Lay aside every weight, and sin.
—Hebrews 12:1
Back in my Junior High days, there was a two-panel ad that was burned into every adolescent’s psyche. The first panel pictured a bully kicking sand in a scrawny weakling’s face. The second panel pictured the wimp, morphed into a brawny behemoth, punching out the punk. Every kid wanted to be like Charles Atlas.
Have you noticed that weight-loss advertising features pictures more than words? One look at that sculpted beauty and you’re ready to whip out the credit card.
The Bible weighs in on weight-control: “Lay aside every weight, and sin” (Heb 12:1). When you’re fifty pounds over your spiritual fighting weight, you have a problem. Lose some weight.
The writer suggests a visual for that: “[keep] your eyes fixed on Jesus the source and the goal of our faith” (Heb 12:2).
Keep your eyes on Jesus. That picture
is worth more than a thousand words.