Hot Air Balloons

I think the whole idea of a hot air balloon is pretty cool. I think they're magnificent. I like to hear them in a hard pull, trying to raise up in altitude. Whoooosh, Whooosh! Maybe I'll get to ride in one someday. I think there's a lesson here.

"No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier." (2Timothy 2:4),P>

This verse has taught me many lessons thru the years. It also has a companion verse: "So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple." (Luke 14:33) It doesn't say "cannot be saved", or "cannot be a Christian". It says "cannot be my disciple". How far are you willing to go in order to be a true soldier of the cross?

In 2 Timothy 2:4 it said no man that WARRETH (fights a good fight), entangleth himself. Christians are somewhat like a hot air balloon (some have more hot air than others-LOL). When you trust Christ, He wants to take you higher and higher, closer to Him, up above the clouds. But you know what keeps those big balloons on the ground? A tether. A tether ties down or "entangles" a balloon to some fixed object so that it cannot climb upwards. If we want to climb higher in our spiritual life we must loose those tethers. God has given us a powerful tool for this task. It is a sharp two-edged sword. The word of God. It can break the bands asunder, loose the chains that bind us, untangle the snags that have hold of us. "Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee." (Psalm 119:11)The word will get the job done. Read it, study it, memorize it, love it, live by it. The word is what sanctifies us. Be careful not to be entangled with life's affairs that get your time, devotion, and affection off of Jesus.

"But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; the shall mount up with wings as eagles;" (Isaiah 40:31)

Jesus will provide the fuel and the flame. It's our job to cut loose the ropes that tie us down. Lay aside every weight, cast your burdens overboard, sever every tie to the world, and soar to great heights with Christ. That you may please Him.

(taken from Bro. Josh's Bible Thoughts)