LAY
ASIDE EVERY WEIGHT
One
of the first Bible verses I committed to memory, as well as the text for my
initial sermon on August 20, 1967, is recorded in Hebrews 12:1-2. “Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about
with so great a cloud of witnesses, let
us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us,
and let us run with patience the race that is set before us. Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of
our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising
the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.”
The
Apostle Paul made frequent references to running
as a metaphor for the Christian journey.
Olympic runners train with weights to experience resistance during
workouts and relative lightness and speed during competitions. It reminds me of a story I read recently:
One of my teachers asked us to bring a clear plastic bag
and a sack of potatoes. For every person we refused to
forgive in our lives, we were told to choose a potato, write on it the name and
date, and put it in the plastic bag. Some
of our bags, as you might imagine, became quite heavy.
We were then told to carry this bag with us everywhere for one week, putting it beside our bed at night, on the car seat when driving, next to our desk at work, etc. The hassle of lugging this cumbersome bag around with us made it clear what a weight we were carrying spiritually.
We were then told to carry this bag with us everywhere for one week, putting it beside our bed at night, on the car seat when driving, next to our desk at work, etc. The hassle of lugging this cumbersome bag around with us made it clear what a weight we were carrying spiritually.
-Author Unknown
Are
you bound and burdened by heavy bags of unforgiveness? If so, confess your condition to God. Then, strive to become reconciled with any
person who is the object of ill will or hurt feelings. In the process, you will feel so much
lighter…and you will be free.
In
the words of the Apostle Paul, “Be
ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even
as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.” (Ephesians 4:32) Never forget that the forgiveness we receive
from God is identical to that which we mete out to others. This is one of the key Kingdom principles
taught by Jesus Christ in The Lord’s Prayer.
“And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.” (Matthew 6:12)
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