Title Heavy Suitcases

Cafe Menu: Wednesday, June 27, 2012

Today’s Special:Shame

Carefully prepared just for you by your friend, Eileen Knowles

Main Ingredient: “The Lord redeems his servants.  No one will be condemned who takes refuge in him.”  Psalm 34:22 (NIV)

Entree:

When my husband and I first started dating, I remember apologizing to him. “I’m sorry I come with so much baggage.”

I spent a decade of my life running in the wrong direction. I had acquired excess baggage over the years too.  These bags even had labels written on them:

• Divorced
• Recovering alcoholic
• Bad credit

I will never forget my now husband’s response to my statement. “What do you mean? It’s only baggage if you carry it around.”

Looking back, I think that must have been the moment when I fell in love with him!

His statement is so true. Condemnation brings shame. The enemy wants nothing more than to make us believe that we are stuck carrying around our sins and our failures for the rest our lives. Shame becomes the contents crammed in each of the bags we carry.

However, if we are in Christ, then lugging that heavy baggage around day after day becomes optional. Once we say yes to Christ, He offers us a much more appealing alternative.

‘Bring those suitcases of shame to me, my Child. This space at the foot of the cross is reserved for you. Put them down and you never have to pick them up again.  ‘

His Word assures us that as far as the east is from the west that is how far he has removed our transgressions from us.  Each wrong turn and each wrong choice is remembered no more.

I made the choice to accept Christ’s gift of complete forgiveness…and so can you!

Take-Out: Are you holding onto a suitcase filled with shame?  Make the choice to place it at His feet today.

Dessert: Dear Lord, we are so tempted to let our sins and past choices define us. But Your Word assures us that we can have complete freedom if we accept Your work on the Cross. Help us to bring each and every bag to You, Lord. Thank You, that You promise to redeem us when we take refuge in You.

© 2012 by Eileen Knowles. All rights reserved.

For more encouragement, visit Eileen at The Scenic Route:  Also, check out her new e-book  A Mistake Maker’s Manifesto & More:  

Do You KNOW His Grace? Do you need forgiveness? If you want to know Jesus Christ as your personal Savior, visit Extreme Encouragement today.

Picture courtesy of dreamstime.