It is amazing how quickly these weeks pass. The mornings are dark when I now get up and the sun is setting earlier, sure signs fall is surely here. Week five in the study “God. Move. Plan.” brought us into thinking about how we plan.
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In 1 Corinthians 6:19-20, Paul reminds us that we are not our own for we have been bought with the high price of the blood of Jesus.
Everything we do, everything we say, and everything we own – is all to honor and bring glory to God. We don’t live unto ourselves or for ourselves.
Living this way is hard. It calls us to live sacrificially. Putting others before ourselves.
The study asks: What do you think hinders most Christians from giving everything to God? Is there anything in your life that you haven’t fully given to God?
These can be tough questions to really think about it. At times, we think we are giving as much as we can but then come to realize, there are still parts of ourselves we are holding back.
Let’s live fully for Him as He lived and died fully for each one of us.
And this brought to mind an old song by Keith Green:
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Isaiah 6:8 and Hebrews 12:1 are two familiar passages which delivered the challenge to let go of things which are holding us back.
In his encounter with God, Isaiah was overcome by God’s grace in cleansing him of all his sin. Then he was able to give himself to the Lord to go where God would have him to go.
If we are going to run our race and fulfill God’s purposes for our lives, we too, “need to strip off every weight”, every sin and “go”.
Where has God called you? It may not be a mission field but it can be – the church nursery, to visit a shut in, to make a phone call, or to serve on the PTA.
What is holding you back?
Those very things cause our lives to feel like they are on hold. Those hindrances prevent us from fulfilling our purposes and living a life full of the abundance God has for us.
Hear these words from The Message to heart: “Strip down, start running””and never quit!”
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This daily walk requires daily disciplines.
“So I run with purpose in every step. I am not just shadowboxing.” ( verse 26, NLT)
Shadowboxing in the sport of boxing is a practice in which the boxer goes through the motions in order to prepare for the fight.
But is only pretend.
We must do the real thing with Christ each day. We cannot shadowbox our faith, merely go through the motions.
To live this life effectively for Jesus will require discipline. This means developing habits which will grow our faith and relationship with Him. The study states:
“Some spiritual disciplines include: Bible study, Bible memorization, prayer, fasting, worship, meditation, and service. When we do these things, we train for something that matters for eternity. We train for heaven.”
Which of these disciplines do you need to better develop in your life?
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This daily walk with Christ will require
that we sacrifice,
strip away all that hinders, and
stop all shadowboxing.
Photo 1:Â by Zac Ong on Unsplash
Photo 2: by Timothy Eberly on Unsplash
Today I am joining… Woman to Woman and Recharge Wednesday and Let’s Have Coffee .
I always think about the question: “What’s God calling me to?”
But your other question is lingering: “What’s holding me back?”
And the challenge to strip off the things that are holding me back begs the question: “What isn’t God calling me to?”
I’ve got some things to put down.
It’s amazing how God asks such thought provoking questions of us. I am glad I am not the only one.
Singing my my heart out right now along with Keith Green! Thanks for words and music about what’s true and crucial!
Every now and then one of his songs come back to mind and I dig up the old music 🙂