Today's Passage - Hebrews 12:1

Hebrews 12:1   Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us...   The author of Hebrews once again encouraged us that, not only should we see that we're surrounded by many witnesses, we also need to learn to put down all the burdens that hinder us.  Anyone who's ever run a race would know that they need to run with as little on them as possible.  We seldom see a runner with a radio on the left hand, lunch bag on the right, and a big straw hat on the head.  This outfit might work out if one goes to a picnic, but as a marathon runner this person will surely end last.  It's not that these are bad things to have, but in a race these things will definitely hinder the runner.   First and foremost, you need to put down all your burden.  The burden might not consist of bad things; in the original context, burden means hindering, so we need to put down all things that hinder us.  Putting them down doesn't mean tossing them away, but it's to entrust them to someone.  We don't need to hold on to our burden tightly, thinking that unless we hold on to them we will never success or even survive.  We must believe God and trust Him.  The Bible says that "seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added onto you."  May God help us, not to let our daily life become hindrance to our spiritual life.  Let us look upon God, just like what athletes do in a race - They focus on the finish line.  In the same way, we must focus on the Lord and make our best effort to run towards Him.   Also, we need to take off the sin that hinders us.  It's normally the petty things in life that hinder us.  We may never dare to deny God or defy Him, but we might follow our own desires in our daily life without obeying God's commands.  We might also be accustomed to rejecting the prompting of Holy Spirit or even reject Him, and just act according to our own will.  We may never dare to fight fiercely with others, but we might have lots of feeling of unforgiving and bitterness.  The Bible says that the feeling of unfairness may lead us to commit sin.  Actually, we might feel depressed because we never reconciled our anger inside, and thus we hold on to our rage and refuse to forgive others.  This only leads to even deeper sense of frustration.  The author of Hebrews asked us to "throw off" everything, which means it doesn't come naturally or easily.  We must come before God and be determined to take action, so that we can lay down our burden, get rid of any hindrance, and enjoy the victory and glory of God in our daily life.   Pray with Pastor Tong   Lord, I thank you because you are the Lord who leads us to proclaim victory against our enemy every day.  May you open our eyes so that we can see the burden and hindrance in our life.  Let us lay down all burden and hindrance in order to follow you closely.  May the Lord's Spirit deliver us from all the burden and hindrance deep down in our soul.  I thank you and I pray in the victorious name of Jesus, amen!     Shekinah Glory - ROLCC Building Expansion Project - Follow us on our Facebook page!