Good morning and happy Saturday,
Ever have one of those weeks where the amount of news that you hear seems to be overwhelming? Some of it is not the volume per se, but the difficulty, complexity or even the nature of it all. It seems as though every day we are bombarded with things that, if not processed properly, can bury us in a mound of uncertainty, leave us wandering in a fog of doubt, or even cause us to want to go hide somewhere. Can anyone relate to this? I am confident that you can. Without a doubt, everyone is dealing with something. We all know of people that have lost their jobs. Some have been having financial problems for a long time. People have been cheated out of their pension, benefits, livelihood, etc. Parents that are dealing with rebellious children. Husbands and wives dealing with all sorts of things. Friends that have received news about serious and deadly diseases. Families dealing with the loss of a loved one. The tragedies that occurred this past week and the nagging feeling it will happen again and again. Events in our community that demonstrate that evil is alive and well. People making poor choices. Others making incredibly stupid decisions. This list could go on and on. I am sure you could add other items to it. However, that is enough for now. What we do need is to be reminded of what to do when life throws a lot at you at once.
In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus was seeking to teach the people His identity as the Son of God, the Messiah and the Savior that was to come. He wanted them to understand that religion was not the means to salvation. Rather it was through faith in Him, a relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. In Matthew 11, He beckoned them:
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.” (Matthew 11:28-30)
At some point, most of us recognized that we were hopelessly lost sinners in need of a Savior. We came to recognize Jesus as the One and Only Savior so we placed our faith in Him, resting in Him for our salvation, our eternal life. But for some reason, we are not always so good at resting in Him as we live our life here on this earth. In the midst of the trials and difficulties of this life, we forget that He “is with us always, to the very end of this age.” Sometimes we spend our time trying to figure everything out ourselves and neglect to turn to the One that offers rest for our souls. In the midst of all that Jesus went through on this earth, even He is seen turning to His Father, our Father, in prayer.
If you are feeling a bit overworked, overloaded or overwhelmed today, seek to find rest in Jesus. Spend some time alone with Him in prayer. Turn to His Word. Reach out to a brother or sister in Christ to talk to, cry with, vent, or whatever you need to do. Know this, we are meant for each other. That is the beauty of the body of Christ.
I close with the familiar words of Proverbs 3:
1My son, do not forget my teaching, but keep my commands in your heart,
2 for they will prolong your life many years and bring you peace and prosperity.
3 Let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck,
write them on the tablet of your heart.
4 Then you will win favor and a good name in the sight of God and man.
5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding;
6 in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.
7 Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and shun evil.
8 This will bring health to your body and nourishment to your bones.
(Proverbs 3:1-8)
You are loved, appreciated and prayed for!
Larry
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