We recently heard a story about a little boy who was taking a walk with his father when they came upon a scale and the boy asked if he could be weighed. His father replied that he could and while he was reaching into his pocket for a penny the little fellow excitedly climbed up on the scale. Before the father had time to deposit the penny in the slot the boy had burst into tears. The father asked him what was wrong and pointing to the dial the little boy said, ”Look, I don’t weigh anything.” The father smiled and explained that no one weighs anything until they put the penny in.

Christ often used the penny in his parables. Of course they did not have scales in his day that required a penny before giving the weight but the lesson we learn from this story that we do not weigh anything until we put something in, is a lesson that Jesus taught and one that we do well to learn, for our weight at the judgment seat will be dependent upon what we have put into our service for Christ.

It is so important that we always remember that what we put into a thing determines what we get out of it. It is true of scales, it is true of sowing and reaping and it is true of our walk in the truth.
Until we put the penny in we weigh nothing. Until we are baptized and enter the race for life eternal we are ”without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world.”

When we are baptized into the saving name of Jesus we become Christ’s and heirs according to promise. We begin to weigh something. A newborn babe is weighed often to check its growth and chart its weight.
Baptism is only our first act of faith and the babe in Christ must be nourished first in the milk of the word and later with spiritual meat.
Peter tells us, ”As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby.” This is the way we grow, this is the way we put on spiritual weight so that we may register more on the Lord’s scale.

It is necessary that we realize that faith without works is dead, that we must do something to weigh something... that we must sow before we can reap. Now it is important to realize that we reap much more than we sow. A little seed is put into the ground, a beautiful tree springs up, mighty oaks from little acorns grow but there is no oak without the acorn being put into the ground.

How do we go about increasing our spiritual weight? We do this by desiring the sincere milk of the word. It is important that we create a ravenous appetite for spiritual things and this only comes through perseverance. We must conscientiously and continuously read the word... search the scriptures... desire the sincere milk of the word... meditate in his law day and night that the law of the Lord may become our delight, that we may, like the little acorn, become like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper. This does not happen overnight. It is a lifetime project but one we must commence immediately and patiently continue in well doing. At the judgment seat of Christ we shall each be weighed in the balances. Let us pray that we shall not be like Belshazzar, who was found wanting.