Life on Loan: Caring for God's Gifts - The Gift of My Life

This powerful message confronts us with a profound truth that reshapes everything: our lives are not our own. Drawing from Hebrews 12:1-13, we're reminded that every breath we take is a gift, every talent we possess is entrusted to us, and every moment we live belongs to the One who created us. The imagery is striking—imagine trying to run a race while carrying 50-pound weights. That's exactly what many of us are doing spiritually. We're holding onto relationships, reputations, sins, or material possessions that God is asking us to release. The call here isn't just about acknowledgment; it's about action. We're surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses—Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Moses—who lived with radical surrender, understanding that their lives were on loan from God. Some were tortured, imprisoned, even cut in half, yet they declared with their last breath that following Jesus was worth it. The challenge before us is clear: will we throw off the weights that hinder us and run the race God has marked out? Will we fix our eyes on Jesus, not just during worship but in every moment, every decision, every relationship? This isn't about occasional spirituality; it's about daily, moment-by-moment surrender. When we truly grasp that nothing is ours—not our time, treasure, or talents—we discover the paradox of the gospel: in losing our life, we find it. In surrendering everything, we gain true freedom.