DE-BAGGAGING PROCESS

But Zacchaeus stopped and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord, half of my possessions I now give to the poor, and if I have cheated anyone of anything, I am paying back four times as much!” (Luke 19:8, New English Translation). 

I like the man Zacchaeus. When he met the Lord Jesus, he just knew that certain things must change and that life should no longer be business as usual. Without being told, he immediately commenced a 'de-baggaging' process to free his life of things that could slow down his spiritual journey. Of particular interest here is that Zacchaeus wasn't going to continue living with things that didn't belong to him. He just wanted to do away with anything he had not acquired legitimately. He wanted to urgently clean house and remove from his life the things that were not his. 

Friends, there are certain things that must not proceed with you in the journey of life, particularly at such a time as this. There are some needless load that must not come with you into your future, lest they destroy the glorious things God has in store for you. What do you have in your custody that you do not truly possess? What is in your hand that belongs to another? What office are you occupying that you took up through intrigues? What is lying in your house that rightfully belongs to another household? And who is lying in your bosom that belongs in another's bosom? 

Right away my dear friends, we must do like Zacchaeus and commence a 'de-baggaging' process that will see to the elimination of all the load that we were not licensed to carry. I want you to know that if the load is not yours, it will become a burden sooner or later. You would be a fool getting into trouble with the load that is not yours. Shed it off! Then you will have peace. Remember that it is the blessing of the Lord that makes us prosperous without adding sorrow (Proverbs 10:22). 

Finally, I must touch on this before we conclude. Do you know that sin is not your property? Whatever its manifestation, you are not created to be a carrier or conductor of unrighteousness. When God made you, He said you were good. And we know that God does not and cannot lie. You are fearfully, wonderfully and marvellously made. Sin was not in the original packaging when you were created. So, fornication and adultery do not belong with you; drop them. Lying, stealing, anger, backbiting, pornography and idolatry do not belong with you. Please shed all of these things off your life. Don't take any of them further into the next phase of your life. You don't need them. Without them you will definitely survive and in fact thrive better. 

Then put on the new man created in holiness and righteousness, which is also renewed in the knowledge of Jesus Christ. That's who you really are as the elect of God. The Bible encourages that you put on "bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, [and] longsuffering". Those are the kinds of baggage you need for the future. Then put on love. This will make your burden lighter by the day.