Baggage

And you he made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others.  But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (By grace you have been saved)
Ephesians 2: 1-5 NKJV

I'm in the process of weeding through my belongings as I prepare to possibly move to a smaller man cave.  Now, cleaning has never been one of my strong points!  In fact, if one were to visit my abode they would see just what controlled chaos looks like.  Despite this lack of domestic talent, I've plugged along at a pretty decent pace.  One thing I've noticed, however, is just how much "stuff" I've managed to hang onto all of these years.  From past writings to old magazines, there has been no shortage of trash that at one time I must have thought was important.   In fact, I've never seen such a large collection of old church bulletins.  Despite this, going through things that no longer hold my interest seems to be a good thing, it certainly opens up more space to add new things.  So, I've been asking myself, why did I ever hang on to all of this stuff?  Good question.
Like the accumulated junk in my home, I've also found myself hanging onto something else I wish to get rid of.  This extra "Baggage" is something we are all familiar with I'm sure.  For the baggage I speak of is that of our guilt and shame of our past sins.  Trust me, if anyone knows the baggage of guilt it's me.  With the passing of my mother, this baggage has only increased.  Why is it that we manage to hang onto so much baggage in our lives that our Lord no longer recognizes?  Is it God who points the finger of blame at us when we recall our past failures?  No, for as far as our lord in concerned, the iniqities we worry about were dealt with by Christ at the cross!  We may come to God asking for his forgiveness, but he will more than likely reply, "Forgiveness?  That slate has been wiped clean".  Which begs the question, who is it that points that finger of blame in our direction?  For we know that our loving heavenly Father has provided for the cleansing of all that we are ashamed of.

Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.
1 Peter 5:8 NKJV

From the story of the man Job, we know that when asked by God from where he came from, satan replies, "From going to and fro on the earth and from walking back and forth on it".  Obviously, after being expelled from Gods presence, Lucifer was banished to the earth below.  Truly, satan is our enemy among us.  In fact, you may just have passed him by in your daily travels and never knew it.  However, satan knows us very well.  For each and every temptation we've ever faced can be traced directly to him!  As Christ was tempted by this fallen angel, so are we daily.  So, if you're wondering just where those old feelings of condemnation came from, you can rest assured that satan has something to do with it.  Take heart, fellow believer, for our Lord has wiped clean all that we continue to feel guilty for.  As far as that old baggage we carry with us is concerned, it turns out it's nothing but empty bags!  I just wish the bags in my home were just as empty, it would make my job all the more easier.

~Scott~