What hinders you?
Today was a long but productive day. I had a meeting with a friend of mine in Canton about a girls worship night we are putting together, all the glory to God alone! Bad idea though, to chose to drive home at 5:00 in Atlanta, I should know better, but if you know you are going to be on the road at that time you mid as well sit back and find a good song, because you are not going to be going over 40, and I was also hungry. Hungry +Atlanta traffic= not fun! So on the way home I stopped by Zaxby’s. When I got home I couldn't get out of “regular” clothes and into my sweats fast enough; as I flung my shoes off my feet onto the floor I had a good laugh with the Lord as I felt he said “throw off what hinders you!” I love Jesus! He is the biggest blast, and love of my life! After a good laugh, and dinner…I went and look up the verse; it was Heb 12:1-2.
“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” Heb 12:1-2
As I read those verses, my first thought was WOW, the image of me flinging my shoes off so perfectly demonstrates what part of this verse is saying; “Throw off what hinders you”, I had things to do, like eat dinner…haha, but in all seriousness we all have a job to do. We all have a calling and purpose on this planet to do for and to the glory of God, and when we continue to hold SO TIGHTLY to those things, sins that hinder us we are not able to run the race the Lord has set out for us,well. You might be running, but you won't be at your best. We each have a race to run, and we have to throw off those things that are hindering us from doing, going, and being all God has called us to be; fixing our eyes on Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith!
------Clarify-I am not talking about family (marriage, kids..etc). Don't take it out to context!!! There will be that one person who may read this and think I am telling them that its OK to get out of their marriage because they feel it is hindering them, NO, NO, NO,NO, NO, NO, because that goes against Scripture. That is NOT what I am saying!!! Do not use this as an excuse to give up, or give in! That is not what God is telling us here! JUST TO CLARIFY! -------
It makes me think about how I was so hungry after a long day, all I was fixed on was eating my dinner, so I was going to through off all that was going to hinder me from not just getting upstairs to eat my dinner, but to ENJOY my dinner. Sometimes there are things in our lives that are maybe hindering us from just enjoying God. But I was fixed on getting to the “prize”—dinner. We have to get to the point where we want Jesus so bad that we are willing to throw off whatever is hindering us to get to Him; to really enjoy Him!
I hope this makes some since!!!! Lets throw off EVERYTHING that hinder us and the sin that so easily entangles, and lets run this race that God has marked out for us with perseverance, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of our faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God! What are the “shoes” in your life that need to be thrown off, or maybe not just thrown off but get thrown away?
I LOVE YOU ALL DEARLY IN THE FAITH! Just know: “Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. 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, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” Phil 3:12-14
“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” Heb 12:1-2
As I read those verses, my first thought was WOW, the image of me flinging my shoes off so perfectly demonstrates what part of this verse is saying; “Throw off what hinders you”, I had things to do, like eat dinner…haha, but in all seriousness we all have a job to do. We all have a calling and purpose on this planet to do for and to the glory of God, and when we continue to hold SO TIGHTLY to those things, sins that hinder us we are not able to run the race the Lord has set out for us,well. You might be running, but you won't be at your best. We each have a race to run, and we have to throw off those things that are hindering us from doing, going, and being all God has called us to be; fixing our eyes on Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith!
------Clarify-I am not talking about family (marriage, kids..etc). Don't take it out to context!!! There will be that one person who may read this and think I am telling them that its OK to get out of their marriage because they feel it is hindering them, NO, NO, NO,NO, NO, NO, because that goes against Scripture. That is NOT what I am saying!!! Do not use this as an excuse to give up, or give in! That is not what God is telling us here! JUST TO CLARIFY! -------
It makes me think about how I was so hungry after a long day, all I was fixed on was eating my dinner, so I was going to through off all that was going to hinder me from not just getting upstairs to eat my dinner, but to ENJOY my dinner. Sometimes there are things in our lives that are maybe hindering us from just enjoying God. But I was fixed on getting to the “prize”—dinner. We have to get to the point where we want Jesus so bad that we are willing to throw off whatever is hindering us to get to Him; to really enjoy Him!
I hope this makes some since!!!! Lets throw off EVERYTHING that hinder us and the sin that so easily entangles, and lets run this race that God has marked out for us with perseverance, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of our faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God! What are the “shoes” in your life that need to be thrown off, or maybe not just thrown off but get thrown away?
I LOVE YOU ALL DEARLY IN THE FAITH! Just know: “Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. 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, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” Phil 3:12-14
Comments