THAT UNWANTED WEIGHT
LUKE 21:34 NKJV
34 "But take heed to yourselves, lest your hearts be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness, and cares of this life, and that Day come on you unexpectedly.
This is not that extra few pounds that comes with vacation or the holidays. This unwanted weight has an impact on the heart.
In this 21st chapter, Jesus is describing some of the events of the last days. Some of the things Jesus mentioned are already a part of our current environment.
Wars and commotions. Earthquakes, famines, and plagues. Nations in distress. We are already experiencing these situations on a global basis.
I am not an expert on the last day events. Actually, I am not an expert on the scriptures, period. So it's challenging for me to say if this is before Jesus comes for His church or after.
Here is what I do know. Times will be so challenging that fear will grip mankind. And I know His words will not pass away. And I know we must be aware spiritually. And that brings us to our verse for today.
Jesus is warning us to not let our hearts be weighed down. The problem with an overburdened heart is that we become spiritually unaware and dulled.
Jesus lists three areas that add extra weight to our hearts.
Carousing is likened to being hung over because of overindulgence. One translation uses self-indulgence. Another word would be nausea. Too much fleshly indulgence.
Drunkenness is pretty straightforward, being drunk. We could also add the altered state caused by drugs.
Cares of this life would involve a fixation with the natural things that surround our lives. They distract us and weigh us down spiritually.
APPLICATION:
The good news is that we are not victims of these three weights. We can put them aside.
So, we must exercise self-control over fleshly indulgence. Self-control over anything that would alter our mental and physical faculties. Retrain our hearts and focus on things that have spiritual value, as opposed to totally being consumed with the temporary things of this life.
To effectively run our race, we don't want anything weighing us down.
PRAYER:
Dear Lord help me to be aware of and to put aside anything that would weigh me down spiritually. I want to be prepared to run my race.