Have you ever heard someone say, “Be careful of so-and-so, they have baggage”? What they really mean is that person has stuff, they have junk, in their life that they will carry into their relationship with you, and most often, that baggage will cause problems.

The truth is, we all have baggage. We all have a past, and that past is filled with successes and failures, both big and small. That past is filled with smiles and also with tears. It is filled with things we are glad to share with others, and it is filled with things we keep hidden from others, or at least “hidden” until someone posts it on social media.

In part, our past makes us who we are today. While we are all influenced by our past, we do not have to let our past dictate the present or the future. Sometimes we allow our past, our baggage, our junk, to be like carrying all of our possessions in suitcases on our back; it is hard and tiring work and it weighs us down. The longer we try to carry that baggage, the more it weighs us down. And sadly, oftentimes, others just watch us struggle and do nothing.

But unlike those who see us struggling and never offer assistance, we have a God who does not sit idly by and watch us struggle. You might right now be thinking, “Oh you don’t know my past. The pain is too great or the hole is just too deep to climb out of, God can never help me.” The truth is, God loves you and is interested in redeeming and restoring you, no matter how broken you feel; He wants to unload the baggage off your aching back.

David wrote this in Psalm 40:1-2 – “I waited patiently for the LORD; he turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand.”

So, when you feel weighed down, drag yourself to Jesus and unload your baggage at His feet. It is in that transaction that Jesus promises to give you rest. I will end with these familiar words – “Come to me, all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light” (Matthew 11:28-30).  

Let me end with this challenge. It is easy to sit idly by when we see others struggling since we are already hauling around our own stuff, and who needs loaded down with the junk of others anyway. But sitting idly by is not what Scripture calls us to. Here is what we find in Galatians 6:2, “Carry (to bear, meaning take up not take on; there is a difference) each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.” You ask, what is the law of Christ? Well, just one chapter earlier, Paul is quoting Jesus (from Matthew 22:34-40) – “For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself” (Galatians 5:14).

Picture for a minute that person who is very intelligent, but often doesn’t have the common sense to come in out of a thunderstorm. They are often the person who knows that the mathematical constant Pi is the ratio of a circle’s circumference to its diameter. They are also the person at the party who can solve Rubik’s Cube in less than thirty seconds. Do you know anyone like this?

Now think of someone who you consider to be wise. They always seem to know just what to say and do in most any situations. You have probably thought to yourself, “I wish I had their wisdom.”

The difference between the first person and the second is really nothing more than the difference between knowledge and wisdom. Knowledge is simply the accumulation of facts and data while wisdom is the ability to apply that knowledge in a way that useful and helpful. It is not enough just to “know” that the burner on the stove is hot, you also better be able to apply that knowledge, so you don’t put your hand on it.

Now let’s turn to gaining God’s wisdom. It is not enough to know the contents of the Bible. Reading and memorizing your Bible is a good thing, but we need to know how to understand and apply God’s Word (the Bible) into daily life. This is called having spiritual discernment, and it means nothing more than seeing things from God’s point of view.

The Bible tells us that God gave us the Holy Spirit (the third person of the Trinity – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit) to give us wisdom. I believe that the Holy Spirit’s primary role is to lead us to the Son (who then points us to the Father), illuminating our hearts with truth. In John 14:26 we read, “But the Helper [paraclete], the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.”

(The Greek word paraclete – refers to a person summoned to one’s side, especially for providing aid. The prefix para has the meaning “at or to one’s side;” think of paramedic.)

And again, it is not enough that God gave us His Spirit to gain wisdom. We need to be willing to be taught, having a teachable spirit, and thus allowing the Holy Spirit to teach us. In Proverbs 8:34-36 we are told to be alert to what He desires to teach us – “Blessed is the one who listens to me, watching daily at my gates, waiting beside my doors. For whoever finds me finds life and obtains favor from the Lord, but he who fails to find me injures himself all who hate me love death.”

And John 16:13 tells us, “But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth.”

We are told in Hebrews 4:12 that God’s word is alive, speaking to you each and every time you read it.

What are the fruits of gaining God’s wisdom? Let’s turn to the Bible and see for ourselves. Click here to see what we find about the benefits of gaining the right kind of wisdom.

So, today, to gain the wisdom needed for life, ask the Paraclete (counselor) to help you see and understand from God’s point of view – “If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you” (James 1:5).

The deepest part of the ocean is the called the Challenger Deep and it is located beneath the western Pacific Ocean in the southern end of the Mariana Trench, which is southwest of the U.S. territorial island of Guam. This trench is approximately 36,000 feet deep, or in other words, just under seven miles, and got its name after the unmanned British Royal Navy vessel HMS Challenger made sound recordings of the depth in 1875. The first manned descent wasn’t until 1960. “Deep” is not a point on the map, but rather, deeps are long trenches on the ocean’s floor.

The Bible tells us that we all have blown it. The word for this is sin. In Romans 3:23 we read these words – “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” Because of our sins, we are separated from God. We know that Jesus died on the cross to pay the penalty for our sins and to restore our broken relationship with God. If you enter into a relationship with Jesus, you get this free gift from God.

The bad news, as we just read, is that we all sin. There are not degrees of sin; sin is sin. There are degrees of punishment for various actions or behaviors but not degrees of sin. Stealing Post-It notes from work is no less sinful than murdering your neighbor in a fit of rage. [The consequences of stealing from your employer is likely than that of murder, but both are sin and condemned by God.] None of this, “Well, at least I did not…”

The good news is that God tells us that He forgives us of our sins and He throws them into the deep sea, never to be remembered again. Psalm 103:12 says this – “As far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.”

Not only does God forgive us of our sins, He also wipes the slate clean and forgets those sins. In this culture where our past mistakes get brought up again and again, it is hard to believe that someone would actually forgive and forget. But it is true, God does forgive and He does forget. In Isaiah 43:25 we see this promise – “I, even I, am he who blots out your transgressions and remembers your sins no more.”

Need more proof? If we stay in the Old Testament we see these words found in Jeremiah 31:34 – “For I will forgive their wickedness and remember their sins no more.” The New Testament contains a large number of verses quoted from the Old Testament, helping to give credibility to the Bible being the inspired word of God. Here is one such of those quotes. In Hebrews 8:12, found in the New Testament, we see these familiar words – “For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.”

So, today, no matter how “bad” you have sinned (and remember, sin is sin), and no matter what you have done, if you take your sins to God and ask Him for forgiveness, you will be forgiven. Your guilty verdict will be expunged. Expunged is a legal term which means to have a criminal conviction “sealed,” thereby making it unavailable for anyone to see. Basically, your criminal record is wiped clean. If you do your part and admit that you are a sinner, then ask for your sins to be forgiven, God promises to do His part and expunge your record.

In 1 John 1:8-9 we see that very promise – “If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” And in verse 10 we see – “If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word is not in us.”

In a world filled with bad news on top of bad news, as big and as deep as the ocean is, God says He buries your sins farther away than you can see and deeper than the Challenger Deep, and that is good news! Let me end with these words – “You will again have compassion on us; you will tread our sins underfoot and hurl all our iniquities [Hebrew: perversity, depravity] into the depths of the sea” (Micah 7:19).

D-Day. In military jargon, D-Day is the day in which a military operation is to begin. There have been numerous military invasions designated as D-Day, but only one, June 6, 1944, is simply known as D-Day: the day Allied troops stormed five beaches at Normandy to initiate the liberation of western Europe from Nazi Germany. Just in terms of human life alone, it was a costly invasion. Best estimates are there were 10,000 Allied casualties (wounded, killed, missing) and between 4,000 and 9,000 German casualties on that day. At the National D-Day Memorial in Bedford, Virginia, there are 4,414 names enshrined in bronze plaques representing those Allied troops who died on D-Day. As those troops prepared to leave the safety of the landing crafts, called Higgins Boats, their lives, and the future of the world, would be forever changed.

World War II ended eleven months later when, on May 8, 1945, Germany unconditionally surrendered. We know May 8, 1945 as Victory in Europe Day, or V-E Day. And if you know anything about history, then you know that just eight days earlier, on April 30, Adolf Hitler, likely to avoid being captured, shot himself in the head while Eva Braun, his longtime companion and wife of less than two days, also committed suicide by swallowing a cyanide capsule.

These days the phrase D-Day is often used to reference the start of an important occasion or activity. I recently heard a co-worker reference the start of her upcoming diet as D-Day. Throughout our own lives we have opportunities to close one chapter and open the next, many having life changing implications; a personal D-Day if you will. It could be the start of a new job, a change in careers, moving to a new city. Your weight has ballooned, and you are out of shape, so you decide to embark upon a healthier lifestyle. You have been in an abusive and destructive relationship, and you’ve decided to finally walk away, to get free, from that situation. Maybe you have dreamed of opening a cute little boutique flower shop and you finally found a store front in the newly renovated bank building downtown. You started college but had to drop out to raise your children; they have now left your nest so you can finally finish your degree and pursue that career you’ve always dreamed of. Getting married or having a baby, those are both certainly D-Day occasions.

I have had a number of D-Day moments in my own life: graduations, my own wedding and the weddings of our daughters, the birth of our children and recently, the birth of a granddaughter, stepping out into the role of a pastor, planting a church, closing a church, the day I heard the words “you have cancer,” but, none more important and life-changing than a summer day in 1986; the day I turned my life over to Jesus.

So, as we reflect upon how the world is different today because of that D-Day 77 years ago, this is a perfect time for you to look over your own life, where you’ve been, where you are today, maybe right now in a Higgins Boat, where you want to be tomorrow, and do whatever needs done to storm the beach, stare down your opposition, fight to win, and change the storyline of your life, and your legacy, forever. It always takes courage, but courage begins with the first step. During his D-Day speech in 2009, then-President Barack Obama said this: “At an hour of maximum danger, amid the bleakest of circumstances, men who thought themselves ordinary found within themselves the ability to do something extraordinary.”

In Scripture, when Joshua and his guys came up against enemy troops, and he feared doom for he and his men, here is what God said to Joshua – “Do not be afraid of them; I have given them into your hand. Not one of them will be able to withstand you” (Joshua 10:8).

And in that same story, when Joshua needed to encourage his men, here is what we read – “Joshua said to them, ‘Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Be strong and courageous. This is what the Lord will do to all the enemies you are going to fight.’ Then Joshua put the kings to death and exposed their bodies on five poles, and they were left hanging on the poles until evening” (10:25-26).

Today can be D-Day for you; it just takes that first step! Don’t let yesterday dictate tomorrow.

In the summer of 1975, the movie Jaws was released and to this day, some forty six years later, that movie is still in the minds of many Americans. This movie is a classic motion picture in the thriller genre. Who can forget the movie trailer showing the shark’s jaws coming toward you out of the water or the movie theme suspense music composed by John Williams? That simple alternating pattern of two notes has become synonymous with impending danger.

You know the story line. A young woman is killed by a man-eating great white shark while skinny-dipping near the fictional resort town of Amity Island, located somewhere in New England. Police chief Martin Brody wants to close the beaches but the town’s mayor Larry Vaughn overrules him, fearing the loss of tourist revenue will cripple the city. What follows for the remainder of the movie is an epic battle between man vs. beast as oceanographer Matt Hooper and ship captain Quint help the police chief track down and eventually kill the shark.

Sharks can be dangerous and deadly. Just the sight of dorsal fins instills fear in our hearts. Most often in the battle between human versus shark, the shark wins. Even with the knowledge that sharks are dangerous and often deadly, shark biologists make a career out of studying and interacting with sharks, and not just from afar, but usually up close and in person. These biologists don scuba gear and swim along side less threatening sharks while for the most dangerous of sharks they often are inside a shark proof metal cage. This cage is lowered into the water and is made of extremely strong metal, so as to not allow sharks to penetrate the cage, and the cages are built to withstand being rammed at high velocities by angry sharks.

What gives these shark biologists assurance that they are safe in the underwater cage with deadly shark swimming only inches from them? They have tested out the cages and they know the strength of the cage. We can say a cage not tested is a cage not trusted whereas a cage tested is a cage trusted.

Life can at times be challenging and frightening. We often need a “cage” to keep us safe. While the shark proof cages at times fail, we have a God who never fails and never lets us down. We have a God who keeps His promises; a God who can always be trusted. Hebrews 10:23 says this, “Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep his promise” (NLT).

God is ever-faithful, and regardless of the size of, or how many, sharks are swirling around you right now, you can rest assured that you are safe in the Arms of your Father. And this hope that you can have in God is not fleeting. A few chapters earlier in Hebrews we read this in 6:19, “This hope is a strong and trustworthy anchor for your souls. It leads us through the curtain into God’s inner sanctuary” (NLT).

So, today, and every day, ask God for an ever-increasing, ever-securing, and ever-steadying faith in Him. And not just that kind of faith when Jaws is swimming near you, but a faith that is ever-present, regardless of your circumstances or surroundings. Just as with those shark proof cages — a faith not tested is a faith not trusted. But with God, a faith tested is a faith trusted!        

Do you have too much to do and not enough time or energy to get it all done? Most of us, maybe all of us if we are honest, would answer yes to that question. We work ourselves to the bone, often neglecting proper diet, exercise, rest, and sleep, soon finding ourselves worn out and unproductive. I don’t know about you, but I find it difficult to have much needed quietness and rest. And even when I am seemingly quiet or at rest, I am not truly quiet or at rest. Does any of that sound familiar to you?

Not only do we need down time to refresh and recharge our body and mind, our soul need rest as well. Our culture regularly tells us, sometimes subliminally and other times in not so subtle ways, that we need to be busy all the time, that idleness is laziness, that idleness is weakness. However, Scripture tells us there is great benefit in times of quietness and rest. In Isaiah 30:15 we read these words – “In quietness and trust is your strength.”

The classic novel Moby Dick written by Herman Melville gives us a wonderful example of the importance of being productive when we need to be productive and being idle when we need to be idle. If you are not familiar with the story, let me quickly summarize the storyline of the book. It revolves around a wandering sailor named Ishmael and his voyage on the whaling ship “Pequod,” commanded by Captain Ahab. On a previous sailing voyage, an elusive and ferocious white whale named Moby Dick destroyed Ahab’s boat and bit off his leg. The story is narrated by Ishmael and tells us of Ahab’s pursuit for vengeance against Moby Dick.

In the chapter titled “The Dart,” the Pequod is in hot pursuit of the whale. This chapter gives us insight into the activity that is taking place on the deck as the captain and his crew rapidly sail out into the raging sea to kill the whale. The entire crew is focused on the task at hand, tensions are high, and by all indications, there is a lot of energy being used, even being wasted.

One member of the crew is charged with killing the whale. That person is the harpooner, and Melville tells us that even when the harpooner is exhausted he is still expected to “drop and secure his oar, turn around on his center half way, seize his harpoon from the crotch, and with what little strength may remain, he essays to pitch it somehow into the whale.” Melville goes on to say this, “No wonder, taking the whole fleet of whalemen in a body, that out of fifty fair chances for a dart, not five are successful.” And finally, Melville gives us his reason for such a low success rate, “If you take the breath out of his (harpooner) body how can you expect to find it there when needed most!”

On most whaleboats, the harpooner is actively helping the other crew members, but on Ahab’s boat, the harpooner is relaxed and quietly waiting. The chapter ends with these words; words that speak loudly to us (or at least to me) in this go-go-go culture – “To ensure the greatest efficiency in the dart, the harpooners of this world must start to their feet from out of idleness, and not from out of toil.”

So, make it a priority to balance the rhythms of work, play, and rest in your life. Doing so is not only wise, it is also healthy, and it will help “ensure the greatest efficiency” in carrying out your God-given purpose for being on this earth.