u won’t become weary and give up. After all, you have not yet given your lives in your struggle against sin."
Step 3: We made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God through Jesus Christ. (12 Steps for Christian Recovery)
Most of us by the time we get to the 3rd Step have begun to see the evidence of how much are lives are changing and how many times we were actually under God's protection even while we were still lost. We see how the beginnings of our relationship with Him is dramatically altering our the path of our life, how we have moved from a course of destruction to a path to peace. However, we are still carrying some burdens of our old life that are holding us back.
The "strip off" reference in the text is actually Paul referring to the ancient Olympic Games that were held regularly during his lifetime. In Paul's time Gentile men wore long flowing robes that the competitors would strip off right before running their race. Taking off the robes kept them from tripping or being weighed down. Even today runners while runners wear track suits to keep their muscles warm prior to the race, they strip them off as they are getting ready to run. Whats on underneath is an outfit designed to hug the body and reduce wind drag.
As we prepare to make the decision to be committed to Christ and our recovery, as we get ready to run our race, we may find ourselves encumbered by the weight of our old life. It is time to shed that life in order to run the race of our new life. There will be enough challenges without extra weight. The text also tells us to keep focused on Jesus because He has already won the race and has moved most of the worst obstacles out of our way. If we just keep our eyes on Him and follow in His footsteps we will finish our race as well. When we are tempted to give up all we have to do is remember what He endured for us. For those of us in recovery the fact that we are no longer living in a living hell also becomes a motivation to keep going. Keep the focus and finish the race
Step 3: We made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God through Jesus Christ. (12 Steps for Christian Recovery)
Most of us by the time we get to the 3rd Step have begun to see the evidence of how much are lives are changing and how many times we were actually under God's protection even while we were still lost. We see how the beginnings of our relationship with Him is dramatically altering our the path of our life, how we have moved from a course of destruction to a path to peace. However, we are still carrying some burdens of our old life that are holding us back.
The "strip off" reference in the text is actually Paul referring to the ancient Olympic Games that were held regularly during his lifetime. In Paul's time Gentile men wore long flowing robes that the competitors would strip off right before running their race. Taking off the robes kept them from tripping or being weighed down. Even today runners while runners wear track suits to keep their muscles warm prior to the race, they strip them off as they are getting ready to run. Whats on underneath is an outfit designed to hug the body and reduce wind drag.
As we prepare to make the decision to be committed to Christ and our recovery, as we get ready to run our race, we may find ourselves encumbered by the weight of our old life. It is time to shed that life in order to run the race of our new life. There will be enough challenges without extra weight. The text also tells us to keep focused on Jesus because He has already won the race and has moved most of the worst obstacles out of our way. If we just keep our eyes on Him and follow in His footsteps we will finish our race as well. When we are tempted to give up all we have to do is remember what He endured for us. For those of us in recovery the fact that we are no longer living in a living hell also becomes a motivation to keep going. Keep the focus and finish the race
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