Hebrews 12:1-2 is one of the most famous passages in the Bible, but reading it in the context of Ch 11 adds a lot.

In vs 1, Paul talks about getting rid of the 'weight' that slows us down, especially the 'sin'. That means, like we said this past Sunday, that both 'bad' things and 'not bad' things can cause us to become weighed down - lukewarm.

What are some 'bad' and 'not too bad' things in your life that weigh you down?

For me, it's my work, and then also just 'distractibility' - because I love finding things out, I'll choose reading the news, for example, over reading the Bible, regularly. How do I combat this? Not well, at times. But I find that maintaining a discipline to wake up early to study the Bible and pray creates in me a passion for more of it and for more of Christ. Unfortunately this habit waxes and wanes at times, but if I remain disciplined during the 'waning' periods, I am renewed again before long.

The other vital thing is asking the Holy Spirit to reside in me and around me in a noticeable way, then EXPECTING Him to do exactly that! What huge difference that makes. Try it!

So what's your 'weight'?

And what are you going to DO about it?

What else did you find in Hebrews 11-12 that spoke to you? Take the week and re-read it or take a few verses at a time...no rush.

Family

The Bible says birds have nests but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head....But Jesus loves children, too - the problem is we have turned the family into our God in America - Christians and non-Christians alike put family first and God second, but we make the excuse that God wants us to be good fathers, so that gives us license to use God to serve our families instead of leading and motivating our families to seek God first. We give lip service only to Matthew 6:33 - seek first God....that's my big challenge - always has been. How to seek God first and let him lead and direct my career and family - that's my challenge.

Andrew