Excess Baggage
I recently went on a business trip, and I packed my suitcase the way that I normally do. I've been traveling for many years now, so I figured that I have a pretty good handle on how to pack for my trip that included air travel.
I arrived at the airport in good time so I felt comfortable in the routine of checking in and going through the security checkpoint. As I approached the flight check in station I noticed that the lady in front of me seemed a little more flustered about the routine. She placed her bag on the check-in scale and removed her photo ID from her wallet. The airline attendant clicked on his computer a few strokes and then looked at the lady and said, "Ma'am, it seems that you have excess baggage." "It can't be," said the lady, "I've been flying for many years, and I just don't believe that I've added excess baggage." "I'm afraid that I will have to charge you a penalty for excess baggage," said the attendant. The lady argued more about it, but to no avail. The scale didn't lie.
This made me think, do we ever add on excess baggage in our lives that we may be unaware of? In our walk with the Lord, is there any "excess baggage" that we may have added, perhaps unaware, that the Lord sees as excess (unrighteous)? If so, is there any penalty to us in carrying this "excess baggage?" You may ask, "Robby, if I don't see anything that I'm doing as wrong (unrighteous), then I don't see the big deal in being concerned about it." My answer is; what we think really doesn't matter. What does matter is being righteous in the eyes of the Lord. It must be pretty important because the word righteous is written in 283 verses of God's writing to us (the Bible).
Webster defines the word righteous as, "acting in accord with divine or moral law." In other words, following God's teachings in His Word. You may say, "Hey, it's hard to 'act in accord with divine law." I say it's impossible without God's help, but let me tell you why we should strive to be righteous: The Bible says, "For surely, O Lord, you bless the righteous; you surround them with your favor as with a shield." (Psalm 5:12) NIV Look at Psalm 34, do you see any advantage in this passage to be righteous in the eyes of the Lord?..."The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their cry..." (Psalm 34:15) "The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears them; he delivers them from all their troubles." (Psalm 34:17) "A righteous man may have many troubles, but the Lord delivers him from them all..." (Psalm 34:19) So I ask you, do you desire to have the favor of the Lord and be protected by His shield? Do you desire for Him to hear all of your prayers and deliver you from ALL your troubles? I sure do because trouble is around every corner.
You may ask, "Robby, what does this have to do with excess baggage?" Good question! Sometimes, we might pack a little excess baggage that we may view as, "my little private vice (shortcoming)," and we see no real harm in it. But the Lord sees it differently. When He looks at us carrying this private vice, He sees it as unconfessed sin (unrighteousness). Let me give you an example:
Let's suppose that I've known you all of your life. I knew your parents first, and I've always been around to help you and your family out. When you were young, you shared time with me often, and I cherished that time together. Often, I would provide you with the things that you asked for and many things that you didn't ask for.
But as you grew older, you spent much less time with me. I still sent the things that you needed. One day this picture was offered to you:
This picture appealed to you, so you put it on to carry it with you. The picture became a part of who you were since you continued to carry it with you. Look at it closely; it seems innocent enough doesn't it? This being a part of you certainly couldn't hurt you or anybody around you, could it?
One day, you ran into hard times and got into a little trouble (a trial). You remembered as a child how you shared time with me, and you would call upon me when you hurt. So you call upon me to help you through this trial. I've not heard from you in a while so when I see you again, I'm disappointed. You see, when I look at you I see this new picture that you've put on. I see something in it that you may not see or you wish not to see, but it's still there. (Just like the lady who didn't think that she packed excess baggage.)
I'm displeased with the cow that you now wear as a part of you. (Now just for this story let's say that a particular vice (shortcoming) is a cow.) "A cow?" you ask, "I'm not wearing any cow." (Do you see a cow in the picture above?) Well, when I look at you and the new picture that you are wearing, I see a cow. Unfortunately, I'm not going to listen to your call for help as long as you keep that cow a part of you. The Bible says, "But your iniquities (sins) have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden his face from you, so that he will not hear." (Isaiah 59:2) The Bible also says, "If I had cherished sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened." (Psalm 66:18)
So after many attempts to talk with me, it seems that you are receiving no answers. You begin to ask yourself, "Why doesn't He listen to me? He doesn't care about me anymore!" Oh, but I do care! I have great plans for you and I love you deeply. "For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the Lord, 'plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." (Jeremiah 29:11) I just know what harm that cow can cause you even though you may not see it.
As your trial seems to get deeper and deeper you cry out to me and say, "Please show me why you are not listening." The Bible says, "When I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was sapped as in the heat of summer. Selah. Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, 'I will confess my transgressions to the Lord'--and you forgave the guilt of my sin." (Psalm 32:3-5)
At the very moment that you asked me to show you why I wasn't listening, in your spirit you heard, "I don't like the cow that has become a part of you. Please remove the cow from your person." Suddenly you look at your inward self again and you see what has separated you from the Lord. It's the same picture that you've been living with but now you see...
The point of this story is simply this: Check yourself to make sure that you're not carrying any excess baggage. You may not know, or believe, that you have packed a little excess away, but what counts is what the Lord sees. It's my desire for the Lord to hear every prayer that you offer up and for Him to deliver you from ALL of your troubles as they arrive. (Excess baggage is like placing a "call block" on your communication line with Him.) You may ask, "Robby, how do I check for excess baggage?" You read the Word of God, and you ask Him to show you any excess baggage that you may be carrying. I write to you about this as a person of personal experience in this matter. You see, I wanted to hold on to a little excess baggage even as I grew in my faith walk, but the Attendant kept reminding me that I had packed excess baggage, and that there would be a penalty in carrying it if I chose not to remove it from my personal luggage.
I finally chose to remove my excess baggage, and my personal ministry began to really blossom. The great thing about removing it was the fact that I grew closer to the Lord. My favorite Bible passage is James 4:8, "Come near to God and he will come near to you." This Bible verse is truth because I saw it work! Now you may ask me, "Are you ever tempted to cram just a little excess baggage into your luggage?" Absolutely. But I choose not to for the sake of my family, myself, and especially for you. You see, I pray for you daily, and the Bible says, "The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective." Amen.
Robby
