Set Down the Suitcase

Major Janene Zielinski

Scripture focus: Mark 5:24-34

Just an FYI, you can click on any of the links to read the scriptures. If you have questions, please message me (there is a box on the right hand sidebar). If I don't know the answer, I will find someone who does.

Yesterday's message was all about letting go. In the scripture focus, the woman had so much faith that Jesus could heal her that she simply reached out her hand and touched His robes. She let go of the worry of the feeling of being unworthy and just reached out and touched Jesus. Letting go she was able to be healed from her "afflictions."

There are three examples in the bible of people who gave something up.

Philippians 2:5-7: Jesus gave himself up for us. He gave up his Royal stature to come to earth as a man. Knowing full well what was going to happen to him, but he did it anyway.

Genesis 22:1-18: This is the story about when God tested Abraham. For those who don't know the story, click the link. I will give the short version here though. Isaac was Abraham's son, a son that he and his wife had waited YEARS to get. God tells Abraham to take Isaac and give him as a sacrifice. Abraham doesn't even hesitate. He loads up what he needs and heads out. Just before he kills his only son, God calls out to him, sends him a ram to sacrifice instead. Abraham trusted God with the promised future of his son and because of his trust, he was blessed.

Genesis 37:23-28: This is the story of Joseph. His brothers literally sold him. Joseph had to let go of the anger I am sure he felt toward them. I am sure that was hard. But, Joseph knew that God had great plans and those would come about, no matter what happened to him. He trusted that despite (or maybe even because of) what happened, God would fulfill the promises he made.

We all hold on to things in life. Things God wants to take for us. There is a story told about a man who was riding on the back of a loaded wagon. I imagine like the guy pointed at in this picture.

Source 

The man is wearing a heavy backpack. The driver offers to let the man put his backpack in the carriage. They had already made room for it. But the man politely declines saying that he didn't want to make the horses work harder then they already were.

Sounds crazy, doesn't it? But some of us do that every day. We willingly carry around the guilt, the shame, the mistakes we have made, when God has already made room for them on His wagon. Us holding on to them is only making it harder for us. It makes zero difference to Him. He wants us to be comfortable though. What am I holding on to today that God wants me to let go?