SHED THOSE WEIGHTS

 Hebrews 12:1-2 TLB

Since we have such a huge crowd of men of faith watching us from the grandstands, let us strip off anything that slows us down or holds us back, and especially those sins that wrap themselves so tightly around our feet and trip us up; and let us run with patience the particular race that God has set before us. [2] Keep your eyes on Jesus, our leader and instructor. He was willing to die a shameful death on the cross because of the joy he knew would be his afterwards; and now he sits in the place of honor by the throne of God.

 

Weight! Bulk! Mass! Don’t we all struggle with it? Either we want to gain some or lose some. For some people, it’s a fluctuating issue. The loss and gain of weight is a big thing and has created a billion-dollar enterprise worldwide. People will go to any length to lose weight for various reasons. Unnecessary weight is unhealthy and should be shed for health reasons, but doing all kinds of things, as we see today, to try and stay “socially, acceptably thin” is wrong and unacceptable.

The Bible does not directly address weight loss, but it does give us principles for how to live a godly life, take care of our bodies, and stay healthy. The Bible teaches us to glorify God with our bodies in 1 Corinthians 6:19–20 and to avoid gluttony and idolatry in Proverbs 23:2 and Colossians 3:5. We should lose weight and exercise for the Lord, not for ourselves, and seek the Holy Spirit’s help to overcome any sinful habits.

Our text, though telling us to shed, strip, or lay down every weight that binds us, refers more to spiritual things and not just physical weight. We can shed all kinds of weight—things that weigh us down, stopping us from achieving our best and fulfilling our purpose. These weights could be mental, emotional, psychological, spiritual, and, of course, physical. Shedding weight involves labour. We cannot lose physical weight without exercising, and the same is true for spiritual weight loss; we cannot shed spiritual weight without spiritual exercise.

What spiritual weight are you lugging around that needs to be shed? We must throw off every weight of sin that so easily entangles, stifles, restricts, and limits us through a disciplined diet, laid aside by candidates for the prize in racing. Carnal and worldly lusts, and all, whether from without or within, that would impede the heavenly runner, are the spiritual weights to be laid aside. All superfluous weight—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eye, and the pride of life—and even harmless and otherwise useful things that would positively retard us, as seen in Mark 10:50 with the blind man casting away his garment to come to Jesus.

People lose weight for various reasons. A bride sheds weight and keeps it down to fit into the perfect dress for the perfect day. The new mother sheds all the weight gained from pregnancy to maintain a good and healthy shape. Some people may just want to shed the weight gained over the years from indulging too much.

As it is with the physical, so it is with the spiritual. We gain unnecessary weight from life’s challenges and doing the wrong things. Just as bad habits stick and create all kinds of problems, so too do bad spiritual habits stick and cause us to have unwanted and damaging baggage that becomes too heavy for us to carry and fulfil our God-given purpose.

Our text is telling us to lay down and set aside anything that hinders our Christian walk and progress—anything addictive that weakens or slows us down. Weights like arrogance, conceit, pride, lust, greed, and all mentioned in 1 John 2:16.

1 Corinthians 6:19–20 says, “What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost, which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore, glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.” We glorify the Lord in our bodies by taking care of the total man—spirit, soul, and body—by shedding everything unwanted.

To shed and keep shedding weight, we must remember what Proverbs 13:25 says: “The righteous eats to the satisfying of his soul: but the belly of the wicked shall want.” Let’s therefore endeavour to feed on things that nourish the soul and not put unnecessary weight on us.

REFLECTION QUESTIONS

-        What “weights” in my life—mental, emotional, spiritual, or physical—are slowing down my walk with God?

-        Are there habits or attitudes (e.g., pride, greed, lust) that I need to lay aside to run my race effectively?

-        What spiritual exercises (prayer, fasting, Bible study) can help me shed spiritual weight?

-        What one step can I take today to begin shedding unnecessary spiritual weight?

PRAYER: Lord, help me to keep to my ideal weight in my total man, so that I am unrestrained in following and serving You, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

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