Cast ALL Your Burdens on Jesus

‎"I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of his mighty strength."
~Ephesians 1:17-19~

We should desire nothing from God except to be closer to him and to know him better. The more we receive his wisdom and revelation, the more we know him. We should have our eyes set on nothing except for what he has promised us. Don't focus on what you can or cannot do for Christ-that will come naturally with following him. Just look forward to what he has promised, and desire nothing more than to do His will, and he will make your paths straight.

"And this is my prayer: that your love may about more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ-to the glory and praise of God."
~Philippians 1:9-11~

"So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal."
~2 Corinthians 4:18~

So often lately I've felt burdened by a call to perfection. But perfection should never be our goal. Jesus should be our only goal, and the only thing we set our eyes on. He asks to bear all our burdens, including our burden of falling short of perfection. Trying to live up to a standard that isn't there can be just as burdensome as the sins in our life. God wants to bear our burdens of imperfection, and he already bore that on the cross for us. Cast your burdens onto him, for his yoke is easy and his burden is light. If you feel weighed down trying to live up to a Christian standard of perfection, then you are putting your efforts into the wrong place.

"Let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God."
~Hebrews 12:1-2~

"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."
~Matthew 11: 28-30~

"Cast your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous fall."
~Psalm 55:22~

God is so incredible. I'm moved to tears as I write this!

Our House In Heaven

"See to it that you do not refuse him who speaks. If they did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, how much less will we, if we turn away from him who warns us from heaven? At that time his voice shook the earth, but now he has promised, 'Once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens.' The words 'once more' indicate the removing of what can be shaken-that is, created things-so that what cannot be shaken may remain."

~Hebrews 12:25-27~

We must always be cautious to not let ourselves be shaken here on earth, because we must one day face our creator in a day of judgement. If we did not stand firm here on earth, how can we expect to be welcomed in once we reach the afterlife? God is going to test every work that we do here on earth, and test everything that we build. If we build with anything other than the truth of God, then everything will be burned up because "God is a consuming fire" (Deuteronomy 4:24). All of this comes from the passage in 1 Corinthians 3:11-14,

"For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. If any man builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, his work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man's work. If what he has built survives, he will receive his reward."

Therefore, we must make sure that our building materials are given by God, and not earned by ourselves. When we pass away, what our careers looked like, how much money we have, who we marry, how many friends we have will not matter at all to God unless we give those things to him as building tools. We must make sure to "not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also" (Matthew 6:19-21). Be careful that all your efforts go towards working on your house in heaven, not on earth, because our house on earth will not endure the fire of God!

Not only should what we use to build be of God, but we must also make sure that we are building on the proper foundation. For Jesus said,

"Everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat agains the house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish an who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash."

~Matthew 7:24-27~

Always make sure that your house is being built on the foundation of Christ, who is the cornerstone of our faith! Without him, everything we do means nothing. And without him, we will never be equipped with tools to ensure that we build a house that can last God's holy fire! And on a final note, always remember what God has promised he will do for us,

"But now he has reconciled you by Christ's physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation-if you continue in your faith, established and firm, not moved from the hope held out in the gospel."

~Colossians 1:22-23~

Remember, Hebrews 12:27 said that God is going to remove that which can be shaken. Therefore, we must always make sure to stand firm in his truth, and not turn from His Word, if we truly want to be made whole in Christ's physical body and receive our house we have built up in heaven.

Beatitudes

The beatitudes have been revealed to me by God in a completely new way. Never before had I truly understood and gotten a grip on them the way I do now. You see, the beatitudes are not about particular people, such as some people are merciful, some people are pure in heart, some people are meek. The beatitudes are supposed to cover who we are as followers of Christ, and the character traits we are supposed to have if Jesus is truly working in our lives. Let's take a look at each beatitude individually.

For anyone unfamiliar, the beatitudes are found in Matthew 5, verses 3-10, with additional comments from Jesus in the verses following. This is the way Jesus kicked off not only his sermon on the mount, but his entire ministry.

"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of God."

~Matthew 5:3~

>My first impression of this verse somewhat blended it with the second beatitude, which says blessed are those who mourn. However, I believe that being poor in spirit does not mean to be downcast, or to be lacking God. The verse is talking not about lacking God's Spirit, because every time the Holy Spirit is mentioned in the Bible it is capitalized. Jesus is instead referring here to the spirit of man. The less of our spirit we have active in our lives, the more room God has to work his kingdom into our lives.<

"Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted."

~Matthew 5:4~

>Why would we as Christians be in a state of mourning? If we lose someone we are close to, should be not be reassured that they are in a better place if they are a Christ follower? But if we lose someone we are close to who has not been saved by Christ, then we truly mourn, for we know that person's fate. We should take note that just about every time that Jesus is downcast in spirit is when there is a lack of faith around him. When we are told Jesus wept, it was not because he was mourning for Lazarus, because he knew where Lazarus would be going. Instead, it was because he was moved by the complete lack of faith from his Disciples, his followers, and even his own mother. The only thing that we should let sadden us as Christians is the fact that there are people surrounding us who are not living out their faith, or because people around us are not saved.<

"Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth."

~Matthew 5:5~

>To inherit something means you obtain it when the original owner passes away. The devil is who owns and controls the earth we currently live in, and this earth shall someday pass away. Therefore, we will obtain a new earth when this one is no more, because as followers of Christ we will be given new bodies in a new earth.<

"Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled."

~Matthew 5:6~

>There's a difference between hungering for something, and eating simply for eating's sake. When you're truly hungry, you will do anything to get food-it's all you can think about. Yet if you simply eat to have energy to get through the day, you don't appreciate the food quite as much. In our Christian walk, we shouldn't eat just to eat. Yes, we will get some growth from acting out our discipline in turning to God, but if we don't actively try to truly set everything in us towards obtaining him, and starving for him, our growth will be substantially stunted. In order to get a true appetite, one must exercise to burn off excess calories. In the same way, we must put into action what God is telling us to do. We should never become spiritually fat, but should always be running in order to keep our craving for God strong.<

"Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy."

~Matthew 5:7~

>Mercy is truly loving someone-not doing anything simply to sacrifice our time or efforts. Mercy is wanting the best for someone, and doing whatever it takes to get them to that point. "I require mercy, not sacrifice." ~Hosea 6:6~<

"Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God."

~Matthew 5:8~

>How are we made pure in heart? This was already answered in the first beatitude. We must be poor in spirit, and receive the kingdom of God, in order to be made pure in heart. We as humans are sinful, and our nature is the complete opposite of pure. THerefore, the less of our spirit is in the equation, and the more of God's Holy Spirit, the more pure he will make us.<

"Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God."

~Matthew 5:9~

>Peace means that there is no strife. What better way to eliminate strife than to let go of our opinions on petty matters and set aside our egos? The vision God has for his children is unity. Again, the less there is of us in the equation, the more peace.<

"Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."

~Matthew 5:10~

>Not everyone will respond positively to peace and mercy, because sometimes what's best for someone requires us to open their eyes to see things in their life that are bringing death and separation from God. Certainly this will cause them to reject you at least, and to flat out persecute you at most. But what a blessing that truly is, because it means you are truly doing God's will!

Both the poor in spirit and those who are persecuted have the same blessing: theirs is the kingdom of heaven. If we aren't being persecuted, then we are still trying to hold onto our own spirit and not letting go completely to God.<

"Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you."

~Matthew 5:11-12~

>We aren't poor in spirit because we are downcast, we're poor in spirit because we live for Christ! Poor means we lack our own spirit. We don't become discouraged because of persecution in Christ's name, we rejoice because of it. That means we are doing as Christ instructed.Persecution is a sign of living our life for Jesus.<

The beatitudes should never be about the blessing side of things. As children of God, we are blessed! Instead, one should look at the beatitudes as a means of becoming one with Christ, and allowing his Spirit to work freely in our lives without hindrance. Right after these verses, Jesus instructs us to be lights of the world. If we are letting Jesus truly take control of our lives, then it should be evident to all, and that comes by loving others more than ourselves, just like Christ Jesus did.

Mercy>Sacrifice

"For I desire mercy, not sacrifice."

~Hosea 6:6~

When God calls us to do something, he is not interested that we do it simply because he has instructed us to. Instead, he wants us to do it because of the fact that we love him. If we simply turn to the word to get fed, what does that say about our intentions? When we pray simply to ask God to heal us, or to instruct us in what to do, then where is our heart? Is it in God, or is it in ourselves? God is not interested in helping you simply to help you; God wants much more than that. God wants you to realize how much his love for you stretches out. It's farther than the east is from the west, and yet we go to God simply to ask for forgiveness of sins and to move on in our life. Sure, if God instructs us to give up something we generally try and go about it with gritted teeth in order to get where we think we should be in order to please him. But living in God is so much more than pleasing him; in fact, living in God should have nothing to do with pleasing him. Instead, pleasing God should come naturally with loving him.

"There is no truth or mercy or knowledge of God in the land."

~Hosea 4:1~

Mercy here is compared to truth and knowledge. Therefore, God doesn't want us to give up parts of our lives in order for us to be more pleasing to Him. Instead, he wants us to know Him, and for us to draw closer to him. One could compare our relationship to God with a relationship with a wealthy and wise grandfather. The grandfather wants more than for you to turn up at the doorstep looking for help when it is needed, and he wants more than a phone call now and then asking for advice. No, he wants to spend time with you, to just hear about your day, for you to want to hear stories about his life. In the same way, we shouldn't go to God in search of blessings and nuggets of wisdom. We should turn to God because we love him.

"And this is love: that we walk in obedience to his commands. As you have heard from the beginning, his command is that you walk in love."

~2 John v. 6~

If we love God, we need not worry about what we will get in return. "We love because he first loved us" (1 John 4:19). Christianity isn't about obedience to a set of rules or listening to what God has to say in order to get something in return. It's about drawing close to the one who so intimately made you and called you. In order to find the love of God and truly apply it to our lives, we should not simply go to God for handouts. 

"This is my prayer; that your love may about more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ."

~Philippians 1:9-10~

"Come near to God and he will come near to you."

~James 4:8~

God does not come down to us, and if we look to Him and His word simply as tools to help us become better people, then He wants nothing to do with us. That is a case where we are putting sacrifice above mercy. We want to sacrifice in order to better ourselves. God is so much more than that. He craves a relationship with you, and we should be turning to Him in order to know him. We should not be in the equation at all.

Cast Off Our Burdens

"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us."

~Hebrews 12:1~

Believers in Christ are called to run the race that God has set before them. While everybody's race is unique to their relationship with Christ, the end goal is to be the same for all; that is, to be living manifestations of God's love.

Although our paths and races are different, they are similar in many ways. We have individual struggles, but everyone will have struggles none the less. In the book of James, it is stated,

"Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him." 

~James 1:12~

We cannot simply give up when trials come our way, but we must submit ourselves to God's will. And that generally means God will call us to give up certain areas of our lives in order that His Spirit may have more room to grow in us. To daily pick up our cross means to give more and more control to Christ, because we are instructed to

"Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthily natures: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry."

~Colossians 3:5~

God calls each of us individually to crucify our sinful nature. What that means to me could be completely different from what it means to you. We can take an example from David in what we must do in order to truly be freed from our sinful desires, to ask God to take them away, and to follow through with that prayer.

"Who can discern his errors? Forgive my hidden faults. Keep your servant also from willful sins; may they not rule over me. Then will I be blameless, innocent of great transgression."

~Psalm 19:12-13~

As Hebrews mentioned, we must cast aside what hinders and burdens us in order to run fully towards God. Yes, because of his love our sins are forgiven, but that does not mean that we are not burdened if we continue to sin. We will be able to achieve some spiritual growth, but ultimately the growth will come in much greater strides if we are able to become free of the sins that continue to bind us. The less sin we allow to have control in our lives, the more we will see the works of God. And it is through seeing God's works that we grow spiritually.

"Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God."

~Matthew 5:8~

Just remember, if you listen for the voice of God, you will hear it. But that will easily slip away if you do not act upon it, and it is so easy to become stagnant in our faith if we do not follow through with personal commandments that come from God. Hold out hope, though, because if we put into action what God speaks to us, we will truly be made complete in him.

"But if anyone obeys his word, God's love is truly made complete in him. This is how we know we are in him."

~1 John 2:5~