Thursday, November 15, 2007

What's In Your Back Pack (Part 2)

What's in your back pack? Part 2
Matthew 11:28-30 "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 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. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."
What comforting words Jesus gives us. Here we are walking around with all our "stuff" weighing us down and Jesus is such a gentleman, He offers to take our heavy burden in exchange for His...and He calls His burden "light." Here's the catch...we have to let go of the death grip that we have on our baggage! He will NOT rip it out of our hand, nor will He take it from us...we must give it to Him w-i-l-l-i-n-g-l-y!
Jesus offers to carry our stuff...His arms are open wide...still we cry "mine, mine, mine!" He says His "yoke is easy and [His] burden light. To Jesus this is a fair exchange. Our backs were never meant to carry all the "stuff" that we shove into those invisible back packs. It's a wonder that some of us can even get out of bed in the morning! But Jesus transfers the load of His burden to us while He takes ours onto Him. This doesn't mean our burdens magically disappear however; they no longer weigh us down. We are free to stand up straight and breathe. This is truly trusting God for everything that has been weighing us down and even crippling us in some cases. Now without the heavy burden we have His strength and we can see our burdens through the eyes of our Savior. And from that vantage point all our burdens look entirely different. We see the truth and see our true priorities.
Jesus also promises to give us rest. But we can't rest until we give it all to Him and hold nothing back. Rest...isn't that what we all want? Read these comforting words from Isaiah 40:28-31 Do you not know? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.
You can't soar like an eagle if you're holding onto that back pack. Are you ready to give it to Jesus? His arms are waiting...then you have a flight to catch.
Mary Ann

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