Let Us…
Been reading the book of Hebrews this week. Want to share some of the insights I learned from the first por
tion of Hebrews 12. If you’re weary and tired spiritually, emotionally…read on..
Hebrews 12:1-3 1 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. 2 Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3 Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.
-The Hebrew author constantly repeats the phrase let us.
- Let us throw off everything that hinders
-we live in a fallen world. And as believers, we face battles daily, battles that are spiritual in nature. Satan uses all sorts of diversions and temptations to make sure we lose sight of God’s plans for us. As such, it’s important for us believers to completely throw off everything that may hinder us from growing in our relationship with Jesus.
- Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us
-Christianity is likened to a race. However, it’s not a century dash. Instead, it’s a marathon. Perseverance is required to finish the race. A full marathoner feels pain all over his body at the course of his run. He gets tired, gets thirsty and at times, thoughts of quitting comes to mind. Yet, the runner finishes the race when he makes a decision to endure it all and persevere.
-As believers, we also need to persevere. Trials and hindrances will come our way. But complete faith in Christ gives us the inner strength to persevere and finish it.
- Let us fix our eyes on Jesus…
-Ultimately, for us to overcome and finish the race, our eyes should never let go of Christ. We need to rely on His grace and constantly fix our eyes on Him for Christ is the Ultimate finisher. He endured the cross, scorning the shame from the hands of sinful man, and now sits at the right hand throne of God.
-We have One who has gone before us. Who has showed the way and has overcome. We can draw strength from Him and be inspired to finish the race marked out for us.
Each time I feel like quitting, remember to consider Christ. Consider Christ because He endured the opposition of sinful men so that we will not grow weary and lose heart.
* Now that Christ has blazed the trail for us, we can fight the good fight of faith. We can finish the race. And we can keep the faith. We’ll be able to do it in His strength.
Photo Source: http://static3.businessinsider.com/image/4b71d41e00000000004f3905/race-starting-line-runner.jpg
Mavs Can Take 2 of 3 At Home
The Dallas Mavericks won by the skin of their teeth in Game 2, thanks to Dirk Nowitzki’s left-handed stretched lay up over the Miami Heat defense.
With the Finals series now tied at one apiece, it is interesting to see how the Heat would make their adjustment especially since the next three games will shift to Dallas’ home floor where the fans are loud and unwelcoming for Miami.
The 2006 Finals debacle remains fresh in the memories of the Mavs fans, so they would surely do all they can to give a rude welcome for the Heat in Games 3-5.
Miami remains a dangerous foe to contend with, but it’s going to be exciting and down-the-wire come the following three games because both squads have their own respective advantages.
Dirk remains a lethal offensive force in the Finals. His shooting continues to amaze me. His height and his long wing-span makes it difficult for the Heat to contain him.
With the home fans backing them up, I think the Mavs can get at least two of three home games at the most, thus, heading back to Miami’s home turf with a 3-2 series lead.
Once that happens, it’s just a matter of time for Dallas to celebrate its first-ever NBA championship.
I’m sure Heat fans aren’t even entertaining such imagination of mine…
Mavs Ripe For NBA Crown
Okay, wrote on my blog more than a week ago that the Finals setto would more likely be the Dallas Mavericks and the Miami Heat.
Now that the Mavs-Heat NBA FInals date had been sealed following the two ballclubs’ respective conference finals series victories, the question that remains to be answered is, which team will come out on top after the NBA Finals?
Dallas has a score to settle versus Miami after leaving the 2006 NBA championship series devastated and humiliated even after going up, 2-0 against the Heat.
Back then, the Heat didn’t have LeBron James and Chris Bosh to complete the NBA’s newest “Big Three”. Instead, Dwyane Wade had Shaquille O’Neal partnering with him in their championship run, with multi-titled coach Pat Riley calling the shots.
This time around, the Mavs are much wiser, has gained more experience and hungrier. The 2006 Finals debacle is in fact, enough motivation for Dallas’ championship bid this year,
I’m sure a lot of people are rooting for Miami to win the NBA title. But here are some of my thoughts and reasons, why I feel Dallas has the inside track for the Larry O’Brien trophy.
* Dirk Nowitzki factor- The German Bomber is playing the best playoff performance in his 13-year professional career. He’s averaging a playoff-best 28.4 points, 7.5 rebounds and 2.7 assists throughout the first three rounds of the post season. Plus, he’s shooting more than 51 percent from beyond the arc. With his quickness, his size (he’s a seven-footer who can shoot) plus his drive for the title — the Heat’s defensive hands are already full in their bid to try to “contain” the pride of Germany.
* Chandler as the “center of attention” — Tyson Chandler, who is playing in his first Finals appearance, could find himself more alley-oop passes from Dallas guards Jason Kidd or JJ Barea. With his size advantage against Miami’s starting center Joel Anthony (who’s only 6′9″), Chandler can become more involved in Dallas’ scoring scheme. With that, the Heat will probably have to activate seven-footers like Zydrunas Ilgauskas or Eric Dampier who have thus far, been useless in the playoffs.
* Perimeter shooters — Dallas has been deadly in the Playoffs specifically because of its loaded gunners. Aside from Dirk, the Mavs have veterans like Jason Terry, Jason Kidd, mid-season acquisition Peja Stojakovic and Deshawn Stevenson — all of whom can really make some serious damage from the beyond the arc. Proof was the Mavs’ 4-0 destruction of dethroned champion LA Lakers in the first round where they made 63 percent of its shots from behind the arc (20 of 32) and 60 percent of its field goals (44 of 73). Terry was at his deadliest from beyond the arc, tying a playoff record with nine 3-pointers.
* Hungry for the crown — the Mavs have never won an NBA championship since their entry in the league in 1980. Dallas’ only NBA achievements in its 31-year NBA existence were the three division titles (1987, 2007, 2010) and two conference championships (2006, 2011). And that is why team owner Mark Cuban has been on a spending spree for years since he took over in 2000. In fact, a 2011 Forbes Magazine report mentioned that Dallas is the sixth most valuable basketball franchise in the United States, valued at approximately $438 million. The franchise is surpassed in value only by the New York Knicks, the Los Angeles Lakers, the Chicago Bulls, the Boston Celtics, and the Houston Rockets.
Okay, I’m sure Heat fans can always say the Miami “Big Three” will be a huge factor in the Finals series. But I still feel that with these factors I mentioned, I think the Mavs will win their first NBA crown in either six or seven games.
Photo Source: http://cdn.gossiboocrew.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/dallas-mavericks-miami-heat-2011-nba-finals.jpg
Bulls Must-Win, Heat Gunning For History
Derrick Rose has become the youngest player to win the Most Valuable Player plum this season. He has led the Chicago Bulls’ unexpected ascent to the top of the NBA at the end of the regular season. And now, the Bulls are playing in the Eastern Conference Finals versus the Miami Heat.
However, Rose and Co. realized the East Finals is not going to be a walk in the park. Not with the Heat’s Big Three in tow — Lebron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh –doing the biggest Playoff damage in Chicago’s quest for the NBA championship.
Now down 1-2, and the Heat gunning for a win tomorrow (Manila time in Game 4 at Miami’s home turf), the Bulls better do something spectacular defensively in order to prevent Miami from going back to the United Center in Chicago with a commanding 3-1 series lead.
Derrick Rose has been doing his share offensively with his penetrations to the basket, but guys like Joakim Noah, Carlos Boozer and Luol Deng also need to churn out some big scoring spurts at this juncture to restore some sanity in the Bulls’ playoff performance.
Lebron, D-Wade & Chris are dishing off their A-games in the Playoffs, though the biggest surprise is the return of veteran forward Udonis Haslem from a major foot injury.
Haslem doesn’t score much, but his rebounds, his intensity and his vast playoffs experience has been doing wonders for the Heat at this point. Haslem, a 6′9″ banger, was a vital cog in the Heat’s 2006 championship run where Miami overcame a 0-2 Finals deficit by winning the next four games versus the Dallas Mavericks.
Should the Heat make it all the way back to the Finals, and the Mavs finish off the Oklahoma City Thunder in their own Western Conference Finals series, that would mean a Miami-Dallas Part II in the NBA Finals.
But that’s still to be determined in the next few weeks. For the moment, the Heat can’t afford to relax, but maintain their playoff intensity because the Bulls remain a feisty and dangerous opponent to boot.
Will Derrick be the “rose” among the Heat’s thorns (namely Lebron, D-Wade & Chris)? Or will Miami turn the Heat some more and bring them back to the championship round?
Photo Source: http://www.sportsbetting.com/news/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/Miami-Heat-Vs-Chicago-Bulls-Bulls-beats-Heat-at-Close-Range.jpg
Can Heat Sustain Their Run?
The Miami Heat now looks more like a team on a mission.
Lebron James, Dwyane Wade & Chris Bosh, the NBA’s newest and talk-of-the-town Big Three were just too much to handle for the Boston Celtics as they tore apart the Green-and-White in the final three minutes of Game 5 to win the game (97-87) and the series (4-1).
With the Celtics now put behind them, the Heat’s lone road block before reaching the NBA Finals is their final opponent in the Eastern Conference Finals, which is yet to be decided.
As of the moment, the Chicago Bulls are just a win away from clinching the other Eastern Conference Finals slot as they head to tomorrow’s Game 6, with a 3-2 series lead against the Atlanta Hawks.
The Bulls have Most Valuable Player for the season Derrick Rose in tow. His 33 points in Game 5 that included a dazzling display of inside and outside shots that powered Chicago to that momentum-shifting Game 5 victory.
Should the Bulls win tomorrow, the East’s Finals would feature two of the NBA’s young squads battling it out for the NBA Finals slot.
The East Finals though would be an interesting match up. And I’m sure Miami’s Big Three would have their hands full battling Chicago’s young and tall frontline as well.
Center Joakim Noah, forwards Carlos Boozer, Luol Deng and Taj Gibson are all big-time contributors for the Bulls in the Playoffs. And the presence of first-year head coach Tom Thibodeau, who has gained valuable coaching experience from Doc Rivers, when they were still with the Celtics.
But for the Heat to get past the Bulls, they would need more than just the explosive performances of their Big Three. They also need to get consistent contributions from players like James Jones, Joel Anthony, Mike Bibby and even Mike Miller to ensure Miami’s return trip to the NBA Finals.
Otherwise, if one of the Big Three gets accidentally injured (which I hope not), then the Heat’s championship aspirations will seriously be in jeopardy.
