Devotional – $200 Worth of Silver

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to
the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially
the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God
has set before us. (Hebrews 12:1)

I needed to buy a new purse, or so I thought.
You see, my current purse, a Christmas present which I loved dearly, was
bursting at the seams. No matter how hard I tried, the zipper would not
cooperate with me. The purse would not close, it just would not budge. I
thought the zipper had gone bad and that it was time for the purse to be thrown
out, creating another expense that I had not budgeted for.

But then I had a thought. I looked at the sides
of the purse and could almost literally feel the strain it was under as the
sides bulged from the weight of all that silver that had accumulated over time.
Maybe if I took out the silver, I could get the purse to close!

So I went to work throwing out all the silver I
had in it. At the end of the process, I counted out $200 worth of silver  – 20, 10, 5, and 1 dollar coins.  I could not believe my eyes. When? How? I had
been walking around with this excess weight all this time without realizing it.
And the story had a happy ending. After the cleaning exercise, the zipper
worked with ease. No struggle, no fight. Purse closed!

Like that purse, we need to detox in the
spiritual and natural on a regular basis. Get rid of the things that weigh us
down:

On a spiritual level, the bad habits, unforgiveness,
pride, love of material things, envy, resentment, and bitterness that we carry
around in our hearts, weighing us down without us even being aware. These are things that separate us from God and prevent us from functioning effectively in the
Kingdom.

In the natural, the type and quantity of food
that we consume in our diets sometimes wreak havoc on our bodies and prevent
them from functioning at their best. Gluttony is a real and present danger of
which we must all be aware. Detox every now and then. Give your body a chance
to cleanse itself and recover. Eat right, exercise, and rest.

We have to be intentional about getting rid of
these weights which accumulate so easily. 
Let us frequently examine ourselves honestly and truthfully. When when we do, our $200 pieces of silver will come to light. Then let us see
ourselves for who we really are, acknowledge what needs to change and be
willing to do whatever it takes to achieve the desired results.  We must be at our best to do our best for
God. Our active participation is required. Only then can we live the life that we were created to live, a life that brings honour and glory to God.

Reflection

What are the things that weigh us down? How do
we get rid of them?

 Prayer

Father, give us the courage to identify the
things that weigh us down. Give us strength and discipline to take the
necessary actions to get rid of them. In Jesus’ name. Amen.