The Weight of the World

Did you ever have one of those days where you feel like you have the weight of the world on your shoulders?  Nothing seems right in your home, in your family, in the world and there is simply nothing you can do about it.  Those kind of days it is hard to power through when all you really want to do is climb back in bed and sleep... thinking maybe when you wake up things will be different.

I had one of those days recently.  I learned that a dear friend lost her husband to a massive heart attack.  I knew her husband, and I know that my friend is hurting and I am not there to love, comfort and support her.  But God is.  If I am honest, even though God is with her, I am still sad.

A little later on the same day, I spoke with my son who has been job hunting for a really long time. He finally had a good job locked in, he had a start date, things were good to go and then there was a hiccup in his paperwork, and with his cell phone - he missed an important call and the company terminated the hiring process and hired someone else.  Heartbreaking news.  When he and I spoke on the phone we decided God is in this and there is a reason.   Acknowledging that God is in control of this situation doesn't make it any less painful.  I am still sad for my son and his family because this didn't work out for them.

Does this mean that I don't trust God?  Does it mean that I have no faith?  No.  It means I have a heart.  A heart that hurts for the people I care about.  A heart that feels what they are feeling.  I like that!

So I did what I always do with my sad heart, I took it to the Savior.  I told Him what I was feeling and you know what He said?  He said, "I know.  I understand.  Be still, child, and know that I am God.  I am in control and I have a plan."  In other words - rest in me - I am with you (and your friend and your son) - I have you (and your friend and your son) securely in the palm of my hand - climb on my lap and feel my embrace."  And so, I did.  I climbed up onto his lap, and taking a deep breath and releasing it with a sigh, I laid the weight of my world at His feet.

Today is a new day.  I woke up with the same left over sadness but today I was granted a new perspective.  I laid in bed looking out the window to see the leaves on the colorful trees blowing gently in the wind.  I saw the glorious sun and felt such gratitude it was overwhelming.  I wondered, can sadness and gratitude fill a heart at the same time?  I suppose it depends on the capacity of the heart.  I believe God has given me much heart capacity because I feel so many different things - sometimes all at the same time - so deeply and so passionately - though probably people would never know that.  I know many people with this same huge heart capacity - and I love that I am surrounded by them. They are a gift as I hope I am a gift to them.

The weight of the world is not mine to bear.  Yes, I will be affected by it - I will feel sadness, I will get disgusted, I will feel pain and sorrow but I have a Savior that knows, that understands, that cares.

The weight of the world is not yours to bear either.  Do you know my Savior?
Let me introduce you...His name is Jesus.  He knows.  He understands.  He cares.  Rest in Him. Climb into His lap and feel His embrace.  Pour yourself out to Him.  Lay the weight of your world at His feet.
He invites you to do just that!

"Then Jesus said, "Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest." 
Matthew 11:28   

    

A Little Faith, A Little Trust and it will all work out!

Remember our story of Jesus yesterday and the 5000+ people gathered to see and hear Him?  He was tired. He was hungry.  But He had compassion on them even after a long, long day, and He started teaching them, just like you would expect Jesus to do.  He ranks on the top of the list for self-sacrifice, wouldn't you agree?  Well to continue that story from the book of Mark -- it got to be late in the afternoon...now if you recall, even Jesus' disciples had not had a moments rest and they had not had a chance to eat.  All those hungry men...I can just imagine they were starting to get a bit ornery - hunger does that to folks.  So the disciples approach Jesus and suggest that He send all the people away so they (the people) can go to the town to buy something to eat.   But Jesus, has other plans..."Oh noooo," He says, "You feed them!"    Whaaaaat!?!?!?!  Right away the disciples start in with all the reasons they can't do that...we don't have enough money, where would we find enough food for all these people? "C'mon, Jesus, get real,"  they must have been thinking.  Jesus, the problem solver said something like this, "You are right this is a lot of people to feed, but how much bread do we have here among the people?  Go find out."  First of all, He hears what they are saying and then He tells them - don't assume you can't do this, go check...do your research.  So they do.  They come back and report that all they can find among the people are five loaves of bread and two fish.  In their minds, I imagine they are thinking - like this is going to be any help in feeding 5000+ people.  I am sure they were skeptical to say the least.  (Paraphrased by me from Mark 6:35-38)

I know there have been many times I was skeptical that God was going to do a work.  Take our move to Idaho for example.  We had prayed and felt certain we had God's blessing to move to Idaho.  We had our kids blessing to move.  Everything was perfect.  We worked night and day to get our home in California ready to sell.  We had help from friends and family.  Everything was blipping along exactly as we thought it was going to because we had confirmation from God that we were doing the right thing - doing what He wanted us to.  The real estate folks thought our home was gorgeous and would sell above market value and so we went with it.  Finally the day came and the sign went up - For Sale!  And then the house sat - For Sale!  No prospects for the first two weeks.  The 3rd week we had people come and see it - many thought it was perfect for them but we had no offers.  So we reduced the price.  Still it sat - For Sale!  1 month, 2 months...This is when the skepticism came in.  I prayed, "Lord isn't this what you wanted?  I don't understand."  He answered with the verses, "Be still and know that I am God."  Psalm 46:10 and "Call to me and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things which you do not know." Jeremiah 33:3  "Ok, Lord," I said, "I will keep trusting, I will keep waiting for the great and mighty things that I don't know about." But it was hard when everything was taking so long.  In looking back in my journal from that period of time, I prayed over and over that He would be glorified through whatever happened with our home.  In my journal I wrote, "Father do your thing - so that it is undeniably Your hand at work, Your will, Your desire for us, Your miracle."   And finally, at the 11th hour, He did.  We had made the decision that we were leaving town on March 30th whether the house was sold or not. This we felt was also ordained and directed by God.  So we went with it. Who are we to argue with God? Right?  On March 7th, we got an offer on the house - all cash - uh oh, I am getting goose bumps again...this is so amazing...all cash, nothing to fix, no added expenses, an 'as is' purchase to close on March 30th!!!  God's timing is always PERFECT!!!  And when everything was said and done, we walked away with more than we had even hoped for.  More than we could ever ask or imagine as the verse says.  "Now all glory to God, who is able, through His mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we could ask or imagine." Ephesians 3:20  In my Bible next to that verse I have written, 'Go to Him with positive expectations.'  Truly, He has never failed to keep His promises to me or my family.

Now, back to our Bible story: Just like in my families story, in this Bible story, Jesus does an amazing work...a miracle.  I am thinking He had this planned all along, just like with our house.  First He tells the disciples to have everyone sit down in groups of 50 or 100.  (He is so organized!!) Then Jesus takes the five loaves and two fish, and looks up to heaven and blesses them.  He then starts breaking the bread and handing it to the disciples so they could pass it to the people.  He does the same with the fish.  Everyone - all 5000+ people - shared the five loaves and two fish.  They all ate and ate and ate until they were full - kind of like a person feels after Thanksgiving dinner.  And afterward the disciples picked up twelve baskets of leftover bread and fish.  TWELVE! They ended up with way more than they even needed.  (Paraphrased by me from Mark 6: 39 - 44) Way more than they could have asked for or imagined. (Ephesians 3:20 again)

When God is involved, and we know that He is guiding and directing, that He is in charge, why do we doubt, even for a moment?  Why did the disciples doubt that Jesus could feed all those people with what little food they had available?  They knew Jesus. They had first hand knowledge of His power.  Why did I doubt for a second that our house was going to be sold?  I think sometimes, when we doubt it is because we can't see the possibilities.   We are blinded by our human limitations.  I think this was true in the case of the disciples.  They were too busy thinking about why the people couldn't be fed.  Other times we doubt because we get impatient.  We don't see things happening as fast as we hoped or even see anything at all happening.  This was true in the case of me and our house.  Whatever the reasoning for your doubt, the important thing is to get past it. God understands. Talk to Him about it. Own up to it and let it go - release "it" to Him - what ever "it" is.  He has it covered - He is handling "it".

With a little faith and a little trust it will all work out!  I know from experience.


"Then Jesus said to His disciples, "Have faith in God.  I tell you the truth, you can say to this mountain, 'May you be lifted up and thrown into the sea,' and it will happen.  But you must really believe it will happen and have no doubt in your heart."  Mark 11:22-23  

    

Just Like Jesus

Imagine a day that has been so tiring, so jam packed with activity that all you want to do at the end of the day is collapse in exhaustion on the couch or in your bed.  Here is an example of one of those days...You cart the kids to school in the morning, go to church to volunteer for a couple hours, stop at the post office, the grocery store and to get gas, pick the kids up from school, stop at home long enough for a quick snack for the kids and for them to change their clothes for their activities. You turn right around and head out the door for your daughters soft ball practice which is immediately followed by the boys baseball practices all done with a toddler in tow.   By the time you get home it is dinner time,  which you prepare.  By this time hubby is home and he helps clean up after dinner.  Way to go, hubby!!! But it is now bath time. As you go to gather up your little one for his bath, you find him sitting very content in his room drawing on the new dresser - and himself - with Sharpies. (Sigh!!!)  Good thing it is bath time.  Little one is now bathed and what we call in our house "Jammified" which means he has his pajamas on.  Now it is time to start encouraging the three older ones that it is time to shower.  "I don't need a shower!"  "Yes, you do, you are sweaty, " you say.  "No, I'm not...not any more."  Calmly (or maybe not so calmly) you reply, "Please, just go take a shower and I suggest you not say another word.  I am the mom and I say go take a shower so go - take -  a -  shower."  (Does this interchange sound in any way familiar?) They understand this tone of voice means we better go take a shower and so they go take their showers.  After teeth are brushed and everyone is all set, you head up the stars for good nights and call out, "Time for bed!" "I'm not tired!" is the reply. Needless to say, at this point "It" whatever "It" is, could easily hit the fan!!!   But instead, you climb the stairs and give your children an extra 10 minutes to stay up while you check on little one who is already sound asleep looking like a sweet angel.  You clean up the bathroom and gather a load of laundry before going to kiss your beautiful children good night.
I know you have had days like this.  Everyone has.  Whether it is at home or at the office we all have them.
And so did Jesus.

The apostles had been out doing ministry and they came to find Jesus to tell Him about all the things they had done and what they had taught the people. Jesus listened.  Jesus sensed that the apostles were tired and He knew what His day had been like and that none of them had time to rest or even eat. There had been so many people coming and going, so many people to talk to, so many people asking questions, so many people to heal.  So Jesus suggested they find a quiet spot off by themselves in order to rest a bit and perhaps grab a bite to eat.  This sounded like a great idea to all of them so Jesus and His followers climbed in a boat and left for a quiet place where they could be alone.   But wait.......the people - people from many towns - saw them leaving and they came running along the shore of the lake to meet them on the other side.  I could hear all those people saying to each other - "Let's head them off at the pass!" This was a huge crowd of people - like 5000 people!  

Jesus had already had a full day.  He had not eaten. He had not rested.  Nor had his apostles.  But, what does Jesus do?  He looks out at all 5000 of those people as He is stepping out of the boat and He has compassion on them.  He was hungry, He was tired.  But, He is thinking to himself, these people are like lost sheep, they have no shepherd.  And so, He begins teaching them many things.             (Paraphrased by me from Mark 6: 30-34)

So often, in our day to day lives we experience days like I described above.  It just seems like it is one thing after another and there is no time to rest and no time to eat and then our children push us to the limit.  And yet...from somewhere deep within us, we find strength to keep going; we find patience not to lose our temper; we find compassion to give an extra 10 minutes, just like Jesus.

And when we are just like Jesus, I like to think God our Father smiles and says "That's my girl!" or "That's my boy!"  "She/he is just like Jesus!"  And isn't that the goal?


Philippians 2: 4,5 "Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus."

Mark 6: 30-34 "The apostles gathered around Jesus and reported to Him all they had done and taught. Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, He said to them, "Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest." So they went away by themselves in a boat to a solitary place. But many who saw them leaving recognized them and ran on foot from all the towns and got there ahead of them. When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, He had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. So he began teaching them many things."   

Grace Abounds

Grace and peace to you my friends!

Grace allows me to be who I really am, warts and all!  God's grace accepts me exactly as I am.  I don't have to pretend.  I don't have to fake it!  And this knowledge is freeing.  It's hard work to pretend I am something I am not.  It goes against a person's natural inclinations.  I can relax.  "But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace to me was not without effect..."   1 Corinthians 15:10
Grace - amazing grace! What is it?

Webster's New World Dictionary College Edition provides a theological definition of grace: "The unmerited love and favor of God toward man; divine influence acting in man to make him pure and morally strong; the condition of a person thus influenced."  There is nothing I can do or ever have done to earn God's grace.  It is a gift that God freely gives.  Grace prompted God to give - to send His Son.  This is God's love in action and it is transforming.

Louis Berkhof in his Systematic Theology refers to grace as a covenant between God and man.  He says it like this:  "The covenant of grace may be defined as that gracious agreement between the offended God and the offending but elect sinner, in which God promises salvation through faith in Christ, and the sinner accepts this believingly, promising a life of faith and obedience."  (Section 111 Nature of the Covenant of Grace, B. Par. 4)  Grace is God's love expressed to those who deserve it the least.  It is an offer of eternal life with Him through Jesus.  And those elect that have accepted the gift make a promise to be faithful and obedient.   Thus a covenant is made between God and man.

Keeping in mind that God is a Triune God - Father, Son and Holy Spirit - the manifestation of grace would involve interaction with all three persons of the Trinity.  Grace is the gift of God - Ephesians 2:8, offered through the action of God's Son, Jesus - Ephesians 2:7 and worked in us through the Holy Spirit - 1 Peter 1:2.   In his article What Is Grace, John MacArthur states "Grace is not a dormant or abstract quality, but a dynamic, active, working principle: "The grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation...and instructing us" (Titus 2: 11-12).  It is not some ethereal blessing that lies idle until we appropriate it. Grace is God's sovereign initiative to sinners. (Ephesians 1:5-6)".

In the covenant of grace, God takes the first step by offering it as a gift.  Once we accept that gift, it is our duty to wholeheartedly jump in as faithful, loyal, all-in followers of Christ.  I think of Billy Graham who had been preaching for 73 years and Chuck Swindoll who has been preaching for 53 years.  These are men like you and I that are sinners saved by grace and they are all-in followers of Christ.  Will you or I be a Billy Graham or Chuck Swindoll, probably not, but can we be all-in followers that serve regularly in our local churches and communities? Absolutely! Because you and I have the same grace bestowed on us that Billy and Chuck have.  Think about that.

We have looked at what grace is. For a moment let's look at what grace is not. Grace is not, a "Free Pass" to do as we choose.  Often as Christians, we fail to see that God's grace calls us to be better people - "Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind..." Romans 12: 2a    About grace, the Bible says "It teaches us to say "No" to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age."  Titus 2: 12  One foot in the world and one foot on God's playing field just doesn't cut it with God.  Revelations 3:15 & 16 are words to heed, "I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm - neither hot nor cold- I am about to spit you out of my mouth."  One foot in and one foot out is being lukewarm.  God knows that in our humanness - in our weakness - we often have trouble making commitments.  It is hard for us to make a commitment to the people we see every day.  This covenant is a commitment to be faithful and obedient to God whom we can not see.  But God, in His grace, promises to help us with this.  He tells us, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." 2 Corinthians 12: 9 God's promise is that He will make us strong and able to say "No" to the world and "Yes" to being all-in.

There is a very old song that I taught my Sunday School kids years ago.  I haven't heard it sung in a church setting in quite a while - unless of course it was my own Sunday School class - I love the old Bible songs... It is not sung in the more contemporary church settings because the tune isn't upbeat or catchy.  But the words speak volumes about being all-in for God. 

I Have Decided to Follow Jesus

I have decided to follow Jesus, I have decided to follow Jesus, I have decided to follow Jesus
No turning back, no turning Back

The cross before me - the world behind me, The cross before me - the world behind me, The cross before me the world behind me
No turning back, no turning back

Though none go with me I still will follow, Though none go with me I still will follow, Though none go with me I still will follow
No turning back, no turning back

God's grace abounds.  It is plentiful and unconditional - given freely to all who accept it.  Those who accept, are then filled with grace and able to give grace to others through works and words and love. "And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work." 2 Corinthians 9: 8

Yes, grace...amazing grace!  How sweet it is! Grace abounds!

Signed,
A sinner saved by grace



References:
Webster's New World Dictionary College Edition 1966
Berkhof, Louis, (1938). Systematic Theology. https://www.monergism.com/thethreshold/sdg/berkhof/systematic_theology.html. Section 111, Nature of the Covenant of Grace, B, Par. 4. Retrieved 5 September 2016.
What is Grace. MacArthur, John. http://www.oneplace.com/ministries/grace-to-you/read/articles/what-is-grace-10339.html.  Par. 13. Retrieved 5 September 2016.              

  

How He Loves Us

God looks for us - He searches us out and calls us by name.  He leaves the 99 to find the lost 1. He waits eagerly for us to come to Him.

He loves us in spite of our faults, in spite of our sin, in our brokenness.

God delights in us in spite of all of these things.

He understands.  He cares.  He grants mercy.  He forgives. He loves fully and completely.

He knows us inside and out because He created us - He thought us up and then spoke us into being.

Because He knows us so well He can love us perfectly.

He loves unconditionally as only He can.

He loves personally.

The only thing He wants in return – is fellowship - that we love Him back.  That we talk with Him and get to know Him. That we believe.

What do you do with a love like God’s?

You accept it. You bask in it. It's a gift.
You truly realize just how great His affection is for you - how He loves you so!

And then you share it. 

"We love because He first loved us." 1 John 4:19 

That's it...simple.

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Oh How He Loves