Are We Weighted Down?
By: Ronnie Scherffius
The army of Alexander the Great was advancing on Persia. At one critical
point, it appeared that his troops might be defeated. The soldiers had taken
so much plunder from their previous campaigns that they had become weighted
down and were losing their effectiveness in combat. Alexander immediately
commanded that all the spoils be thrown into a heap and burned.
The Hebrew writer admonished,
Hebrews 12:1
“Therefore
we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses,
let us lay aside every weight,
and the sin which so easily
ensnares us,
and let us run with endurance
[patience; steadfastness; perseverance]
the race that is set before us”
The race before us is the Christian life.
How often do we, like the
“foolish Galatians”
allow things of this world to hinder us from
our enduring faithfulness to God? If we are not careful we will allow such
things as work, recreation, education, retirement plans, hobbies, and even
our families weight us down and impede our growth and pursuit of the prize
of the high calling of God (Philippians
3:4).
As Alexander commanded his armies, we must not simply store in another place
those things which hinder us from fighting the good fight, but we must cast
them aside and completely remove them from our lives – regardless how
precious they may seem!
Consider the results for the armies of Greece: “Alexander’s men complained
bitterly but soon came to see the wisdom of the order. Some wrote, ‘It was
as if wings had been given to them – they walked lightly again.’ Victory was
assured”
Remember,
“No
man can serve two masters” (Matthew
6:24).