Lift That Weight!
Psalm 51:1-3
Be gracious to me, O God, according to Your lovingkindness; according to the greatness of Your compassion blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin. For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me.
One of the main differences between a believer and an unbeliever is that the believer agonizes over sin, while the unbeliever only agonizes over the consequences of that sin. Whether or not we consider it a benefit—which it truly is—the Holy Spirit within will not allow the believer to enjoy sin. Even when we seem to avoid exposure or the consequences of our sin on the outside, we don’t escape the Spirit’s convicting work on the inside.
A skeptic once challenged a pastor after hearing his sermon. He said to the preacher, “You say that unsaved people carry a great weight of sin. Well, frankly, I feel nothing! So, tell me, just how heavy is my load of sin? Ten pounds? Fifty pounds? Eighty pounds? A hundred pounds?” The preacher thought for a moment and then wisely replied, “If you laid a hundred-pound weight on a corpse, would he feel the load?” The man laughed, “Of course not—he’s dead!” Then the preacher said, “You’re right. And the person who doesn’t know Christ is spiritually dead. Although the load of sin is great, he doesn’t feel it.”
Coming alive in Christ radically changes how we feel about sin. An invisible transformation begins to take place inside us as the Holy Spirit creates within us an ever-growing distaste for sin. We grow increasingly sensitive to things we once ignored. Even the smallest sin weighs heavily on our hearts. When moments of conviction come, we need to see them for what they are: enormous blessings from the Spirit of God. The inward struggle of loathing what our flesh loves provides bittersweet evidence that we have come to life, spiritually. We are children of the Living God.
As you battle today with your flawed and fallen flesh, remember that the weight you feel within is wonderful evidence that your spirit has come to life! And remember: you don’t have to bear that weight alone. The greatest weightlifter the world has ever known is available to help you! Call on Christ; get it off your chest.