Lugging Luggage - Martin Wiles

Now turn from your sins and turn to God, so you can be cleansed of your sins. Acts 3:19 NLT

As I turned the corner and squinted at the gate numbers, I knew I hadn't finished lugging luggage.

My wife and I and another couple were on our way to Nova Scotia, Canada, for mission work. With an hour layover in Chicago, we imagined we’d have time to catch our breath before our last leg of the flight. The point of our arrival, however, was as far as it could possibly be from the terminal of our departure. Somehow, we missed the sign offering shuttle service.

My friend and I slung our carry-on bags over our shoulders and carried our wives’ baggage. But when we arrived at the designated terminal, our gate was at the opposite end of where we entered. I heaved a sigh of relief when I could finally put down the luggage. But no sooner had I done so than I heard, “We are now boarding for gate . . .” Lugging luggage isn’t any fun.

Pentecost had happened. Thousands believed in Jesus as the Messiah. The disciples preached as Jesus had told them to do. Peter had healed a crippled beggar lying by one of the temple gates. A crowd gathered to marvel. Peter saw his chance to invite the people to put down their baggage—sin.

Lugging around sin isn’t enjoyable. It’s heavier than any luggage we’ll ever carry. It causes our shoulders to ache, our feet to burn, and our hands to cringe. More than that, it infects our hearts and ruins our relationship with a God who loves us very much.

All the crowd had to do to obey Peter’s directive was turn from their sins and turn to God. Repentance is the theological term. Turning from one direction and going in another.

The way to quit lugging around the luggage of sin hasn’t changed. Since God doesn’t like ugly, we have to quit being ugly. And with God’s help, we can. Jesus bore our heavy luggage on the cross. When we give it to him and let him carry it, we don’t have to lug it around anymore.

Give your luggage to Christ. He’ll be glad to carry it for you.

Father, thank You for allowing Christ to carry my sins away on the cross. 

Don't forget to add your comments below. 

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All There Monday - Cathy Joy Hill

Be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you. Ephesians 4:32 NLT

Sometimes, we invite folks into our lives and really can’t remember how they got there.

I saw her headed to the bathroom and thought she didn’t look well. By the time she reappeared, everyone who wasn’t going on to Chicago had deplaned.

Inadvertently I had blocked the aisle as I stood and stretched. It had been a long day, and I faced another three hours on the plane.

“Are you waiting for the bathroom?” she spoke-shouted.

“No, just stretching. How are you?”

“Absolutely terrible.”

Because we were close together, I felt I couldn’t let her pass without at least a question, a word, or a hug. Something.

“What can I do for you?” I asked.

She told me she was air sick. I moved to a safer distance. Then she explained she was traveling to a funeral. She didn’t want to be on three flights to get there, but she was doing it for her friend.

This woman whom I had momentarily cast as loud and perhaps nauseous was a brave and compassionate soul. I applauded her.

Jim Elliot said, “Wherever you are, be all there.”

I was not excited about chatting with my elderly friend for the entire plane trip. But missing her story would have been a mistake. She encouraged me in ways she never knew.

I was tired, but my destination was home, family, love, and rest. Her destination was beside a friend and a casket.

Life is a bottle to pour out. We always have the choice to taste sweet in the bitter . . . to find joy amid the pain if we choose to see, hear, and be present.

I told my new friend to be brave. I told her how much I admired her and offered her my peppermint stick to soothe her motion sickness.

All there is the act of being aware of God—being brave in the face of whatever we face. It is knowing the joy, the true heaven-sent joy, of realizing He is there, even if we don’t want to be.

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Cathy is a writer, teacher, and entrepreneur. She met her husband Brian while studying in Paris, France. They make their home in Geneva, IL, with their four children and their daughter-in-love. She loves writing about the wonder and whimsy of life and her love for Jesus. Her first book is Destination: Fierce, Moving from Fear to Fierce. Learn more about Cathy at www.cathyjoyhill.com.

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Flashback Friday - Baggage Allowed - Martin Wiles

Baggage Allowed

What weight I think I should be able to put in my stowaway bag is immaterial. So is the size of my carry on.

If you’ve flown lately, you know the rules have changed dramatically. Bags going under the plane must not weigh over 50 pounds and ones carried on the plane must be a certain dimension. Otherwise, attendants will turn them—and you, away. And when I reach my destination, I’m also expected to pick up my bags. Flying requires carrying baggage. Read more...

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Life’s Unexpected Turns - Martin Wiles

How do you know what your life will be like tomorrow? Your life is like the morning fog—it’s here a little while, then it’s gone. James 4:14 NLT

When they got out of bed that morning, none knew their lives would end that day. 

The Pentagon Memorial commemorates the 184 people who were killed on American Airlines Flight 77 and inside the Pentagon on September 11, 2001. Small illuminated concrete benches—representing each of the victims, are arranged so that reading a Pentagon victim’s name requires facing the Pentagon while reading a plane victim’s name requires facing the direction the plane was traveling. 

Regardless of their ages or life circumstances, none of the victims expected terrorists to board their plane and direct it into the side of the Pentagon. Nor did those working in the Pentagon expect a plane to enter their building. 

Morning fogs generally only hang around until the sun burns them away. My wife and I once flew out of August, Georgia, on our way to see friends in Denver, Colorado. Our flight was delayed because of a thick layer of fog blanketing the area. Though it seemed as if we waited forever, we were only delayed one hour. 

Life is like a fog. It doesn’t hang around long. Even if I’m one of the fortunate ones who lives into my nineties, my life is comparatively brief. What I need to do, I need to do now. The most important thing is to trust Christ as my Savior. But there are other things I don’t need to put off. Deciding to trust Christ will assure me of heaven, but I may be on earth for quite some time, so there are other decisions that affect my future here. 

When Jesus said He came to give abundant life, He wasn’t talking about life in heaven but rather life lived on earth. Obeying God’s commands and making serving Christ the centerpiece of my life will usher in a type of existence that everyone is searching for—but usually in the wrong places. 

Spending time on endeavors that will outlast my life just makes sense. I can leave behind articles and devotions on the web. I can leave behind spiritual journals. I can teach honorable trades or a Sunday school class. I can also leave an example that will affect my children, grandchildren, and others. But I only have a brief time to do it. Soon my life will lift like the fog.

Decide to do something that will outlive your brief life.

Prayer: Father, help us live each day with purpose so that when our short lives are over we can die satisfied that we served You and others well. 

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