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- Feb 9, 2004
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- 17,078
Need a Fix? - January 27, 2006
"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. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart." Hebrews 12:1-3
Ever try to find your way around blindfolded? You can be in the most familiar of places and still do a lot of stumbling and can even get lost. We take for granted all of the thousands of calculations per second our brains do just to keep us standing up right and navigating a simple room. Take away our sight and suddenly there is a great deal of information missing that your brain normally fixes on.
I tried an experiment of just closing my eyes and trying to walk slowly in a straight line in one of the meeting rooms of our church. It wasn't long before I had veered slightly and found myself bumping the furniture.
However, the longer I did it the better I got at it. I started noticing that I could navigate by sounds. How my footsteps echoed, wind sounds from the windows and various other things started to give my mind the "fixes" it needed to tell me what to do.
Our minds need information to steer us, our hearts also need to be fixed on something to keep on the right spiritual path. In the battle with sin for instance, we should have an overwhelming goal in mind as part of our motivation to defeat sin. The perfect goal to keep in mind is Jesus Christ. The writer of Hebrews exhorts us to "keep our eyes on Jesus" (Hebrews 12:2). He is to be the object of our spiritual focus.
You need a fix! On who or what will it be so that you can run the race of life? You will fix on something, why not choose Jesus?
Contributed by Michael Ullrich
"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. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart." Hebrews 12:1-3
Ever try to find your way around blindfolded? You can be in the most familiar of places and still do a lot of stumbling and can even get lost. We take for granted all of the thousands of calculations per second our brains do just to keep us standing up right and navigating a simple room. Take away our sight and suddenly there is a great deal of information missing that your brain normally fixes on.
I tried an experiment of just closing my eyes and trying to walk slowly in a straight line in one of the meeting rooms of our church. It wasn't long before I had veered slightly and found myself bumping the furniture.
However, the longer I did it the better I got at it. I started noticing that I could navigate by sounds. How my footsteps echoed, wind sounds from the windows and various other things started to give my mind the "fixes" it needed to tell me what to do.
Our minds need information to steer us, our hearts also need to be fixed on something to keep on the right spiritual path. In the battle with sin for instance, we should have an overwhelming goal in mind as part of our motivation to defeat sin. The perfect goal to keep in mind is Jesus Christ. The writer of Hebrews exhorts us to "keep our eyes on Jesus" (Hebrews 12:2). He is to be the object of our spiritual focus.
You need a fix! On who or what will it be so that you can run the race of life? You will fix on something, why not choose Jesus?
Contributed by Michael Ullrich
