FINE-TUNING

“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).

A few years ago I did a little hiking on the Appalachian Trail in North Carolina with my long-time friend, Bill Prather. As I prepared for the hiking, I was fascinated to discover that there is a subset of hikers who are minimalists— their whole approach to hiking is to go “ultra-light.” They are so consumed with not carrying any extra weight that they overlook no items. They carry only what they must have and then they look for the very lightest version. If they need to carry an extra T-shirt, they cut the label out of the shirt; they cut off most of the handle from their spoon, fork and toothbrush; they cut the extra inches off their shoe laces. I think you get the idea of how consumed they are with saving weight. Ultra-lighters don’t want to burn any energy by carrying unnecessary weight; they want to conserve their energy for the trail, for reaching the goal.

The writer to the Hebrews was an “ultra-lighter.” In the Scripture above, he talks about removing anything that would slow us down or trip us up as we run the race of faith. I like to call this kind of attention to detail “fine-tuning.”

·         In order to run his best race, every runner must fine-tune not only what he wears and how he runs (his stride, his breathing), but he must also try to bring his body and his mind to a state of preparation. Why? So that he can run the best possible race.

·         Every instrument in an orchestra must be fine-tuned so that when the conductor raises his hand for the first note to be played, every instrument is in harmony. It is to be a symphony not a cacophony.

·         A rifle has to be “sighted in” (fine-tuned) so that when it is called into use, it sends its bullet to the intended target. A rifle is not much good if it cannot hit the target while in the hands of a skilled marksman.

The Bible has a lot to say about “fine-tuning” and it is important that you know the definition: it means “to make small adjustments for optimal performance or effectiveness; to improve by pruning or polishing.”

Fine-tuning is a combination of God’s involvement in the development of our lives and our personal attention to issues that God’s Word and the Holy Spirit bring to our awareness.

“Every branch that does bear fruit He prunes so that it may be even more fruitful” (John 15:2, NIV).

“My son, do not despise the Lord’s discipline (correction), and do not resent his rebuke (instruction); because the Lord disciplines (corrects) those he loves, as a father the son he delights in” (Proverbs 3:11-12, NIV).

The verb “correct” means to alter or to adjust. In these verses we see God’s heart of love for us; we see again that God delights in His children and as a loving Father, He works with us to bring us to the fullest potential possible. The best coaches are those who are firm but fair; they know when to praise and when to challenge.

But fine-tuning is not all God’s responsibility; a great portion of it is ours. As the writer to the Hebrews said, “Let us throw off everything that hinders.”

Colossians 3 speaks very clearly to our responsibility to fine-tune; to become ultra-lighters.

            Verse 5 — “Put to death . . . whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry.”

Verse 8 — “Rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander and filthy language.”

Verse 9 — “Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices.”

Our part of fine-tuning is not just getting rid of things that hinder; it is not complete unless we put on those things that help. Paul talks as much or more about “putting on” as he does about discarding.

Verse 10 — “Put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator.”

Verse 12 — “Clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.”

Verse 14 — “And over all these virtues put on love.”

Eric Liddell, 1924 Olympic champion, missionary to China and hero of the movie “Chariots of Fire,” once said, “I believe that God made me for a purpose . . . but he also made me fast, and when I run I feel His pleasure.”

Let us run and feel His pleasure!