I was reading one of my favorite verses tonight. I am sure I have mentioned it before in a past posting. I was brought back to this passage tonight by an old posting by Ron Hutchcraft regarding distraction. I try to read in several versions of the Bible occasionally to grasp different nuances. Biblegateway.com is a great tool for study because it give me an opportunity to look at Scripture in several different translations. Tonight I looked at this passage in The Message and this passage seemed new to me.
Hebrews 12:1-3 (The Message)
1-3Do 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. Keep your eyes on Jesus, who both began and finished this race we’re in. Study how he did it. Because he never lost sight of where he was headed—that exhilarating finish in and with God—he could put up with anything along the way: Cross, shame, whatever. And now he’s there, in the place of honor, right alongside God. When you find yourselves flagging in your faith, go over that story again, item by item, that long litany of hostility he plowed through. That will shoot adrenaline into your souls!
I was watching a Swimming Championship a few months back and was amazed at some of the suits that swimmers are using today. Swimmers move through the water faster. Track suits develop each year as well and you never know what a runner will be wearing to make them faster. It’s all about shaving that extra second off of your time to surpass your competition. One kid who was in my youth group many years back wore strength shoes to improve his hops on the basketball court. That white boy could jump.The technology today that is at work to improve ones game is fascinating, and has become so defined. I find it amazing.
So many of us have devoted our lives to being the best at something. We focus on our careers, lifestyles, hobbies, and look for the things that will make us better at them. We can sometimes get ourselves so tuned into that we stop hearing the real signal that guides our lives. I am probably the worst person to talk about this due to the fact that I am totally to blame for this behavior as well. As Christ-followers we are called to do what is patterned for us and focus on that with everything we have in us. As I mentioned in my last blog post I believe that Satan use our passions against us to distract us from what matters often to the point that we fight for those desires harder than we do our Christianity.
I was playing a game on Facebook called Mafia Wars. It had become a habitual thing for me. I was moving along very nicely and was hip deep in advancing through the ranks. It was becoming a big issue but I didn’t see it. I am glad that my wife did. She had some great insight and all I could see was that I was about to lose something I had spent so much time doing. Then it dawned on me once I cooled off that this was exactly the issue. I wish I had acted differently when my wife discussed it with me, but I didn’t. See how Satan works? The cool thing is now I am using that time that I would have normally used for that silly game to write tonight.
What is it that is keeping you from focusing on your Creator? Is there a passion that pulls you off course. Look for those things this week. Even better, ask someone else you trust if they see anything in your life that holds you back, and be willing to listen to them. It may be the greatest thing you ever did.
Run for the prize and don’t look back.
the lunatic
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