living Beyond
September 19,2008
living Beyond spiritual fat and parasitic sins"You were running a good race. Who cut in on you and kept you from obeying the truth?" Galatians 5:7
Not too long ago, I had a T-shirt from an Iron-man contest, a grueling race of swimming, bicycling, and running. The shirt came from a thrift store. One day a man came up to me at the gym. "How was the race?" he asked. I said, "The race was fine." The man looked at me and shook his head saying, "You're more of man than I am." Kiddingly I responded, "That may be true."
Things are not always as they appear. Christians, too often, attempt to put on the appearance of a righteous person but in reality, well, we all have met individuals like that.
Life as a well-defined race calls for discipline, determination, and above all perseverance. We must be willing to lay aside every weight, and the sin that clings so closely. If we think that the race is important at all, it must become important above all. Our inspiration comes from two sources; the heroes of the faith in the past and the example of Jesus Christ.
The Message (a paraphrase) puts it this way. "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 ." __________________________________
On September 9th, Iran's parliament voted in overwhelming favor of a bill that mandates the death penalty for apostasy. Apostasy in Islam is commonly defined as the rejection in word or deed by a person who has been a Muslim. __________________________________
Ken Osborn "Going before God on behalf of others" |
