Burdens

January 10th – Acts 3:19

Acts 3:19

As a machine mechanic, everyday my husband comes home with clothes marked by the grime of hard work. This makes the subsequent grease stains a challenge to remove. And sometimes, hard as I try, his clothes remained stained. Thankfully unlike earthly fabrics, our souls are never too dirty for God to clean. In the divine laundry of His forgiveness, every trace of sin, no matter how stubborn, is washed away completely. For when we come before the Lord with a sorry heart and in true repentance, He comes like a stain stick penetrating deep into the fabric of our souls. Lovingly, He erases every mark left behind by the grime of our wrongdoings. Even the deepest, darkest burden and mistake is cleansed, leaving our souls fresh, renewed, and unburdened from the filth of our iniquities. Repentance is the powerful detergent that leaves our spiritual garments spotless. It’s a transformative act that reminds us of God’s boundless grace and the unparalleled cleansing power found in turning our hearts toward Him.

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July 20th – Proverbs 17:17

Proverbs 17:17

Playwright Oscar Wide once said, “The burden of this world is too great for one man to bear, and the world’s sorrow too heavy for one heart to suffer.” It’s said you find out who your real friends are when you’re at your lowest. They are the ones who not only stay through the bad times, they offer to help carry the load. And if that load is due to falling in sin, they follow the words of Paul restoring, “such a one in a spirit of gentleness.” (Gal. 6:1) Real friends set aside their pride. For they know we all fall short daily, have moments of weakness, and need help from time to time. As Christians being a servant of the Lord is a great honor. But Jesus gives us an even greater honor by calling us friends. Therefore, from joyful hearts filled with thankfulness and love, may we mimic the friendship of Jesus to a hurting world, And, “while we have opportunity, let us do good to all people.” (Gal. 6:10)

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June 1st – Matthew 11:29

Matthew 11:29

Sometimes it seems life has a way of kicking us when we’re down.  And just when we think we can’t get any lower, we get kicked again. But in His great love, Jesus offers rest for our souls, and to share in the carrying of our burdens. For His yoke is easy and His burden light. A yoke is a wooden beam normally used between a pair of animals, to enable them to pull together when carrying a load. What a beautiful image of the perfect partnership.  Jesus, is our perfect Partner. When our hearts are weary, He offers to work shoulder to shoulder with us and help to carry our load. There is no better place to be then partnered with the Lord, trusting Him to set the direction and pace for our lives. For as Proverbs 3:5-6 tells us, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways, acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.”

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November 5th – 68:19

Psalm 68:19

Each day overflows with blessings from God. And it’s easy to be thankful for the ones we can tangibly see and feel. But are we just as thankful for the daily blessings we don’t see? Blessings such as food, clothing, shelter, and safety. Blessings we can so easily take for granted. Each day whether we are coming or going, the Lord is always behind the scenes, baring our burdens along the way. For His work wasn’t finished at the Cross. Even now, Jesus stands at the right hand of Father, interceding on our behalf. He fights for against our enemies, and cares about the poor, afflicted, and downtrodden. Never once do we face a single day on this earth alone. Not when we have Jesus as our Lord and Savior. For as the song says, “What a friend we have in Jesus, all our sins and griefs to bear. What a privilege to carry everything to God in prayer.”

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