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September 4 Bible in a Year: Psalms 143-145; 1 Corinthians 14:21-40 Junk Files Let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. [Hebrews 12:1 READ Hebrews 12:1-7, 10, 14 My smartphone occasionally reminds me I’m not good at digital housekeeping. “Junk files are taking up space,” the message reads. “Delete 675MB of junk files.” Now, I dislike being nagged by my phone. But if I clean out those files, I’ve got more space for things that really matter. Then, when I’m at my daughter’s swim meet, for instance, I’ll have enough digital storage to actually shoot a video of her winning a race instead of unexpectedly realizing that those pesky “junk files” have sabotaged my ability to capture the moment. Junk files on our phones are easy to delete. But what about the “junk files” in our souls? Like our phones, our souls can be clogged with stuff that keeps us from flourishing spiritually. The author of Hebrews understood this reality, encouraging us to pay close attention to anything that trips us up in our walk with God. “Let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles,” he writes, followed by this challenge: “And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us” (Hebrews 12:1). What weighs you down? What trips you up? Hebrews encourages us to fix “our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith” (v. 2), who alone can help us identify and delete the “junk files” that hinder our abundant life in Him. By Adam R. Holz REFLECT & PRAY What most trips you up in your relationship with God? How does your faith help you identify and throw off sinful influences? Dear Father, please give me the wisdom and courage to “throw off . . . the sin that so easily entangles” me. Amen.