While it is said that God will not give more than we can bear, the theology of which is taken from an expanded and somewhat loose interpretation of 1 Cor 10:13, it is certainly true that there are times when we feel weighed down to the breaking point. In fact, there are absolutely times when it is necessary that we help "carry each other's burdens" (Gal 6:2).
So why does God allow such heavy burdens in the first place? Why not remove the burdens and take away those things which weigh us down?
To begin with, much of the excess weight is not from God or our circumstances but from ourselves. Jesus tells us not to worry about tomorrow "for each day has enough trouble (weight) of its own" (Matt 6:34). Yet, we tend to pile on the worries of tomorrow and the regrets of yesterday.
The burden God does allow, however, is not too much or to be avoided necessarily: "Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything" (James 1:2-4).
What if you were to join a gym with all sorts of weights and resistance equipment but, instead of hiring a trainer to help you make the most of the painful and exhausting workout, you hired someone to do it for you. It would be easier but what would be the benefit? The pain if resistance is the key to growth and development. In like manner, character, it has been said, is hammered out on the anvil of adversity.
Jesus offers "rest from our burdens" by inviting us to be "yoked" (Matt 11:28-30) with him, letting him "teach" us as he helps pull along side us, not pull for us. Jus' Sayn.
In Exodus chapter 3, a shepherd had taken his father-in-law's sheep to feed on the far side of the wilderness. He noticed a bush burning in the distance, which was not a particularly uncommon sight in that hot, arid part of the world. However, he paused to look at it and noticed it was burning but burning up.
Taking note of the unusual circumstance, he went over to investigate further. As he did, a voice spoke to him out of the bush. The voice in that encounter would forever change his life and the history of the world as God gave Moses his marching orders.
In the middle of the mundane, something a little less mundane may catch your eye. Rather than take time to investigate, we often pass on by because we have so much to do, so many responsibilities or we simply are too tired to care.
What if, however, that moment was an opportunity for a Divine Intersection? What if, by passing up a closer look, you passed on hearing a word from The Lord? I'm not suggesting that every slightly uncommon event is a call from God or even should be cause for pause but when you notice something and you think, "Hmmm, I wonder if I should look closer?" Perhaps you should.
Maybe stopping to talk with a homeless person who catches your attention could lead to a word from God or an opportunity to exercise the Christian Grace of giving. Perhaps just stopping to smell a rose could remind you of God's presence in this world. Possibly, taking a different route to work because you saw something in the distance could open a whole vista for you.
"When the Lord saw that he had gone over to look, God called to him from within the bush, “Moses! Moses!” And Moses said, “Here I am" (Ex 3:4). Moses eye was caught by a slightly uncommon event, he paused to look long enough to note there was something more, which drew him closer. That's when God spoke to him. Jus' Sayn.
As the tme for his death approached, Jesus prayed for the unity of his disciples - that they might experience the kind of oneness found in the godhead itself. His prayer, however, was not limited to the small band who closely followed him or even the larger group in Jerusalem - it was universal in scope:
“My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me …" (John 17:20-21).
Did you catch the width of the net cast - "all who believe in me"? Notice he did not say "all who believe like you." In fact, he chastised the early disciples for trying to exclude someone they did not recognize as part of their movement: “Teacher,” said John, “we saw someone driving out demons in your name and we told him to stop, because he was not one of us.” “Do not stop him,” Jesus said. “For no one who does a miracle in my name can in the next moment say anything bad about me" (Mark 9:38-39).
Just because someone is different than you in religious practice doesn't mean they are not unified with you in faith. A quarterback directs more than just receivers and a conductor directs more than just wood winds. Have you considered how different the parts are in four-part harmony? Unity is achieved in harmony that comes from following the same Director, not necessarily walking lockstep.
Do you remember the song "Ebony and Ivory?" The polar different piano keys of black and white work together to create perfect harmony. In the Church Universal and between the churches local, we can live and work in harmony of faith without uniformity of religious practice. And when we do, the world around us will be drawn to that harmony which points to our Father above. Jus' Sayn.
Jesus warned, “The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are healthy, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eyes are unhealthy, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!" (Matt 6:22-23).
It is clear that our inward health - whether we are positive and strong or negative and weak - is determined by what we allow ourselves to focus upon. If we focus on the dark and the ugly and the evil, our spirit will be darkened and depressed. If, instead, we focus on the bright and the lovely and the good, inwardly we are lifted up.
In view of that truth, the apostle Paul instructs, "Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable---if anything is excellent or praiseworthy---think about such things" (Phil 4:8).
It is imperative that we choose wisely that upon which we focus. We can't help see what we see but we can determine upon what we will focus. We can choose to look closely at the bad in others or search for the good that is there - we can find both. We can listen to all the bad news about us or we can look for improvements. We can watch Fox or CNN all day or immerse ourselves in the Word or Kingdom activity.
The point is, the inward part of you, the light or the dark, that you feed the most, will grow the most. It your choice - focus wisely. Jus' Sayn.
Perhaps you've seen the quip on Facebook that says something like, "I know the voices in my head aren't real but they come up with such good ideas." Actually, not. The voices, may not be real in an audible sense, but they have a real source. The source may be evil or good, Satan or God. And the ideas planted may be good or may be terribly bad - it depends on the source.
We not only live in a spiritual war zone - a spiritual war zone exists within us. The apostle Paul is quite clear about this in Romans 7:22-23, "...in my inner being I delight in God’s law; but I see another law at work in me, waging war against the law of my mind..."
Abraham was "...called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance...even though he did not know where he was going" (Heb 11:8). Can you imagine the competing voices clamoring in his head, telling him how crazy this idea was, how foolish to head off into parts unknown, how much he was leaving behind...?
We have those voices saying, "I know I should but," "I know I shouldn't but," "It's time to act," "It's my fault," "I'm no good," "I am loved," etc. Which ones should we listen to? The obvious answer is the ones from the Spirit of God. But how do we know which voice is His?
Testing - "...test them all; hold on to what is good, reject every kind of evil" (1 Thess 5:21-22). We must ask the Spirit to train our ears to distinguish His voice. We must be in prayer daily, communing with the Spirit of God. We must daily be reading the Words of God's Spirit (The Bible). We must be in regular communication with God's children (Christians).
When we regularly pray, read the Bible and assemble with other Christians, we learn His language, His message, His voice. And knowing His voice, we know what is not His. Jus' Sayn.
There is an often quoted but seldom understood passage in Matthew 8:21, 22: "Lord, first let me go and bury my father.” But Jesus told him, “Follow me, and let the dead bury their own dead." On the surface, it seems rather harsh, that Jesus would turn someone away just because he wanted to do the honorable thing of overseeing his Dad's final arrangements.
The problem with that observation is that it isn't very observant. To begin with, in the previous toe verses (19, 20), another individual says, "I will follow you whever you go," to which Jesus Responds, “Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.” Then, in verse 21 (the first part that most seem to gloss over) says, "Another disciple said to him..."
Jesus was not turning away someone from salvation, he was telling his disciple that the opportunity to join him in his personal ministry was now. The work of God could not wait on the convenience of man's circumstances. The disciple was free to stay until his father passed, make and conclude the arrangements. He was also invited to go with Jesus and his apostles - he could not do both.
It is no different today when we feel the call of God to join him in a ministry or mission and we say, "I'll go, just let me get my kids through school first or get to retirement or retire my mortgage. God will allow you to do that but the ministry or mission to which he was calling you will be accomplished by someone else, someone ready to go when God calls.
Whenever God calls, there will be some circumstance that makes it inconvenient for you but God knows your circumstances and he knows the power he can bring to bear as well as the people he can send your way to help. When God calls,the timing is right, regardless of your circumstance. Jus' Sayn.
In Matthew 13:1ff, Jesus tells the parable of the farmer who broadcasts seed into a field. Some of the seed falls on the hard path and was eaten by the birds. Some fell on rocky ground and lacked enough root to survive. Some fell on thorny ground and was choked out. But some fell on good soil and grew to produce an abundant harvest.
The farmer is the Lord, the seed is the Word, the ground is us and the ground conditions are the various things in life which clamor so loudly that it becomes difficult if not impossible to hear the Word. The Word goes out to everyone but not everyone hears it because they are so engrossed in the world and the circumstances of life.
Some hear but the desires of the heart or the opportunities of life begin to clamor louder and louder as to crowd out the Word of Life, embracing the shallow faux life offered by Satan.
Some hear but then the circumstances of life and the worries for tomorrow begin to beat the drums of fear so loudly that personal concerns overshadow the message of the Kingdom.
Then there are those so receptive to the Word that they hear it's life-giving message clearly, they hear the voice of the Good Shepherd and follow Him gladly. When problems arise, they listen for the Master's call instead of the Enemy's clamoring. They hear the promises of God over the propaganda of the Devil.
To those who hear God's voice above the din of the world and see what is real, Jesus says, "blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear" (Matt 13:16). Do you? Do you have ears trained on the Word of God or on the world of goods? You do have ears, but to what are you listening? By the Spirit's power, you can develop ears to hear His voice. Jus' Sayn.
