Let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us…
Hebrews 12: 1 is an abrupt reminder to a woman having a bad day; needing to lay some attitudes aside…
Don’t you wish they would just fall off? Have you ever wished that just as one gust of wind can empty a tree of its leaves in fall, one breath of Jesus would empty us of the weights and cares that need to die; without any effort on our part?
I love fall, and the colors here in Colorado are breathtaking; the evidence of fall surrounds me. I am particularly drawn to the red and orange leaves, it is reminiscent of the fire of the Holy Spirit; His fire that consumes…
“Earth’s crammed with heaven, And every common bush afire with God; But only he who sees, takes off his shoes – The rest sit round it and pluck blackberries.” Elizabeth Barrett Browning
I love fall for the harvest and the fruitfulness it represents – bringing to life many of the Lord’s agrarian parables. Yet fall also represents a time for those things that must die to fall.
One gust of wind… for us, it requires more than the Lord blowing on us for dead things to fall. It does take effort on our part; we have to acknowledge what God wants dead, and purpose to lay them down. One breath of the Holy Spirit enables us, empowers us to lay down those things that cause us to stumble; we must do it and make the effort to lay them down. Anger, bitterness, unforgiveness, strife, contention – these do not represent the fruit the Holy Spirit bears in our lives; nor resemble Him in the least… they must go.
Do you think for a moment, that God looks upon each of us, gazing upon our beautiful colors, yellow and amber; the fire of orange and the scarlet red… always the scarlet… and wonders in awe at how beautiful we are? As beautiful and colorful as those leaves are, they must fall. From God’s view those beautiful leaves must fall. However, not just for the sake of death, but also for new life. They must fall to make room for the more abundant life in the spring. Death must come for new life to spring forth. Did not our blessed Savior die – only to be raised to the newness of life? Are we not to follow – to be imitators of Him?
“And He who sits on the throne said, ‘Behold, I am making all things new.’ And He said, ‘Write, for these words are faithful and true.’” Revelation 21:5 NASB
Jesus is making all things new… Is it not true that when leaves and flowers die, they grow in more abundance in the spring? Did He not come to give us abundant life?
The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly. John 10:10 NASB
When we hold on to the things that so easily weigh us down we allow the thief a foot hold, we give him access to the door to steal our joy ~ our peace. When we let go of these things that cause us to stumble; make us trip, God views it like the colors of fall. Beautiful we each are in all of our colors, yellow, orange and red; more beautiful are those leaves falling off to make room for the green abundant leaves in the spring. It is beautiful in the eyes of God, to walk in our chronos season. Then, when we are obedient to walk in the chronos, the seasons and times ordained from the beginning, He is faithful to interrupt with kairos moments – moments unexpected that bring deliverance and breakthrough.
As we lay aside the sins that so easily entangled we run with endurance the race that is set before us Hebrews 12:1 NASB
Let them go – I see new life in you; though you do not see it now; you must not adjust your faith by what you see with your eyes… I am coming and will make all things new… though dying hurts, you will spring forth with newness of life – my abundant life…
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