The Great Adventure of Living Without
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. (Hebrew 12:1-3)
Jules Verne, the famous author of Twenty-Thousand Leagues Under the Sea, also wrote another book entitled The Mysterious Island. The plot of the story revolves around five men who manage to escape from a Civil War prison camp by high-jacking a hot-air balloon. Once aloft a hurricane strength wind carried them out over the ocean. There was absolutely nothing they could do to control the direction of their travel. Finally the tempest ends and they realize that land has been left far behind. As far as the eye could see in every direction there is nothing but water. In addition to not knowing where the storm had carried them, the balloon starts losing altitude due to a tear at the top of the silk balloon. Since there is nothing to provide heat to give them altitude, they begin to throw things over the side of the basket. Shoes, coats, and weapons are tossed overboard and the balloon begins to rise. However, this is not enough. As it begins to sink again they toss their precious cargo of stolen gold overboard. For the moment it provides the lift they need – but only for a moment. Once again they begin their descent toward the waters, so they toss their food over the side. It is better to be hungry than to be plunged into the drink! But this doesn’t last long either and the balloon drops toward the ocean once more. This time one of the men suggests that they tie together the ropes that connect the balloon to the basket and sit on the ropes and cut away the basket. With a quick untying of the ropes the basket which carried them falls into the water and they rise up once more. But alas, the gas continues to leak and the makeshift vehicle begins its inevitable final descent. But fortunately for our heroes, when all hope seems to be lost - at the very last possible moment an island is spotted. The balloon, gasping with its last bit of precious gas, is able to just make it to the island and deliver them safely to the sandy shore. And so the scene is set for the beginning of a wonderful adventure on an unknown island. (Can we have a little applause for one of the best tensioned-filled opening scenes ever written!) But the adventure would not have been possible if they had not learned at the very beginning what they could do without.
Difficult times always bring new realizations. One of the great insights we learn while facing mounting financial pressures is that many of the things we think are absolute necessities are in fact disposable. In truth, there are many things in life which we consider to be necessities which we can live without and still be quite comfortable and happy. For example right now there are many families who are making the wonderful discovery that they can live without their expensive gas-guzzling SUV. They are discovering that it really is possible to get from A to B with a downsized economy car. Yes, it is true the economy car doesn’t come equipped with a color DVD player and heated seats. But when you’re in survival mode, you realize you really don’t need those accoutrements. Parents all across America are discovering that kids can actually survive while sitting in the back seat of a car without watching a purple dinosaur dance in front of them. They’ve begun to experiment with amazing new kinds of activities for their children as they travel to the grocery store – like giving the kids a book to read. They are also discovering that is far better to live without the financial pressure that comes with the gas guzzler and enjoy the freedom from stress that accompanies the economy car. We are a nation which is beginning to learn the benefits of living without.
Learning what we can live without is a mark of maturity and a very important part of our walk with Jesus Christ. The writer of Hebrews points this out in the opening verses of chapter 12. He says, “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 “therefore” of chapter 12 points back to a long list of people in chapter 11 who understood there were many things they needed to live without as they fulfilled their individual callings before God. The heroes of chapter 11 were sure of what they believed and that God rewards those who earnestly seek him. They didn’t live for the moment but decided to live for the reward that God promises to the faithful. It is the wise person who learns that it is better to live without some of earth’s treasure to see God’s purposes fulfilled on earth. So the author of Hebrews encourages us to make the decision to “live without” particularly in these two areas:
Throw off everything that hinders. The picture here is of a person running a race carrying unnecessary weight. Can you imagine a marathon runner insisting on carrying a bowling bowl the length of a race? It would be ridiculous. So it is with us when we choose to carry ideas, concepts and deeply held personal convictions that stand in opposition to God’s Word. Your Heavenly Father loves you with an everlasting love. He only has your best interest and his richest blessing in mind for your life. Cast off anything that gets in the way of His plan being perfectly fulfilled in your life.
Throw off the sin that so easily entangles, The picture here is equally vivid. Can you imagine a runner trying to go the distance with his shoes untied? If a runner ever a ran a race like that he would become the laughing stock of his audience and would most likely end up flat on his face. It just wouldn’t make any sense to try to run without removing potential entanglements. So it is with us when we don’t take sin in our life seriously. Rationalizing, trivializing, minimizing and ignoring sinful behaviors and attitudes will never serve any of us well. Sooner or later, it will trip us up. We need to be aggressive in cutting sin out of our life so that we can run the course God has marked out for us.
What can you live without? Don’t wait until you are up to your neck in deep water before you make the decision. At that point it will be too late. Resolve today to remove at least one thing that either hinders your faith or entangles your walk. A great adventure awaits as you choose to “live without.”
Live the Victorious Life,
PT
Jules Verne, the famous author of Twenty-Thousand Leagues Under the Sea, also wrote another book entitled The Mysterious Island. The plot of the story revolves around five men who manage to escape from a Civil War prison camp by high-jacking a hot-air balloon. Once aloft a hurricane strength wind carried them out over the ocean. There was absolutely nothing they could do to control the direction of their travel. Finally the tempest ends and they realize that land has been left far behind. As far as the eye could see in every direction there is nothing but water. In addition to not knowing where the storm had carried them, the balloon starts losing altitude due to a tear at the top of the silk balloon. Since there is nothing to provide heat to give them altitude, they begin to throw things over the side of the basket. Shoes, coats, and weapons are tossed overboard and the balloon begins to rise. However, this is not enough. As it begins to sink again they toss their precious cargo of stolen gold overboard. For the moment it provides the lift they need – but only for a moment. Once again they begin their descent toward the waters, so they toss their food over the side. It is better to be hungry than to be plunged into the drink! But this doesn’t last long either and the balloon drops toward the ocean once more. This time one of the men suggests that they tie together the ropes that connect the balloon to the basket and sit on the ropes and cut away the basket. With a quick untying of the ropes the basket which carried them falls into the water and they rise up once more. But alas, the gas continues to leak and the makeshift vehicle begins its inevitable final descent. But fortunately for our heroes, when all hope seems to be lost - at the very last possible moment an island is spotted. The balloon, gasping with its last bit of precious gas, is able to just make it to the island and deliver them safely to the sandy shore. And so the scene is set for the beginning of a wonderful adventure on an unknown island. (Can we have a little applause for one of the best tensioned-filled opening scenes ever written!) But the adventure would not have been possible if they had not learned at the very beginning what they could do without.
Difficult times always bring new realizations. One of the great insights we learn while facing mounting financial pressures is that many of the things we think are absolute necessities are in fact disposable. In truth, there are many things in life which we consider to be necessities which we can live without and still be quite comfortable and happy. For example right now there are many families who are making the wonderful discovery that they can live without their expensive gas-guzzling SUV. They are discovering that it really is possible to get from A to B with a downsized economy car. Yes, it is true the economy car doesn’t come equipped with a color DVD player and heated seats. But when you’re in survival mode, you realize you really don’t need those accoutrements. Parents all across America are discovering that kids can actually survive while sitting in the back seat of a car without watching a purple dinosaur dance in front of them. They’ve begun to experiment with amazing new kinds of activities for their children as they travel to the grocery store – like giving the kids a book to read. They are also discovering that is far better to live without the financial pressure that comes with the gas guzzler and enjoy the freedom from stress that accompanies the economy car. We are a nation which is beginning to learn the benefits of living without.
Learning what we can live without is a mark of maturity and a very important part of our walk with Jesus Christ. The writer of Hebrews points this out in the opening verses of chapter 12. He says, “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 “therefore” of chapter 12 points back to a long list of people in chapter 11 who understood there were many things they needed to live without as they fulfilled their individual callings before God. The heroes of chapter 11 were sure of what they believed and that God rewards those who earnestly seek him. They didn’t live for the moment but decided to live for the reward that God promises to the faithful. It is the wise person who learns that it is better to live without some of earth’s treasure to see God’s purposes fulfilled on earth. So the author of Hebrews encourages us to make the decision to “live without” particularly in these two areas:
Throw off everything that hinders. The picture here is of a person running a race carrying unnecessary weight. Can you imagine a marathon runner insisting on carrying a bowling bowl the length of a race? It would be ridiculous. So it is with us when we choose to carry ideas, concepts and deeply held personal convictions that stand in opposition to God’s Word. Your Heavenly Father loves you with an everlasting love. He only has your best interest and his richest blessing in mind for your life. Cast off anything that gets in the way of His plan being perfectly fulfilled in your life.
Throw off the sin that so easily entangles, The picture here is equally vivid. Can you imagine a runner trying to go the distance with his shoes untied? If a runner ever a ran a race like that he would become the laughing stock of his audience and would most likely end up flat on his face. It just wouldn’t make any sense to try to run without removing potential entanglements. So it is with us when we don’t take sin in our life seriously. Rationalizing, trivializing, minimizing and ignoring sinful behaviors and attitudes will never serve any of us well. Sooner or later, it will trip us up. We need to be aggressive in cutting sin out of our life so that we can run the course God has marked out for us.
What can you live without? Don’t wait until you are up to your neck in deep water before you make the decision. At that point it will be too late. Resolve today to remove at least one thing that either hinders your faith or entangles your walk. A great adventure awaits as you choose to “live without.”
Live the Victorious Life,
PT
posted by Larry | 3:44 PM
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