Check your load

CALL TO PRAYER

Date: 14/08/2021

By: Owusu Clifford S. 

Title – Check your load

Matthew 26:35 – Peter said to Him, “Even if I have to die with You, I will not deny You!” And so said all the disciples.

As a fan of documentaries, I have watched a couple of them: lifestyle, wildlife, health, economics, finance, and many more. However, of all the documentaries I have watched, the one which struck me the most was the documentary of illegal immigrants seeking to enter Europe through the Sahara Desert (the hottest desert in the world). We can talk about the sad aspect of people losing their lives on the way due to dehydration and extreme exhaustion. However, from the positive side, I have learnt more about preparation before embarking on any journey.  

One of the main challenges people face in the desert is inadequate preparation. After some time, they come to the reality that they have not adequately prepared for the journey. Food, and especially, water are prerequisites for this journey. The one who wants to go far must have enough of these to last him the duration of the journey. In simple terms, to go far, your load must be heavy.

In today’s message, I want to relate the lessons on this torturous journey to the journey of a Christian. Often, when a person gets saved, he/she is so eager to follow Jesus Christ. Even in our daily lives, we are always quick to start a spiritual journey, be it setting up a ministry, joining a prayer group, or embarking on a fast. However, the reality is that we do not always sit down to assess what the journey entails and pack our load accordingly. As a result, when we reach the middle of the journey and we begin to experience extreme heat and dehydration, we give up because our load is not heavy.

Water is life, as they say, so to survive, one must have enough water. The word of God is the living water; it cleanses, nourishes, and purifies the soul and the spirit. So, to survive any form of dehydration and exhaustion on our Christian journey, we must have enough of the word, not just have it, but apply it as well. We cannot also do without prayer. We are all familiar with today’s verse and the events that unfolded before and after the verse. Peter was willing to embark on the journey with Jesus, but because his load was not heavy (lack of prayer), he gave up midway through the journey.

Today, let us assess our lives. Maybe the reason why we are stagnant, or we feel like giving up on our journey with God is that we did not pack our loads heavy. But the good news is that, even if we have run out of water, the stream of living water is still available, and we can always draw from it. Also, the bread of life (Jesus Christ) is always ready, through the Holy Spirit, to help us with our every weakness. In Luke 14:28, Jesus likened the cost of discipleship to a careful assessment of the cost of building a house. There is a cost involved in following Jesus Christ, and there is a reward for those who get to the end. May the Holy Spirit grant us the strength and grace to pack our loads heavy for the journey of discipleship.

Prayer: Let us pray and thank God for His word today and the answers to our prayers. Let us also pray for the grace to persevere till the end of the Christian journey.

God bless you all

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