God has many, many wonderful attributes and qualities. There's much to love about Him and be in awe of. I don't know if I could pick out just one thing......?
The second "meditation" I read today in John Piper's book "Pierced by the Word: 31 Meditations for your Soul" was titled Going Deep with God by Having Him Carry our Loads.
He starts by saying "One of the reasons we don't know God deeply is that we don't venture much on His pledge to carry things for us. Knowing God with a sense of authentic personal reality is not merely a matter of study. It is a matter of walking with Him through fire and not being burned. It is a matter of not being crushed under a load because He carries it for you at your side. What, then, does he carry?"
This is SO TRUE! So many profess being Christian but are they truly living it out? I think a majority, me included, only go deep with God when life is tough and then once life is back to normal we "forget" God. We go on living and making decisions on our own. We say "Thanks God for your help but I can take it from here." I don't think we do this purposely.......but we need to be aware that we do. Also some people have a hard time giving up their worries and cares, thinking God can't handle "our" problem. But hello.....that's not the case.
So what does God carry?.......
God carried our Sins!
Hebrews 9:28 "Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many" and 1 Peter 2:24 "He Himself bore our sins in his body on the tree."
"Believing this and experiencing its liberating effect is crucial for life now. Guilt feelings do not have to have the last word! It is also crucial for the hour of our dying. The sting of death is sin, but thanks be to God, it was removed. It is crucial, too, for everlasting joy. Christ's sin-bearing work secures for us never-ending compensation for every so-called "loss" in this life of sacrificial love. This confidence is the foundation of knowing God.
God Pledges to Carry our Anxieties
1 Peter 5:7 "Cast all your anxieties on Him, because he cares for you."
What worries does God aim to take from our backs and carry for us?
-Anxieties about lacking necessities, Philippians 4:4-7
-Uselessness, Isaiah 55:11
-Weakness, 2 Cor 12:9
-Decisions, Psalm 32:8
-Opponents, Romans 8:31
-Affliction, Psalm 34:19, Romans 5:3-5
-Aging, Isaiah 46:4
-Dying, Romans 14:7-9
-Not persevering, Philippians 1:6, Hebrews 7:25
"When George Muller was asked about how he could be so calm in the middle of a hectic day with so many uncertainties in the orphanage, he answered something like, 'I rolled sixty things onto the Lord this morning.' This is something we need to learn to do.
God Pledges to Carry our Burdens
Psalm 55:22 "Cast your burden on the Lord, and he will sustain you, he will never permit the righteous to be moved."
The word for "burden" here is lot. What is your lot in life today? What has providence brought you? In the end, this is the Lord. And He will carry it for you. It is not meant to crush you or carry you away. It is meant to test your trust in God to carry it for you.
{Psalm 16:5 and 63:8}
God Pledges to Carry the Cause of Justice for Us
1 Peter 2:23 "When he was reviled, {Jesus} did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued handing over to Him who judges justly" {author's translation}
Romans 12:19 "Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord"
Prepare to be treated unjustly but leave it to God. Let God carry your cause and settle accounts either on the cross or in hell. Then rest and don't seek revenge. Don't waste your energy.
God Pledges to Carry you--all Your life
Isaiah 46:3-4 "Listen to me, O house of Jacob, all you who remain of the house of Israel, you whom I have upheld since you were conceived, and carried since your birth. Even to your old age and gray hairs I am he, I am he who will sustain you. I have made you and I will carry you: I will sustain you and I will rescue you."
{Exodus 19:4 and Psalm 18:35; 94:18}
The Christian life is a life of being carried from beginning to end. We work. Yet it is not we, but God who works within us {1 Cor 15:10}
Conclusion
So come to Him, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and find rest for your soul. Go deep with God and know Him better by venturing more on His pledge to carry you and all your concerns.
Sunday, October 23, 2011
Proverbs 14:26
When I stay in God's word, pray and go to church I find myself so much more at peace and life is......easier. Not that life is easy but when you know that God is with you and guiding you and helping you, there's a peace that washes over you no matter what you're facing in life.
I've gotten away from this blog but lately I've been reminded that people are still needing encouragement and inspiration. When my life is going well I easily forget to spend more time with God but as soon as a bump comes I'm right back in His word and looking for his guidance and help. I wish that wasn't the case but sadly it is. I read two devotional books today and they talked about exactly what I needed to hear and what a lot of others need to hear, so I'm going to share with you today.
Proverbs 14:26 "In the fear of the Lord one has strong confidence, and his children will have refuge"
"Fear of the Lord" means fearing to dishonor the Lord. Which means fearing to distrust the Lord. Which means fearing to fear anything that the Lord has promised to help you overcome. In other words, the fear of the Lord is the great fear destroyer. (John Piper)
Isaiah 41:10 "Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you." The Lord just told us he will strengthen us and help us, so if we worry about the problem he's telling us not to worry about, then we are casting a vote of no confidence in our Lord.
The Lord says, "I will never leave you nor forsake you." So we can confidently say, "The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?" {Hebrews 13:5-6} If the Lord says that to you, then not to be confident in the Lord's promised presence and help is a kind of pride. It puts our reckoning of the trouble above God's. (John Piper)
When we trust God and fear dishonoring Him we are good examples to our children (I don't have any though, just fyi). When you show that your power and strength comes from God and not from your own ability we are good examples to our children. Children need to see that you, the parent aren't afraid or panicking but calm and steady. That's what makes a child feel safe and secure. You then become a refuge for your children just like God is a refuge for you.
From John Piper's book "Pierced by the Word: 31 Meditations for your Soul"
I've gotten away from this blog but lately I've been reminded that people are still needing encouragement and inspiration. When my life is going well I easily forget to spend more time with God but as soon as a bump comes I'm right back in His word and looking for his guidance and help. I wish that wasn't the case but sadly it is. I read two devotional books today and they talked about exactly what I needed to hear and what a lot of others need to hear, so I'm going to share with you today.
Proverbs 14:26 "In the fear of the Lord one has strong confidence, and his children will have refuge"
"Fear of the Lord" means fearing to dishonor the Lord. Which means fearing to distrust the Lord. Which means fearing to fear anything that the Lord has promised to help you overcome. In other words, the fear of the Lord is the great fear destroyer. (John Piper)
Isaiah 41:10 "Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you." The Lord just told us he will strengthen us and help us, so if we worry about the problem he's telling us not to worry about, then we are casting a vote of no confidence in our Lord.
The Lord says, "I will never leave you nor forsake you." So we can confidently say, "The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?" {Hebrews 13:5-6} If the Lord says that to you, then not to be confident in the Lord's promised presence and help is a kind of pride. It puts our reckoning of the trouble above God's. (John Piper)
When we trust God and fear dishonoring Him we are good examples to our children (I don't have any though, just fyi). When you show that your power and strength comes from God and not from your own ability we are good examples to our children. Children need to see that you, the parent aren't afraid or panicking but calm and steady. That's what makes a child feel safe and secure. You then become a refuge for your children just like God is a refuge for you.
From John Piper's book "Pierced by the Word: 31 Meditations for your Soul"
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