Devotional - Get Rid of Your Load

Therefore, seeing we also are compassed about by 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. - Hebrews 12: 1 

 My handbag was waaaay too heavy. It was too much weight for me to be carrying around daily. It aggravated the pain in my shoulder which the doctor had diagnosed as tendonitis. Too much burden for my slim shoulders. So I made a decision. I was going to get rid of the unwanted stuff. When I got home, I immediately set about my task. I was determined to lighten the load. A 50-odd page document..... out. I had totally forgotten that I had put it in my bag, intending to read it at home. Several loose-leaf pages that I had printed from the computer...to file 13. Old bills and receipts.....gone. And the list goes on. The end result? A much lighter bag. A much lighter load for my slim shoulders to carry. The fluff was gone. Only the essential remained. 

 The Bible encourages us to do the same for our spiritual lives. We are encouraged to lay aside the weights and sins that easily beset us, the things that weigh us down and prevent us from living the Christian life the way it ought to be lived. Sins such as anger, resentment, bitterness, envy, greed, and unforgiveness prevent us from being effective and fruitful spiritually. Sin, in general, whether they are considered as big or small, prevents us from being all we can be in Christ. How do we put aside these weights? By first recognizing the need to get rid of them. Then genuinely repent, condemn and forsake them. Prayer, study of the Word, and daily presenting our bodies to God help us to overcome. Then put on Christ and make no provision for the flesh (Romans 13:14). We must clothe ourselves in love (Colossians 3:14) and follow in His footsteps.

Let us, like the athlete, travel light. Athletes wear very little on the track because they want nothing to hold them back. They are focused on winning and so they seek to eliminate every obstacle and everything that stands in their way. The fewer pieces of clothes they wear, the more they will resist the drag created as they move through the air. This causes them to run faster and produce lower times. Aerodynamics to the rescue. Let us, therefore, make the decision, not just to lighten our load, but to get rid of our load and run the race that lies ahead. Let us run to win. The athlete runs for a perishable crown, but we run for an imperishable crown (1 Corinthians 9: 25). All the more reason to get rid of the fluff. Only the essentials must remain.

Reflection 

How can I get rid of the things in my life that weigh me down? 

What must I do to ensure that I remain free after I have removed the load?

Prayer 

Father give me the grace and the wisdom to examine myself and get rid of the things that are not of you. Help me to discard anything that weighs me down so that I can run the race that you have called me to run. In Jesus' name. Amen.