HOW TO LAY DOWN LIFE'S LOADS

Image courtesy of: www.Pixabay.com.  

I have noticed an interesting phenomenon in my life a

few times that did not make sense to me at the 

time.  That of course is because I am not as smart

as you are.

However reading in my Bible a few days ago

I read one of the Psalms that stood out differently

this time and to myself explained why things 

worked the way they do.

You see I am not perfect like you are.  Sometimes

I plain old every day mess up.  And by that I mean

I do not always live the way God wants me to.  And

generally then things begin to drag or the luster of

life disappears and sometimes even my body just

don't feel as good as it should. 

But I have noted that when I went to God in a

really honest serious way and intended to do 

differently things changed.  Simply a "sorry"

God in passing does not do it.

Here is the portion of Scripture that helped 

me get a better grasp on the situation.  

"When I refused to confess my sin,

my body wasted away,

and I groaned all day long.

Day and night your hand of discipline

was heavy on me.

My strength evaporated like water

in the summer heat.

Finally I confessed all my sins to you

and stopped trying to hide my guilt.

I said to myself, 'I will confess my rebellion

to the LORD.'

And you forgave me!  All my guilt is gone." 

(Psalms 32:3 - 5 NLT)

I know from the Scriptures that there are some

"sins" that will actually effect our bodies.

So, there was not only the guilt of displeasing 

God by my actions, but it actually was "dragging"

my body down.

But when I took it to God in a really

serious honest way seeking his forgiveness

usually by the next day I was back on the 

top of life enjoying the goodness of God.

Is your life weighted down in one way or

another?  Is the luster and joy of life gone?

Then go to God and honestly turn it all over

to Him as it were, taking Him by the hand

with the full intent of walking and living 

with and for Him.

JOY, TRUE JOY

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JOY, TRUE JOY.

Most people are burdened down with all their

past sins, failures and shortcomings.  It becomes

a load we carry that saps our strength and happiness.

It interferes in our relationships with God and man

resulting in the loss of the joy and happiness that 

should be ours.

Is there a way to get rid of this heavy load that

burdens us down?

God offers this advice through king David:

"Oh, what joy for those

whose disobedience is forgiven,

whose sin is put out of sight!

Yes, what joy for those

whose record the LORD has cleared

of guilt,

whose lives are lived in complete honesty!"

That is great,

but how do I get the past wiped out

and my record set straight?

He continues:

"Finally, I confessed all my sins to you

and stopped trying to hide my guilt.

I said to myself, 'I will confess my rebellion

to the LORD.'

And you forgave me!  All my guilty is gone."

(Psalms 32:1,2,5 NLT)

God is a just God and we will suffer the 

consequences of our sins against God and man.

But,

God is a forgiving God and he wants

us to admit it to him so he can forgive

us and clean up our past.  Then we can

have true joy and lightness of heart.

WHERE BURDENS ARE LIFTED

William R. Newell
gave the answer when
he wrote:

1. Years I spent in vanity and pride,
   Caring not my Lord was crucified,
   Knowing not it was for me He died
   On Calvary.
   • By God’s Word at last my sin I learned;
     Then I trembled at the law I’d spurned,
     Till my guilty soul imploring turned
     To Calvary.
2. Now I’ve giv’n to Jesus everything,
   Now I gladly own Him as my King,
   Now my raptured soul can only sing
   Of Calvary!
3. Oh, the love that drew salvation’s plan!
   Oh, the grace that brought it down to man!
   Oh, the mighty gulf that God did span
   At Calvary!
4. Refrain:
   Mercy there was great, and grace was free;
   Pardon there was multiplied to me;
   There my burdened soul found liberty
   At Calvary.

PREDICTION OF CHRIST'S SUFFERING FOR YOU

"The people reply, 

'Who would have believed what we now report?

Who could have seen the LORD's hand in this?

It was the will of the LORD that his servant grow like a

plant taking root in dry ground.

He had no dignity or beauty to make us take notice of him.

There was nothing attractive about him,

nothing that would draw us to him.

We despised him and rejected him;

he endured suffering and pain.

No one would even look at him-

we ignored him as if he were nothing.

"But he endured the suffering that should have been ours,

the pain that we should have borne.

All the while we thought that his suffering 

was punishment sent by God.

But because of our sins he was wounded,

beaten because of the evil we did.

We are healed by the punishment he suffered,

made whole by the blows he received.

All of us were like sheep that were lost,

each of us going his own way.

But the LORD made the punishment fall on him,

the punishment all of us deserved. 

"He was treated harshly, but endured it humbly;

he never said a word.

Like a lamb about to be slaughtered,

like a sheep about to be sheared,

he never said a word,

He was arrested and sentenced and let off to die,

and no one cared about his fate.

He was put to death for the sins of our people.

He was placed in a grave with those who are evil,

he was buried with the rich,

even though he had never committed a crime 

or ever told a lie.'

"The LORD says,

'It was my will that he should suffer;

his death was a sacrifice to bring forgiveness.

And so he will see his descendants;

he will live a long life;

and through him my purpose will succeed.

After a life of suffering,

he will again have joy;

he will know that he did not suffer in vain.

My devoted servant, with whom I am pleased,

will bear the punishment of many 

and for his sake I will forgive them.

And so I will give him a place of honor,

a place among the great and powerful.

He willingly gave his life and shared the fate of evil men.

He took the place of many sinners

and prayed that they might be forgiven."

(Isaiah chapter 53 GNB)