Who Bears Your Burden

Scripture:
Psalm 70

Times of trouble knocks on everyone’s door at one time or other.  When hardship or bad times come knocking who do we turn to?  What do we do to get through them?  After the 911 attacks you could see our nation briefly turn eyes toward God.  People asked why did God allow this to happen.  People sought help from Him.  There are people who turn to God to be that magical genie to save the day.  We only seek Him when in times of trouble.

When faced with adversity what do we do?  Who do we turn to?  Sometimes we seek help from worldly sources.  Sometimes we shoulder the burden ourselves.  In Psalm 70 David is petitioning God for deliverance.  As Christians our savior is Christ.  He tells us to lay our burdens on Him.  Matthew 11:28-30:

 ²⁸ “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. ²⁹ 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. ³⁰ For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

Jesus tells us to cast our burdens onto Him.  David petitions God over and over for deliverance.  Others in the Bible also turn to God and beseech Him for rescue.  So why do we today feel that we have to bear the burden on our own shoulders.  Why is it that we only cry to God when it gets too bad, the genie effect?  

We can turn to God daily.  We need to seek Christ on a daily basis.  We need to pray seeking Him to help us through it all.  God will handle not only the big stuff but he can take care of the little things.  God wants to protect us.  He wants to provide for us.  Just as a parent wants to give to their child so God wants to do for us.  What good parent would allow harm to their child or let them starve?  How much more will God give and do for us?  Matthew 7:11 “If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!”  The next time instead of trying to shoulder the problem yourself turn to God and cast your cares upon Him…

The Holy Spirit

Scripture:
1 Corinthians 2:12-3:3
James4:7-10

Where’s the beef?  I remember back in the 80s the Wendy’s commercial with an older lady asking that very question.  It seemed that everyone started asking where the beef was.  It is amazing how a catchy slogan can be really effective.  Today I ask where’s the Holy Spirit?

As Christians we are supposed to be filled by the Holy Spirit, the very presence of God.  Yet there are churches and so called Christians who are left empty.  We can go through the motions and say the right things.  However inside we are still empty.

Jesus told the apostles to wait, Acts 1:4-5 “On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: ‘Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’” How often do we rush out to do anything only to find we didn’t wait for the Holy Spirit?  We remain empty.

We need to pray continuously and dig deep into the scriptures.  We need to seek God first and keep Him in the forefront of our thoughts.  In James 4 we are told that if we resist Satan he will flee.  We are to submit ourselves to God and draw close to Him.  He will come to us.  We will be filled with His Holy Spirit.  

We can seek God and draw close to Him through our prayers and by reading the Bible.  Fellowship with other Christians will help us stay on the right track.  Keeping company with the right people will help build your relationship with God.  Seek Him first and foremost and God will fill us with His spirit. Acts 1:8 “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you;…”

Fields Of Green...

Scripture:
Joshua 1:6-8
Hebrews 13:1-8

Manifest Destiny, I remember learning about it in school growing up.  The settlers in the 1800’s thought it was Manifest Destiny for the United States to reach coast to coast.  We eventually became the greatest nation in the world.  Unfortunately we have gone astray from God’s word.  Our society has forgotten its first love.  The Jewish people went through the same thing after God gave them the Promised Land. 

As the saying goes history repeats itself.  I think Ronald Reagan said it best. “If we ever forget that we are One Nation Under God, then we will be a nation gone under.” God warned Joshua of this very thing in Joshua 1:7-8:  

Only be strong and very courageous; be careful to do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, so that you may have success wherever you go. This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it; for then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have success. 

Something I have stated in the past, and firmly still believe, that will fix our nation’s problems.  It is simply one word.  As a nation we need to turn back to the Scriptures.  The Bible is our answer it is really that simple.  In it we will find our way again.  Through it God will bless us and we will prosper.  One thing we know for sure is that God will always be with us. Hebrews 13:5 “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.”  God will not leave us but will we leave Him?  We need to make sure we keep God’s word buried deep in our hearts.  What is in our hearts will be what comes out.

The Greatest Commands

Scripture:
Matthew 22:34-40
Luke 5:1-11

The greatest commands from God can be the hardest of them all.  If we try to fulfill God’s commands on our own power we will fail.  Jesus told the Pharisees that the greatest command is to love God with everything we are.  The second is to love our neighbors as ourselves.  All the other commands hinge upon these two.

Trying to love our neighbors and enemies on our own power will doom us to fail.  After all it is in our nature to be self seeking and self serving.  It becomes about what I can get or how can I benefit.  Loving others as we love ourselves we deny ourselves and it becomes about someone else.  It is now what can I do for them.  It is no longer to our benefit but our neighbors.  

When we open our hearts to the Holy Spirit God will give us the strength and desire to love our neighbors as ourselves.  Eventually it is no longer being a chore but a way of life.  1 Corinthians 13:4-7

⁴ Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. ⁵ It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. ⁶ Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. ⁷ It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

Let our motto in life emulate these verses.  If we do then we will put others first in life.  Then just maybe this world will become a better place.  Jesus loves us so much He came to die so that we might have life.  He became a teacher to show the way.  He became a healer to give life.  He became a counselor to help prepare us.  Peter’s first encounter with Jesus was when He filled the nets with fish.  Peter’s life was changed forever because he did as Jesus asked.  How much will He bless us and give to us if we listen to His commands, specially the first two…