Hi how are you today? I am well and back into my normal life after the holidays. I am finishing my internship this year and am still on a writers committee which is fun.
Have you checked out my resource page? If not, please do so. It has my first book on there and also a mini book for you to purchase. Thanks for your support.
This week I want us to look at reimagining our lives with no excess. No excess can mean a lot of different things. Maybe for you it is time to declutter your house or your schedule or the food groups you eat from or activities that are sapping your time and strength. For me this year I am overhauling my eating habits so I have more energy to run my race for God.
The verse I want to look at is found in Hebrews 12:1 to 3 in the Message Bible and states:
“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. 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!”
So how do we remove the excess from our lives? The above verses give us the keys.
1. The first is that we need to take note of the stories in the Bible of those who have gone before us. How did they keep the faith without regular church services, a personal written Bible or study guides. They made God the first in their lives. They had an awareness of God that we, in our busy lives, sometimes lose. They had time or made time just to be still. We need to remove the excess so we can take the time to be still and know God. I am talking to me too.
2 Strip down the excess and start running our race. Sometimes we don’t know which way to go but seek God and you will find it. All those people we see doing great exploits for God, do it because they have removed the excess. Just remember that I and you need to run our race and not someone else’s.
3. Study Jesus and see how He did it. If you read the gospels, we can see that Jesus was never in a hurry, never stressed and didn’t carry a to do list. He received His orders from God every morning ( what to say and what to do) and then started doing it. Did He have long days? Yes! Did He get tired? Yes! But He never ceased doing what He was called to do until He finished. Jesus packed more into 30 odd years than we do in a lifetime. He is a great example to follow!
So this year maybe it is time to reimagine your life without the excess in it. What would Monday to Friday look like if you could find your keys, get dressed easily, get your children out the door and cook a simple nutritious meal at night? What would your nights look life if you had a family calendar, your washing was done and the activities were planned? What would your daily walk with God look like if you found and stuck to a Bible reading plan and nightly talk with God?
What would Saturday look like if your chores and shopping were easier and you had time for friends and family? Would Sunday once again become a sabbath day where you went to church and rested? How would removing the excess change your life and your walk with God?
Just some thoughts for you to ponder on this week. You can do it, with Gods help.
Bless you and keep living the life God intended for you.
Karen
0 Comments