Tag: burdens

The Rewards of Responding to “Come to Me”

Matthew 11:28
Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

At some level, we all take on the heavy burdens of this world. We all seek to escape from the stress filled grind that most of us experience in some form from our day to day activities. Jesus invites all of us who labor and are carrying burdens to come to Him. He promises that He will provide us with the rest that we need.

But be assured that “I will give you rest” does not mean “I will hold your hand while you lay in bed languishing in your burdens.” It means, “I will pull you out of the darkened state that you are in. I will pull you from the oppression of the enemy. I will give you the spirit of a new life, but I expect you to let go of your old life.”

Why do we insist on hanging on to the old things that do nothing but hinder our progress toward finding the rest that is promised to us? Why do we accept anything less than the full measure that God has set aside for us? It is all about our commitment. When we come to Jesus, we are committing to leave everything of this world behind in exchange for a personal relationship with Our Savior.

Let us abandon the callings of our flesh as we surrender our lives to Jesus Christ and allow His Spirit to guide all that we do. Let us take victory over all of our trials as we live in submission to Our Savior. Let us receive the peace that He promises us as we respond to His command, “Come to Me.”

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for providing a refuge for us – a place where we can be free from the burdens that the world tries to lay on us. We praise You for providing the comfort that we can find nowhere else except through our relationship with Your Son, Jesus. May we be drawn by the Holy Spirit to respond to the words of promise, “Come unto me.” May we learn to live our lives in the vitality and might that You offer us in Christ. We ask all these things in the name of the One who provides our comfort, Jesus Christ.

Surrendering to the Yoke of Christ

2 Corinthians 12:10
For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

When our family relationships are at the breaking point, when the bill collectors are knocking at our door or when serious afflictions are threatening us, we run to Jesus for a supernatural remedy to our maladies. When we are weak and near defeat, perhaps even near death, we run to Jesus for His grace to strengthen us and comfort us as we go through our trials.

He promises to be our strength in every one of our times of weakness or trial. He promises to lighten our burdens as we surrender to His yoke. It is during these times that we feel His presence so clearly. It is during these times of pain that we experience the fullness of His love. It becomes a blessing to have tribulation in our lives.

Unfortunately without trial, we tend to lean away from God. We tend to move out of His presence. We tend to let the joy of life overshadow the true and perfect joy that is available to us through an ongoing, intimate relationship with Our Savior.

Let us turn to Jesus for our strength in the good times and the bad times. Let us be mindful of the presence and power of Jesus Christ as we enjoy the blessings that we have been provided in our lives. Let us experience the peace and power of being yoked to Him in our times of trial. Let us allow Jesus to be our all-sufficient Lord.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for Your promise to perfect Your strength in our weakness. We thank You for the comfort of knowing that You are always there. We praise You for providing Your Son, Jesus, so that through Him and in Him we can experience the fullness of Your love. Help us, Father, to find contentment in all things as we seek to live in Your shadow and not under the influence of the world. We pray, Lord, that Your Holy Spirit will inspire us to develop an ongoing, intimate relationship with Your Son that is not affected by our circumstances. We ask all these things in the name of Our Rock and Our Redeemer, Jesus Christ.

Casting Our Burdens Upon the Lord

Psalm 55:22
Cast your burden on the LORD, and he will sustain you; he will never permit the righteous to be moved.

It is obvious from this verse that we are to have burdens in our lives. But God in His mercy promises us that He will not give a burden that is larger that the provision that He will grant to overcome the burden.

God gave His own Son a cup of sorrow and suffering that was so intense that Jesus sweat blood as He faced His upcoming crucifixion. But Jesus did as the verse commands, He cast His burden upon the Father. Thus He was provided with all He needed to face the Cross and rise from His trial in victory.

No affliction or tribulation is joyous. They are all troublesome. Some are much heavier than others. At times they even seem to gather together or to extend much longer that we would care to bear. The total of it all adds up to the burden we face. Our relief is to look to Jesus Christ who bore it all on the Cross and took it away from us.

Let us cast our burdens upon the Lord. Let us claim the promise of Our Heavenly Father that He will not let His righteous children fail. Let us rest upon His providence and promise. Let us rejoice in His faithfulness.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for Your promises that we can lean on as we deal with the cups of sorrow and suffering that we must swallow. We thank You for using our trials to build our faith in who You are. We thank You for insuring our victory through Your Son, Jesus. We thank You for insuring our righteousness through the presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives. We pray for Your mercies to be granted us each day as You release fresh supplies of strength and comfort just as we need them to overcome our trials. We ask these things in the name of the One who gave His life for the ransom of many, our all sufficient Lord, Jesus Christ.

Eternal Provision for What the World Cannot Provide

Isaiah 41:10
So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

Almighty God, in faithfulness to His promises, releases provisions to supply our needs and answer our prayers. He knows that our way to heaven is through our carnal wilderness. When we become weary, He is ready to provide what the world cannot provide. He insures that our supply is constant and sufficient. Let us set our troubles before Him.

Why is it that we ever doubt for a second that the Lord has a plan already set in place to relieve us of whatever burden that troubles us? Did He not set aside His own glory to become man to have a plan for our salvation? Did He not shed His own blood so that the plan could be executed on our behalf? Does He not hold all power and wisdom in His hand? When He has done so much already, why would He withhold any good thing from us now?

Let us humble ourselves before Almighty God. He reigns over everything in heaven and on earth. Let us trust in Him to fulfill His promises in our lives. Let us rely on Him for our strength and our peace.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for Your faithfulness. We bless the name of Jesus who gave up everything so that we could receive the fullness of Your perfect love and forgiveness. We rejoice in knowing that Your Holy Spirit is always with us to comfort us and strengthen us. We pray, Lord, that you forgive us for being so weak in our faith. We ask that You strengthen our spiritual nature so that we are seeking our comfort and provision from You and not from this world. Let us always be mindful that all things are possible through You. We pray these things in the name of Our Blessed Hope and Assurance, Jesus Christ.

An Invitation That All People Receive

Jeremiah 31:31
“The day is coming,” says the LORD, “when I will make a new covenant with the people of Israel and Judah.

Jeremiah foretold of a time when the Lord would bring in a new covenant. This prophecy was fulfilled in Jesus Christ when he stepped down from His seat by the Father in heaven to accept His sacrificial calling on earth to be the Redeemer of all men.

When Jesus came to earth, He issued an invitation to all men to “Come to Me.” He established Himself as the way, the truth and the life. He did not make it mandatory to accept His invitation, but He did make it clear that accepting His invitation was the only way to become worthy to be in the presence of Almighty God for all eternity.

Because Almighty God knew our frailty so well, the benefits of accepting His Son’s invitation went beyond the eternal reward promised. By accepting His invitation, we were also extended the grace needed for sustaining us during our time on earth while we were preparing for our eternal resting place in heaven.

Our earthly benefit package includes, but is certainly not limited to:

  • access to the unimaginable favor of the King of Kings
  • the privilege of laying all of our burdens on Him
  • the satisfaction of having our thirst for knowing our Maker quenched forever
  • the treasure of being able to learn from Our Master all that is good and pleasing to Almighty God.
    Why should we go to any other quarter to have our needs met?

Let us go to Jesus to receive the grace of God that comes through Him. Let us go to Jesus for the peace, comfort, joy and salvation that He holds in His hands. Let us respond without delay to His invitation.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for sending us Your Son to reveal to us Your will and Your love. We bless the name of Jesus for providing the yoke that joins us to Him for the purpose of having all of our burdens lifted from us. We rejoice in knowing that we live in Your constant shadow protected from evil and supplied with our needs. We pray, Lord, that Your Holy Spirit will guide us to release all of our cares into the arms of the One who invites us to come to Him. We ask all these things in the name of the Yoke of Our Burdens, Jesus Christ.

“Come to Me” Holds a Promise of Rest

Matthew 11:28

Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

At some level, we all take on the heavy burdens of this world.  We all seek to escape from the stress filled grind that most of us experience in some form from our day to day activities.  Jesus invites all of us who labor and are carrying burdens to come to Him. He promises that He will provide us with the rest that we need. 

But be assured that “I will give you rest” does not mean “I will hold your hand while you lay in bed languishing in your burdens.”  It means, “I will pull you out of the darkened state that you are in.  I will pull you from the oppression of the enemy.  I will give you the spirit of a new life, but I expect you to let go of your old life.”  

Why do we insist on hanging on to the old things that do nothing but hinder our progress toward finding the rest that is promised to us?  Why do we accept anything less than the full measure that God has set aside for us? It is all about our commitment. When we come to Jesus, we are committing to leave everything of this world behind in exchange for a personal relationship with Our Savior.

Let us abandon the callings of our flesh as we surrender our lives to Jesus Christ and allow His Spirit to guide all that we do.  Let us take victory over all of our trials as we live in submission to Our Savior.  Let us receive the peace that He promises us as we respond to His command, “Come to Me.”

Prayer

Heavenly Father, we thank You for providing a refuge for us – a place where we can be free from the burdens that the world tries to lay on us.  We praise You for providing the comfort that we can find nowhere else except through our relationship with Your Son, Jesus.  May we be drawn by the Holy Spirit to respond to the words of promise, “Come unto me.”  May we learn to live our lives in the vitality and might that You offer us in Christ. We ask all these things in the name of the One who provides our comfort, Jesus Christ.

His Grace Sustains Us

Jeremiah 31:31
“The day is coming,” says the LORD, “when I will make a new covenant with the people of Israel and Judah.

Jeremiah foretold of a time when the Lord would bring in a new covenant. This prophecy was fulfilled in Jesus Christ when he stepped down from His seat by the Father in heaven to accept His sacrificial calling on earth to be the Redeemer of all men.

When Jesus came to earth, He issued an invitation to all men to “Come to Me.” He established Himself as the way, the truth and the life. He did not make it mandatory to accept His invitation, but He did make it clear that accepting His invitation was the only way to become worthy to be in the presence of Almighty God for all eternity.

Because Almighty God knew our frailty so well, the benefits of accepting His Son’s invitation went beyond the eternal reward promised. By accepting His invitation, we were also extended the grace needed for sustaining us during our time on earth while we were preparing for our eternal resting place in heaven.

Our earthly benefit package includes, but is certainly not limited to:
• access to the unimaginable favor of the King of Kings
• the privilege of laying all of our burdens on Him
• the satisfaction of having our thirst for knowing our Maker quenched forever
• the treasure of being able to learn from Our Master all that is good and pleasing to Almighty God.
Why should we go to any other quarter to have our needs met?

Let us go to Jesus to receive the grace of God that comes through Him. Let us go to Jesus for the peace, comfort, joy and salvation that He holds in His hands. Let us respond without delay to His invitation.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for sending us Your Son to reveal to us Your will and Your love. We bless the name of Jesus for providing the yoke that joins us to Him for the purpose of having all of our burdens lifted from us. We rejoice in knowing that we live in Your constant shadow protected from evil and supplied with our needs. We pray, Lord, that Your Holy Spirit will guide us to release all of our cares into the arms of the One who invites us to come to Him. We ask all these things in the name of the Yoke of Our Burdens, Jesus Christ.

Joy in the Midst of Trials

2 Timothy 2:3
Endure suffering along with me, as a good soldier of Christ Jesus.

There is no happiness in suffering. No sane person chooses to suffer. But even when we are under the heaviest of burdens, it is possible to maintain the joy in our lives. For to suffer for Christ’s sake is to have joy in all things. To embrace Our Comforter during the times of our suffering is to have constant joy in the midst of our trials. If we continuously seek the comfort of Our Savior as our suffering goes on, our joy will increase even though our happiness may be in decline. Through it all, our resolution to suffer for Christ’s sake will become stronger and our love of God and Jesus Christ will grow.

If we view our suffering in any other way than through the will of God, our lives are guaranteed to be roller coaster rides with many highs and many lows. On the other hand, if we keep our focus on Jesus through our suffering, our lives will be on steadied paths toward completed sainthood in heaven for all eternity. Our lives will be filled with joy even in unhappy circumstances. The world will know us by our peace through Jesus Christ.

Let us seek the joy of Christ in every event in our lives, whether they be easy or challenging. Let us seek the peace of Our Comforter in all of our trials. Let us endure in accordance with the promises of Jesus Christ.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for allowing us to overcome the suffering that the world brings us. We bless the name of Jesus for bringing us joy even when everything around us in the world brings some level of unhappiness. We pray, Father, that the Holy Spirit will strengthen us to endure our trials so that our love for You and for Our Savior, Jesus, becomes greater with each moment that we endure our suffering. As we find joy in Christ, we pray that our example will make others strong and mature in their relationship with You. We ask all these things in the name of the One who suffered for us, Jesus Christ.

A Refuge in the Storm

Matthew 11:28
Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

At some level, we all take on the heavy burdens of this world. We all seek to escape from the stress filled grind that most of us experience in some form from our day to day activities. Jesus invites all of us who labor and are carrying burdens to come to Him. He promises that He will provide us with the rest that we need.

But be assured that “I will give you rest” does not mean “I will hold your hand while you lay in bed languishing in your burdens.” It means, “I will pull you out of the darkened state that you are in. I will pull you from the oppression of the enemy. I will give you the spirit of a new life, but I expect you to let go of your old life.”

Why do we insist on hanging on to the old things that do nothing but hinder our progress toward finding the rest that is promised to us? Why do we accept anything less than the full measure that God has set aside for us? It is all about our commitment. When we come to Jesus, we are committing to leave everything of this world behind in exchange for a personal relationship with Our Savior.

Let us abandon the callings of our flesh as we surrender our lives to Jesus Christ and allow His Spirit to guide all that we do. Let us take victory over all of our trials as we live in submission to Our Savior. Let us receive the peace that He promises us as we respond to His command, “Come to Me.”

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for providing a refuge for us – a place where we can be free from the burdens that the world tries to lay on us. We praise You for providing the comfort that we can find nowhere else except through our relationship with Your Son, Jesus. May we be drawn by the Holy Spirit to respond to the words of promise, “Come unto me.” May we learn to live our lives in the vitality and might that You offer us in Christ. We ask all these things in the name of the One who provides our comfort, Jesus Christ.

Relying on Christ for Our Strength

Isaiah 41:10
So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

Almighty God, in faithfulness to His promises, releases provisions to supply our needs and answer our prayers. He knows that our way to heaven is through our carnal wilderness. When we become weary, He is ready to provide what the world cannot provide. He insures that our supply is constant and sufficient. Let us set our troubles before Him.

Why is it that we ever doubt for a second that the Lord has a plan already set in place to relieve us of whatever burden that troubles us? Did He not set aside His own glory to become man to have a plan for our salvation? Did He not shed His own blood so that the plan could be executed on our behalf? Does He not hold all power and wisdom in His hand? When He has done so much already, why would He withhold any good thing from us now?

Let us humble ourselves before Almighty God. He reigns over everything in heaven and on earth. Let us trust in Him to fulfill His promises in our lives. Let us rely on Him for our strength and our peace.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for Your faithfulness. We bless the name of Jesus who gave up everything so that we could receive the fullness of Your perfect love and forgiveness. We rejoice in knowing that Your Holy Spirit is always with us to comfort us and strengthen us. We pray, Lord, that you forgive us for being so weak in our faith. We ask that You strengthen our spiritual nature so that we are seeking our comfort and provision from You and not from this world. Let us always be mindful that all things are possible through You. We pray these things in the name of Our Blessed Hope and Assurance, Jesus Christ.