VIDEO When Your Burden Is Overwhelming – Heart for God, Vision for the World

What To Do When Your Burden Is Overwhelming

Cast your burden on the Lord… —Psalm 55:22

We must recognize the difference between burdens that are right for us to bear and burdens that are wrong. We should never bear the burdens of sin or doubt, but there are some burdens placed on us by God which He does not intend to lift off. God wants us to roll them back on Him— to literally “cast your burden,” which He has given you, “on the Lord….” If we set out to serve God and do His work but get out of touch with Him, the sense of responsibility we feel will be overwhelming and defeating. But if we will only roll back on God the burdens He has placed on us, He will take away that immense feeling of responsibility, replacing it with an awareness and understanding of Himself and His presence.

Many servants set out to serve God with great courage and with the right motives. But with no intimate fellowship with Jesus Christ, they are soon defeated. They do not know what to do with their burden, and it produces weariness in their lives. Others will see this and say, “What a sad end to something that had such a great beginning!”

“Cast your burden on the Lord….” You have been bearing it all, but you need to deliberately place one end on God’s shoulder. “…the government will be upon His shoulder” (Isaiah 9:6). Commit to God whatever burden He has placed on you. Don’t just cast it aside, but put it over onto Him and place yourself there with it. You will see that your burden is then lightened by the sense of companionship. But you should never try to separate yourself from your burden.

WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS

“I have chosen you” (John 15:16). Keep that note of greatness in your creed. It is not that you have got God, but that He has got you.  My Utmost for His Highest, October 25, 837 R

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Dr Charles Stanley March 26 2019 — A Heart for God,A Vision for the World — Charles Stanley 2019

Do you have a heart for God? If so, you are compelled to share the good news of salvation with a lost and dying world. In this sermon, Dr. Stanley explains how having a heart for God means we desire to know God, obey Christ, and share the gospel.

Giving to a Cause

2 Cor 8:4-5  They urgently pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing in this service to the Lord’s people… they gave themselves first of all to the Lord, and then by the will of God also to us.

What kind of cause would you support? For two young men in Singapore, it was the universities they had graduated from. The Straits Times recently reported on the two 30-somethings who donated $100,000 and $250,000 respectively to their alma mater, as part of a desire to give back to the institutions that they believed had benefited them.

As philanthropists—especially those who support educational institutions—tend to be older, it’s somewhat unusual to see younger people donating such large sums to their alma mater. It’s also heartening, for it’s a refreshing rebuttal to commonly-heard criticism that young Singaporeans are “ungrateful” and “uninterested in helping society”.

Sceptics will probably say that these two young men could afford it—both are highly successful—but I think that’s besides the point. There are many who are even wealthier but less generous! And perhaps less far-sighted. In contributing to education, Randy Ang and Alvin Poh are making a significant, meaningful contribution to the next generation of Singaporean students. Perhaps they were thinking of how they could help younger people succeed in life, just as they were once helped by their universities.

Which made me wonder: Do we do the same as Christians? Do we give just as we have been given? Do we love as we have been loved? Do we seek to further the gospel, having received it ourselves?

I believe all of us are grateful for God’s mercy, grace, and salvation, which we have received unconditionally. Perhaps we can ask ourselves: Are we also ready to “pay it forward”—to be involved in the ministry of the gospel, and to support its spread so that more will come to a saving knowledge of Jesus as their Lord and Saviour? In other words, are we prepared to bless others as we ourselves have been blessed. Is that a “cause” we are passionate about?

The believers in Macedonia certainly were.

In 2 Corinthians 8:1-5, Paul praises them for giving “as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability”, even though they were “in the midst of a very severe trial” and mired in “extreme poverty”. What struck me was not just their “rich generosity”, but also that “they urgently pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing in this service to the Lord’s people”. I believe the Macedonians were not just keen to help their needy brethren, but were also passionate about furthering the gospel and sharing God’s love in a real, tangible way. Just as they received the gospel and felt cared for, they sought to ensure that others would be blessed as they themselves were.

Not all of us are called to be missionaries, or “goers”, or are in positions to teach or nurture God’s people directly. But many of us can be “senders”, enabling the work of the gospel by supporting missionaries and those who teach and nurture God’s people—the people who may have once done this for us. We can pray for them, encourage and strengthen them, volunteer our time and our talents, or support them financially.

What cause will you support today?

Lord, thank You for sending people to share the gospel with me, teach me, and help me to grow in my faith. Please show me how I can do the same for others, that more might come to know and follow You. —Leslie Koh

 

Lord, thank You for sending people
to share the gospel with me, teach me,
and help me to grow in my faith.
Please show me how I can do the same for others,
that more might come to know and follow You.

 

We give because we have received.

Following Our Convictions

Acts 4:1-20

Most of us have been blessed to live relatively free from persecution. We may have experienced some mocking, ridicule, or ostracism because of our beliefs, but we don’t have to fear punishment or death. However, that’s not the case elsewhere in the world. There are Christians in other countries for whom today’s passage is all too familiar.

Acts 4 tells us that Peter and John faced great opposition for their faith. After being thrown into jail for healing a sick man, they were warned not to speak or teach in Jesus Christ’s name. But they held firmly to their convictions and replied, “Do you think God wants us to obey you rather than him? We cannot stop telling about everything we have seen and heard” (Acts 4:19-20 NLT).

Our goal as believers is to become unshakeable in our faith. Peter and John didn’t flinch from their responsibility to proclaim salvation in Jesus’ name, even in the face of imprisonment and threats. Yet in reading this account, we may wonder how we could ever endure persecution.

The truth is that in ourselves, we can’t do it. But we are never alone. When we stand for our convictions, God’s Spirit is always present in us. He gives us the physical, spiritual, mental, and moral strength to stand firm when we are tested and tried (Luke 12:11-12).

God wants His children to trust Him with the future; He doesn’t want us becoming panicky about what may lie ahead. But if He ever calls us to suffer for Him, in that moment He’ll provide the grace we need in order to remain faithful.

Able One

“Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy, To the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen.” (Jude 1:24-25)

This beautiful benediction is quoted at the end of many worship times because it summarizes both the core promises and the foundational authority of “the only wise God our Saviour.”

He is able! The precision of the Holy Spirit’s inspired words is always perfect. The ability of the only wise God is not only omnipotent but omniscient as well. The Greek word dunamis signifies not only sufficient innate power to accomplish the task but also the knowledge to perform the job correctly. The leper said, “Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean” (Matthew 8:2).

He is able to “keep you from falling.” Again, the word choices are absolutely wonderful. God’s ability is used to provide a place of safe custody sufficient to stop any external attack. “But the Lord is faithful, who shall stablish you, and keep you from evil” (2 Thessalonians 3:3). That custody protects our “faultlessness”—a condition that is without any flaw. “According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love” (Ephesians 1:4).

Only God’s omnipotence and omniscience can produce a “new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness” (Ephesians 4:24). God “can do” nothing less. His dunamis is such that “whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God” (1 John 3:9).

That is why “the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God” must be given “honour and glory for ever and ever. Amen” (1 Timothy 1:17). HMM III

Some Off-Color Humor

Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers…. Neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor jesting, which are not convenient: but rather giving of thanks.

—Ephesians 4:29, 5:4

One of the most shocking things in the church is the dirty-mouthed Christian who always walks on the borderline. There is no place for borderline stories that embarrass some people, and there is nothing about sex or the human body that is funny if your mind is clean.

There was once a gathering of officers, and George Washington was present in the room. One of the young officers began to think about a dirty story that he wanted to tell, and he got a smirk on his face. He looked around and said, “I’m thinking of a story. I guess there are no ladies present.” Washington straightened up and said, “No, young man, but there are gentlemen.” The young officer shut his mouth and kept the dirty story inside his dirty head and heart.

Anything you could not tell with Jesus present, do not tell. Anything you could not laugh at were Jesus present, do not laugh at.   RRR067

What an important reminder, Lord! Keep my thoughts pure. Amen.

 

We pray always for you

We pray always for you, that our God would count you worthy of this calling, and fulfil all the good pleasure of His goodness, and the work of faith with power.—2 Thessalonians 1:11.

 

Thou settest us each task divine,

We bless that helping hand of Thine,

That strength by Thee bestowed.

Thou minglest in the glorious fight,

Thine own the cause! Thine own the might!

We serve the Living God.

Thomas H. Gill.

 

Every hard effort generously faced, every sacrifice cheerfully submitted to, every word spoken under difficulties, raises those who speak or act or suffer to a higher level; endows them with a clearer sight of God; braces them with a will of more strength and freedom; warms them with a more generous and large and tender heart.

Henry P. Liddon.

A man’s best desires are always the index and measure of his possibilities; and the most difficult duty that a man is capable of doing is the duty that above all he should do.

Charles H. Brent.

 

Under the laws of Providence, we have duties which are perilous.

Austin Phelps.

 

Have Holy Foresight

“Nevertheless I say unto you, Hereafter shall ye see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of Heaven.” Matt. 26:64

Ah, Lord, thou wast in thy lowest state when before thy persecutors thou wast made to stand like a criminal! Yet the eyes of thy faith could see beyond thy present humiliation into thy future glory. What words are these, “Nevertheless — hereafter”! I would imitate thy holy foresight, and in the midst of poverty, or sickness, or slander, I also would say, “Nevertheless — hereafter.” Instead of weakness, thou hast all power; instead of shame, all glory; instead of derision, all worship. Thy cross has not dimmed the splendor of thy crown, neither has the spittle marred the beauty of thy face. Say, rather, thou art the more exalted and honored because of thy sufferings.

So, Lord, I also would take courage from the “hereafter.” I would forget the present tribulation in the future triumph. Help thou me by directing me into thy Father’s love and into thine own patience, so that when I am derided for thy name I may not be staggered, but think more and more of the hereafter, and, therefore, all the less of today. I shall be with thee soon and behold thy glory. Wherefore, I am not ashamed, but say in my inmost soul, “Nevertheless — hereafter.”

 

VIDEO Two-Fold Peace

Two-Fold Peace

Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Romans 5:1

Since 1992, The Innocence Project has seen more than 350 wrongfully convicted people exonerated and freed from prison (and more than 150 actual perpetrators convicted). When someone is released from prison after years of incarceration, they experience profound peace of heart and mind. But peace of mind comes only after they have experienced peace with the criminal justice system.

There is a two-fold peace in the Christian’s experience as well. We are promised the peace of God when we commit our troubles and requests to Him, peace that will guard our heart and mind as we abide in Christ (Philippians 4:6-7). But we can only experience the peace of God because we have peace with God. “Having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Romans 5:1). Both are important, but there is an order: first, peace with God; then, the peace of God. Both are gifts of grace, worthy of praise to Him.

If you are seeking God’s peace in your life, make sure you have peace with God first. Both are ours through faith in Christ.

When we lack the peace of God, we should turn to our peace with God. Robert M. Horn

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The Divine Guarantee of an Eternal Salvation, Part 1 (Romans 5:1–2)

The Empty Bed

Go and make disciples of all nations.  Matthew 28:19

I was eager to return to St. James Infirmary in Montego Bay, Jamaica, and reconnect with Rendell, who two years earlier had learned about Jesus’s love for him. Evie, a teenager in the high school choir I travel with each spring, had read Scripture with Rendell and explained the gospel, and he personally received Jesus as his Savior.

When I entered the men’s section of the home and looked toward Rendell’s bed, however, I found it was empty. I went to the nurse’s station, and was told what I didn’t want to hear. He had passed away—just five days before we arrived.

Through tears, I texted Evie the sad news. Her response was simple: “Rendell is celebrating with Jesus.” Later she said, “It’s a good thing we told him about Jesus when we did.”

Her words reminded me of the importance of being ready to lovingly share with others the hope we have in Christ. No, it’s not always easy to proclaim the gospel message about the One who will be with us always (Matthew 28:20), but when we think about the difference it made for us and for people like Rendell, perhaps we’ll be encouraged to be even more ready to “make disciples” wherever we go (v. 19).

I’ll never forget the sadness of seeing that empty bed—and also the joy of knowing what a difference one faithful teen made in Rendell’s forever life.

By Dave Branon

Reflect & Pray

What are some things you can do to introduce people to Jesus today? As you share your faith, how does it encourage you to know Jesus is “with you always” (Matthew 28:20)?

God, we know that people need You. Help us to overcome our fear of telling others about You.

Strength for the Fearful

Isaiah 41:9-13

I recommend that believers underline Isaiah 41 in their Bible and meditate on it frequently. When one of God’s people is seeking an anchor in turbulent times, this is the right passage for the job. Here, Isaiah writes about the source of Christians’ strength.

In Isaiah 41:10 alone, the Lord promises strength, help, and protection. Moreover, He gives two commands: “Do not fear” and “Do not anxiously look about you.” Among Satan’s subtle and successful traps is the art of distraction. The evil one knows that fear can choke faith. He works hard to make unsettling circumstances a person’s sole focus. Once a believer’s attention is diverted from God, natural human tendencies take over. In the absence of prayer and worship, anxiety and doubt grow unobstructed.

Staying focused on the Lord can be hard. The flesh prefers to seek security by thinking through all possible angles. Our tendency is to weigh what we think could happen against what “experts” say will happen, and then to evaluate possible ways of preventing our worst fears from coming true. Instead of becoming more confident, we begin to realize how powerless we are. Thankfully, we serve an almighty God who says, “Surely I will help you” (Isa. 41:10). We can count on Him.

By focusing on our circumstances, we’re actually choosing to feel anxiety and doubt. But these emotions don’t belong in a believer’s daily life. Instead, let’s decide to trust in the promises God has given us. He’s filled His Word with scriptural anchors to keep His children steady in the faith.