“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" (Hebrews
12:1 NIV).
In one of my previous
devotionals I shared about the clematis that had been growing so nicely
in our garden. Well, here is another story about this wondrous plant.
We
had gone on a trip for about 2 weeks and when we returned I was so
anxious to see the growth in the garden. You know, when you are gone for
a while you see much more growth than if you are around the garden
every single day. To my surprise this clematis had practically overtaken
the whole flowerbed. What looked quite nice in the beginning looked now
awful. Taking a closer look at this growth I was amazed to see how it
had entangled all the plants and the rose bush in such a short time.
As I
started to cut the clematis I looked at how it had grown around the
plants. It indeed had become a nuisance; it was annoying and a burden.
After cutting through the many branches I finally saw our flowerbed
freed from this ugly growth. It was quite amazing, because step by step,
day by day this clematis moved forward like a snake until it had
overcome our beautiful flowerbed. At this moment the LORD reminded me of
this verse in Hebrews 12:1 and opened my eyes to the characteristic of
sin in our lives.
You know, if you do not watch it, sin
will entangle you and choke your life. What looks quite insignificant
at first will soon become ugly and burdensome to you. You need to daily
be aware of this danger and throw off everything that will hinder you.
Do not wait for any sin to grow root in you but use every opportunity to
resist that very enemy that wants to destroy the freedom in your life.
And this is the key to free yourself and to enjoy your walk in divine
victory.
Have a wonderfully blessed day!
Suzanne Tanner
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