Weight Loss
Do you see what this means—all these pioneers who blazed the way, all these veterans cheering us on? It means we’d better get on with it. Strip down, start running—and never quit! No extra spiritual fat, no parasitic sins. Hebrews 12:1 MSG
It goes without saying that every year people make all kinds of resolutions from eating healthier, to saving money for Christmas, to starting an exercise plan, to losing weight. I desperately try to keep my resolutions to a minimum—eat healthier than the year before. It starts out great, but by the time I hit the third week of the year I am back to my old habits that eventually chase me down and send me back into an eating slump. It’s not a good thing nor is it a healthy thing to do, but it happens.
The result of my challenging eating habits is weight gain. I pick up more than I ever hope to and add to it yearly. Isn’t that your story too? We tend to start a project, a new habit, ritual, and then in less than 30 days, we give up and throw in the towel only to attempt the exact same thing a year later. However, I do believe I would do better with accountability. Additionally, I am inspired by others who have gone before me and have accomplished the same goal I am seeking to accomplish.
These stories give me hope that I too can make it. I can experience weight loss and keep it off. Paul gives a motivating admonishment to the believer when it comes to weight loss. Paul says, many have already been successful in losing weight. We have pioneers that have run the Christian race and are winners.
They have blazed a trail so that we may follow in their footsteps and they are cheering us on to victory! You can do this! Paul paints the picture of an Olympic race taking place and in order for the Christian to run the race and complete it there must be weight loss. The Christian must lay aside anything that will prevent them from running the race successfully. Maybe the things that are preventing us to run the Christian race are bad habits that are weighing us down. Maybe we have negative attitudes that hold us back. Maybe we are involved in tasks in ministry that we are not called to be a part of; maybe we overrate relationships that inhibit our ability to move forward. Whatever it is, we are charged by the Word to lay it aside and experience weight loss. This weight loss gives us the ability to make the race doable. We don’t have to be the first ones across the line, the goal is to simply finish the race.
I have heard from so many ministry leaders who have experienced burnout and the challenges associated with burnout result in marriages being strained, parent—child relationships becoming rocky and a spirit of resentment towards God and anything remotely spiritual. Simply because we are too weighty in our spiritual life. The things of this world will put so much unnecessary weight on us and for many of us we can manage it but only for so long and then it breaks us. Whatever is keeping you from running this spiritual race in ministry, with Jesus along with your family I charge you to lay it aside. The answer is not quitting but unloading the parasites and even the extra spiritual fat so that real weight loss can be accomplished, and ultimately you finish the race and the kingdom is realized. Weight loss is possible starting today!
#OneTeamChallenge
- How committed are you to living a healthier spiritual life?
- What parasites and extra spiritual fat are you willing to let go of?
- When will you start your spiritual weight loss program?
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I am taking the spiritual weight loss challenge starting today by releasing the negative people and things that are preventing me from running the God race. #OneTeam #WeightLoss #AcceptChallenge