Stripped Down

"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us."
Hebrews 12:1 NLT

We need to get stripped down. The verse above reminds us that sin can weigh us down and slow us down. It also reminds us that there are things besides sin that can weigh us down.

Our "To Do" list may be too long.
We may have over-committed ourselves.
Our calendar is full with too many meetings.
Our vision has become divided with all kinds of peripheral events and chores.

Busyness is an enemy of our lives that often goes overlooked. Even if it isn't overlooked, it may not be getting the attention it deserves. It's not such a bad idea to periodically re-assess how our days are being spent.

This is such an important element when it comes to ministry. At City on a Hill Church, the ministries we offer are not programs. They are steps. In other words, they have a very specific purpose to get us from where we are to where we want to be. We don't offer ministries just to be able to say, "Yes, we have a _______ ministry." I would much rather refer someone to another church that offers that particular ministry instead of distracting ourselves with a ministry that God isn't calling us just for sake of having another ministry.

Strip it down. Keep it streamlined. Keep it as simple as possible. We can get a lot more accomplished this way and feel better doing it!