Bearer of Burdens

Psalm 68:19 (NASB) Blessed by the LORD, who daily bears our burden, The God who is our salvation.

There are times when our personal burdens seem to overwhelm us; they seem to be too much to bear, and we become mentally worn out.  We go to bed tired, and we wake up tired because we try to overcome our burdens in our own strength and wisdom.  We might even rely on other people to relieve us, or help us to overcome our problems.  God does work through His people yet, God says He is the one who bears our burdens.  We are weak, but God is infinite in His power and wisdom, and He simply asks that we turn our burdens over to Him; that we trust Him to work out our problems in a way that is to our ultimate benefit and well being.  Our LORD is never too busy to attend to our individual burdens because He really is infinite.  Nothing is too difficult for Him.  He has the ability to hear millions of prayers at once, and to attend to each one as though our personal prayer is the only one at the moment.  Let us give Him the praise and thanksgiving that He is due, and trust Him as we pray.

The words of Jesus:

Matthew 11:29-30 (NASB) 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.  "For My yoke is easy and My burden is light."

God’s Truth is Absolute

1 John 5:10-12 (NKJV) He who believes in the Son of God has the witness in himself; he who does not believe God has made Him a liar, because he has not believed the testimony that God has given of His Son.  And this is the testimony: That God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son.  He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life.

The Apostle John writes strong words regarding the truth about Jesus Christ.  These words are a great encouragement to those who believe, and can be a deep offense to those who refuse to believe, or to those who follow religions based on men's works rather than faith in our Savior.  To those who are committed to follow Jesus Christ, eternal life is not something to wait for because it begins at the moment we are saved, and was planned by God before creation.  Life in Christ cannot be obtained through anything we do, but is given by God through our faith in Him and His Son.  John says we can know that we have eternal life; it is not something that we just "hope" for because it is not based on our changing emotions, but on the promise of God.  We must ask the question, "Have I honestly and completely committed my life to Christ, my Lord and Savior?"  If the answer is, "Yes," then we can know that we are children of God.  This is the unchanging truth that we must cling to, and stand on, no matter what the argument to the contrary, or temptation or emotional swing.  If the answer is, "Yes," then we must be willing to boldly proclaim this absolute truth to others because their eternity is dependent on the knowledge of the truth.

1 John 5:13 (NKJV) These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you may continue to believe in the name of the Son of God.

May your day be blessed in God's promises and assurance.  May God's peace and strength fill you to overcome every problem, and may His wisdom guide you.

Life in Christ

1 John 5:11-12 (NASB) And the testimony is this, that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son.  He who has the Son has the life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have the life.

God created all of mankind to be eternal creatures.  When we, in faith, call on Jesus Christ for forgiveness of our sins and salvation, God sets us on the unchanging path of eternal life with Him.  If we refuse the call of God; if we refuse the knock on the door of our hearts, the eternal path we then choose will be a terrible disappointment to us.  While still in this earthly body, God's purpose for those in Christ is to do the good works that bring the unimaginable rewards in the eternity He has prepared for us.  The questions we must frequently ask ourselves is; "Am I living for important things or unimportant things?"  "Am I living for selfish motives or am I living to accomplish God's purpose for me?"  "Am I living to pursue comfort or am I living to build God's kingdom?"  These questions may be disturbing to face, but must be asked, and answered honestly, if we are to serve our Savior.

Ephesians 2:10 (NASB) For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.

Born Again

Revelation 7:9-10 (NASB) After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could count, from every nation and all tribes and peoples and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, and palm branches were in their hands; and they cry out with a loud voice, saying, "Salvation to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb."

During conversations with people I sometimes ask the question, "Do you believe you will go to heaven when you die?"  More often than not, the answer will be something like, "I don't know, but I hope so."  During a conversation Jesus had with Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews, Jesus responded to his question.  John 3:3 (NASB) "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God."

Jesus emphasized this requirement of going to heaven in John 3:5, 7 (NASB) "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God."  Vs.7 "Do not be amazed that I said to you, ‛You must be born again.'

What did Jesus mean?  He meant that a transformation must take place in the heart of every person before they will see, or before they will enter the Kingdom of God.  We are all born into this life spiritually dead; sinners, adversaries to God.  Jesus meant that we must be changed from the condition of being spiritually dead to God to spiritually alive to God; a new beginning, a rebirth.  Simply participating in religious ceremony and ritual, or living a moral life is not the answer.  This is the point that Jesus was teaching the Jewish religious leaders, and they refused to believe Him.  The author of the book of Hebrews warns us five times not to be hardened to the word of God.  This process or event of rebirth can only be accomplished by God, and is called regeneration.  God, in the Old Testament, says in Ezekiel 36:26 (NKJV) I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.  This new heart is designed to love God with all our being.  This heart is a heart of faith, able to receive and believe the truth of God's word and to act upon it, confessing our sins to Him in an attitude of repentance; seeking His forgiveness.

Our Call to Witness

Mark 16:15-16 (NKJV) And He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.  He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned."

Jesus Christ began His ministry after choosing twelve disciples.  He called them to follow Him; to learn His teachings and to understand who He was.  These men, minus the one who betrayed Him, plus Paul, who was converted by Christ after His resurrection, changed the entire world.  Commanded by Christ and filled with God's Holy Spirit, they taught the message of God's love, forgiveness, and salvation through Jesus Christ.  This message of hope is passed on to us through the Bible, the inspired word of God. Every believer is called to witness the fact of Christ's coming, His sacrifice on the cross, His death and His resurrection, and His invitation to receive forgiveness of our sins and eternal life through Him, our Lord and our Creator.  We can all be a participant in His calling.  We can witness to those whom God sends to us, taking bold advantage of each opportunity, and we can support those who are called to sacrifice comfortable lives at home in order to take Christ's message to foreign lands.  This is God's work; to fulfill His plan for mankind.

Matthew 28:19 (NKJV) "Go, therefore, and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age."  Amen.

The Greatest of Hopes

The Scottish tune of "Auld Lang Syne," reminiscing of the old days, has once again drifted into eternity, leaving us to look forward to the New Year: a year that so many millions, upon its arrival, just celebrated and put their hopes and dreams into, hoping that things will be better...always hoping. But, what is hope? In the world, hope is that something desired will happen – a feeling, or wish, that the thing desired will really come to be. This "hope" so often disappoints us, and by the end of the once celebrated new year, as the artist depicts, the new baby year has turned into a wise old man with a sickle and an hour-glass, ready to retire, while craftily greeting and ushering the next new baby year in, but never telling him of the rigors of life that must be faced.

There is another, different kind of hope. This is the hope promised by God, not just wished for and not to be disappointed by. It is the hope that is guaranteed to happen, the hope that we can depend upon because the hope-giver is not of this world, but Almighty God, our Creator, the Supreme Architect and Sovereign Ruler of the universe, our eternal Savior.

Psalm 62:5 (NASB) My soul, wait in silence for God only, for my hope is from Him.

Colossians 1:5 (NASB) ....because of the hope laid up for you in heaven, of which you previously heard in the word of truth, the gospel....

Titus 1:2 (NASB) in the hope of eternal life, which God, who cannot lie, promised long ages ago,

1 John 3:2-3 (NASB) Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we will be. We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is. And everyone who has this hope fixed on Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.

Finally, our celebration in hope of the "New" can take place every day because for all those who are in Christ, He has made a most wonderful promise that He not only has the authority to keep, but the power to keep.

Revelation 21:5-7 (NASB) And He who sits on the throne said, "Behold, I am making all things new." And He said, Write, for these words are faithful and true." Then He said to me, "It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give to the one who thirsts from the spring of the water of life without cost. "He who overcomes will inherit these things, and I will be his God and he will be My son."

If you have not yet called on Jesus Christ for forgiveness of your sins so that you may be called a child of God and promised an inheritance in His kingdom, then now is the time to start things new. If you thirst for Him, He promises the "water of life" is without cost.  Salvation is by His mercy, love, and grace and He gives it freely. To receive the true "hope" is to receive the greatest gift and hope of all.

For those who are already in Christ, children of God, rejoice in the fact that we are one year closer to His return, one year closer to seeing His promises fulfilled. To everyone, may God grant you a truly blessed year growing closer to Him.

Unwavering Faith

2 Timothy 1:8-11 (NKJV) Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me His prisoner, but share with me in the sufferings for the gospel according to the power of God, who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began, but has now been revealed by the appearing of our Savior Jesus Christ, who has abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel, to which I was appointed a preacher, and apostle, and a teacher of the Gentiles.

Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ, in order to capture his entire thought, sometimes wrote very long sentences.  Present day teachers of languages might be appalled if one of their students wrote this same sentence.  But, what is Paul's message, breathed into him by God?  At the time of this writing, Paul was in prison in Rome.  Persecution of Christians was mounting, and Paul's loved disciple, Timothy, was witnessing his fellow Christians being arrested and executed.  Having lost all his material possessions, but not his faith, Paul encouraged Timothy to hold fast; to expect persecution and suffering, and to continue to preach the gospel.  Paul reminds us of God's grace; that it is He who has called us because He loves us, and sent Christ to die for us, and this was His plan, even before creation.  In this present day we must remember that it is not our efforts that make us acceptable to God, but His grace; His pre-creation plan, to redeem us through the vicarious sacrifice of Christ, and that we are to be steadfast in our faith.  It is the Lord who gives us strength to carry on, and no amount of earthly suffering should weaken our faith in God's eternal plan for our life with Him.  The Lord is our Savior, our shepherd, our faithful guide, our provider, our healer, our comforter, and our wise counsel.

2 Timothy 1:12 (NKJV) For this reason I also suffer these things; nevertheless I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep what I have committed to Him until that Day.