Lay Down Your Burdens

"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you  rest." - Matthew 11:28

     It seems like we all fight the same battles, day in, and day out, only to fall short each time. In Romans 7:15 we read, "For what I am doing, I do not understand. For what I will to do, that I do not practice; but what I hate, that I do." Isn't this so true? 

     According to Isaiah 59:1-2, we have all done wrong and gone astray, and the things we do wrong cause a separation between us and God. No one can bridge that gap by their own efforts. Jesus is the only way. On the Cross He took all our wrongdoing upon Himself (Isiah 53:6) and paid the price for our sins.

     Victory comes when we stop trying to gain it in our own strength. It comes when we lay our heavy burden at the foot of the Cross, turn our lives over to the Lord, and are willing to let the Holy Spirit take the lead. Only then can the process of transformation begin, for it is God "who works in us to will and to act according to his good purpose" (Philippians 2:13). All good things we have or become, whatever the world's explanation may be, are a result of His grace, and His grace alone.
      This past week, my husband and I were talking about burdens. How, sometimes, we carry burdens for so long, and they start to build up. What we fail to realize often times, is that God is there, to take our burdens. In Matthew 11:28-30, it says, "Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”
     We need to all remember this. We need to all come to the cross of Christ, give him our worries, pain, strife, needs, wants, concerns, and love. We need to love the Lord our God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength... in doing this, we please the Father in Heaven. So, go to the Cross of Christ, lay down your burdens, and give your all in all to Him!

 Come As You Are:

Come out of sadness

From wherever you've been

Come broken hearted

Let rescue begin

Come find your mercy

Oh sinner come kneel

Earth has no sorrow

That heaven can't heal

Earth has no sorrow

That heaven can't heal

So lay down your burdens

Lay down your shame

All who are broken

Lift up your face

Oh wanderer come home

You're not too far

So lay down your hurt

Lay down your heart

Come as you are

There's hope for the hopeless

And all those who've strayed

Come sit at the table

Come taste the grace

There's rest for the weary

Rest that endures

Earth has no sorrow

That heaven can't cure

So lay down your burdens

Lay down your shame

All who are broken

Lift up your face

Oh wanderer come home

You're not too far

Lay down your hurt

Lay down your heart

Come as you are

Come as you are

Fall in his arms

Come as you are

There's joy for the morning

Oh sinner be still

Earth has no sorrow

That heaven can't heal

Earth has no sorrow

That heaven can't heal

So lay down your burdens

Lay down your shame

All who are broken

Lift up your face

Oh wanderer come home

You're not too far

So lay down your hurt

Lay down your heart

Come as you are

The Heart of Serving

This past week, I went to help out during a conference at our pastors house. I would help cook breakfast, lunch, and dinner for approx. 70 men/boys; refill all the drinks, (coffee/tea/water/lemonade) and do the dishes, and answer any questions or help in any way I could.
While I was there Monday-Wednesday, I was thinking over and over again about Matthew 20:28,"...The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve..."

A friend of mine and I were talking a couple weeks ago, and both her and I agreed that it's so much easier to help and serve other people, but when it comes to our own home, we're reluctant to do our own chores that need to be done. 
Why is that?
Why do we find it easier to serve other people with a joyful heart, and then, when it comes to doing our own duty and serving our parents/siblings/family, that we become complacent?

On one of the morning when us "kitchen girls" did our devotions together, we read Isaiah 40:28-31, "Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth does not become weary or tired. His understanding is inscrutable. He gives strength to the weary, and to Him who lacks might He increases power. Though youths grow weary and tired, and vigorous young men stumble badly, yet those who wait for the Lord will gain new strength; they will mount up with wings like eagles, they will run and not get tired, they will walk and not become weary."

In what ways do you serve that you become tired and/or wearisome? Why?
I've come to realize that as each day goes by Christ gives us the amount of strength and grace we need to complete each day until His will.
We are bondservants of Christ... to have a complete and utter devotion to God, His word,
and His will.
So, the next time you serve, don't think of it as a chore or task, but think of it more as helping and assisting; and remember, that Christ came to serve.
This, is the Heart of Service.

Finishing well

Have you ever heard it said, "Finish what you've started"?
Sometimes, we can become so obsessed with completion that we become blind to effectiveness. Just because a project is on the table, doesn't mean it can't be returned to the shelf. No, my desire is not to convince you to finish everything. My desire is to encourage you to finish the right thing. Certain races are optional- like speed reading and sports; other races are essential- like the race of faith. Consider the admonition from the author of Hebrew, "...let us run with endurance the race that is set before us..." (Hebrews 12:1)

The word "Race" is from the Greek "agon", from which we get the word "agony". The Christian's race is not a jog, but rather a demanding and grueling, sometimes agonizing race. It takes a massive effort to finish strong. I'm sure you've observed that there are many on the side of the trail?! They used to be running. There was a time when they kept the pace; but then weariness sets in. They didn't think the run would be this tough, or they were discouraged by a bump and daunted by a fellow runner. Whatever the reason, they don't run anymore. They may be Christians... they may come to church, but are their hearts in the race? They retire before their time. Unless something changes, their best work will have been their first work, and they will finish with a whimper.

By contrast, Jesus' best work was his final work, and his strongest step. Our Master is the classic example of one who endured. The writer of Hebrews goes on to say that Jesus, "Held on while wicked people were doing evil things to Him." The Bible says Jesus, "Held on", implying that Jesus could have, "let go". The runner could have given up, sat down, gone home. He could have quit the race; but he didn't! He held on! He kept on running!
Jesus was tempted, accused, and criticized, but he kept running! The question is... how? How did he endure such disgrace? What gave Jesus the strength to endure the shame of all the world? We need an answer, don't we? Like Jesus we are tempted. Like Jesus we are accused. Like Jesus we are ashamed. But unlike Jesus, we give up. We give out. We sit down. How can we keep running as Jesus did? How can our hearts have endurance Jesus had?
By focusing where Jesus focused: on, "the joy that God put before Him." (Hebrews 12:2)
He, "accepted the shame as if it were nothing because of the joy that God put before him." In His final moments, Jesus was able to focus on the prize of heaven. By focusing on the prize, he was able not only to finish the race, but to finish it strong!
Surrounded by saints and engulfed by Jesus himself, the work will, indeed, be finished. The final harvest will have been gathered, we will be seated, and Christ will christien the meal with these words: "Well done, good and faithful servant" (Matthew 25:23 KJV)