The Message of a Flat Tire Part 2
by: Rev. Benjamin Miller The Message

Let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us (Hebrews 12:1).

Nothing in the world can get to you worse than a flat tire during the "dog days" of summer. I had the unfortunate pleasure of dealing with one a few weeks ago. Despite the aggravation in dealing with a tire, the Lord has impressed upon me some spiritual truths related to that flat tire. Last week, the discussion focused around the uselessness of a flat tire. Like faith without works, a flat tire serves no real purpose, except maybe as a flower planter (you might be a redneck…). This week I would like to focus on the reason for my flat tire.

I really couldn't tell you when I picked up the unwelcome traveler. I'd guess it was somewhere between Bainbridge and my house. A flat piece of metal, about an inch long, punctured the tread of my tire. It was embedded so well into the tread that it was nearly unrecognizable to the eye. It had very little weight, but that piece of metal completely brought my truck to a halt. I tried to put air into the tire, but as long as the puncture was there the air was not going to hold. The tire kept going flat despite my best efforts to keep it inflated.

Truth #2: our spiritual tires will be flat, and consequently of little use, as long as foreign objects are allowed to find their way into our lives. This particular passage identifies two impediments. First, there is sin. Sin is not taken seriously enough in the present. We see it as something that happens, not a big deal. Yet it is sin, no matter how small, that has invoked the wrath of God unto condemnation upon all of us. Sin is a big deal. We dare not believe that we can serve God but dabble in sin. Neither Satan nor God is willing to share control of you life. Sin has a unique capacity to deflate our faith to the point of uselessness. As long as you practice sin, your faith will lack the staying power to be effective. It will not be from a lack of God's provision. He will keep pumping in air. You will allow it to escape around the puncture.

Then there are those weights which keep us from serving completely. These are things that need not be inherently sinful, but we allow them to hinder our ability to run the race. Most commonly, weight manifests itself in our concern for this life. It's part of life to fret, and yet I can promise you that it will cause you to stumble. The more we allow the things of this life to weigh us down, the harder it is to build that air pressure inside of us. As long as the weight remains, we will focus on it and not the Savior we serve.

The author of Hebrews makes it clear: get rid of it! It's not worth your life in Christ. The race is too important. Whatever it is, sins or weights, lay it aside. Shed your burdens for the yoke of Christ. It is only in removing the foreign objects from our life that we will ever be able to maintain our inward pressure. I pray that our Heavenly Father would reveal your burdens to you today. May He grant you the strength to set those hindrances aside forever.