HIS BURDEN IS LIGHT

MEMORY VERSE: For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. Matthew 11:30

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Numbers 25-28

Ezekiel 44:17-18 says, “And it shall come to pass, that when they enter in at the gates of the inner court, they shall be clothed with linen garments; and no wool shall come upon them, whiles they minister in the gates of the inner court, and within. They shall have linen bonnets upon their heads, and shall have linen breeches upon their loins; they shall not gird themselves with any thing that causeth sweat.” One thing is very clear from studying this verse; God does not want His laborers (1 Corinthians 3: 9) i.e. ministers, to sweat whilst carrying His work. As such, whenever He calls people into service, He anoints them for the task ahead. Not only that, He makes their burden light so they can bear it without sweating. Matthew 11:30 says, “For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” What a caring Master we have.

Sadly, His light burden i.e. work, has become so heavy that many are now struggling. Actually, many now have high blood pressure as a result of His burden. Why is this so? Why is it that many who were very zealous for the Lord at the beginning now secretly wish they hadn't sign for so much. They are now envious of many who do less. Many ministers want their children to be professionals not ministers as a result of their experience. One of the reasons why the burden has become so heavy is because we are the one bearing the burden instead of Christ. We don't trust Him enough to truly cast all our cares on Him, and leave it there. How sad that many of us bring our burdens to His feet, and instead of leaving it at His feet, we take it back with us after praying. The burden becomes lighter the moment we throw up our hands up and say "let thy will be done." Stop worrying about how God’s work will be done. It is His work not your work. Ever since I stopped worrying about what to write daily,  preparing the daily devotional has become so easy. All i need to do is listen to what He has to say. Stop worrying for Him. Stop doing His job for Him. You are not built to do it.

Many worry if they are the right person for the job. The Master-workman surely has a right to use any tool He pleases for His own work, and it is plainly not the business of the tool to decide whether it is the right one to be used or not. He knows; and if He chooses to use you, of course you must be fit. And in truth, our chief fitness is in our utter helplessness. Remember, His strength is made perfect not in our strength, but in our weakness. Our strength is only a hindrance. Many worry about results. The work is His, so is the responsibility. Commit everything to Him and ask Him to guide you from moment to moment. Trust Him completely for each moment's needed supplies of wisdom and of strength. Remember, you are not responsible for all the work in the world but a small share. Also, not every act of service is a perpetual obligation. Let the Lord guide you to do the things He wants you to do. Because it was right for you to give tract to one person on the bus, for instance, does not mean you have to always give tracts to everybody. There are times the Lord may want you to speak to people. Besides it is an impossible task to give tracts to everyone you meet. This applies to every other work. The fact that the Spirit of the Lord laid something on your mind does not make it a perpetual obligation. Put yourself under the Lord’s personal guidance as to your work, and trust Him to point out to you from time to time what He wants you to do.

PRAYER POINT: Father, I cast all my cares at your feet by faith.

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Bro Samuel | Reaching the world

BEARING THE BURDEN WITH CHRIST

MEMORY VERSE: and as they came out, they found a man of Cyrene, Simon by name: him they compelled to bear his cross, Matthew 27:32

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Deut 24, Ps 114-115, Isa 51, Rev 21

Many have asked that why would such a good and loving God create hell? Brethren, Hell was not created for man but for Satan and his angels, Isaiah 14:12-15. We are all predestined to go to Heaven; God created us to spend to eternity with Him but the fall of man changed that. We are given free will just as the angels – a third of who chose to follow Satan and rebel against God. We are predestined to go to heaven and be with our creator but the choices we make on this earth are what determines where we will go. God sent Jesus so that we might have everlasting life, John 3:16. John 10:10 says the thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.

Jesus gave His life willingly on the cross of Calvary. He gave his life not because He wanted to be a superhero but out of love. John 15:13 says greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. Everything Jesus went through from the moment Judas Iscariot betrayed Him to the cross of Calvary was for you. He was mercilessly beaten for our sake so that by His stripes we will be healed, Isaiah 53:5.

Jesus lost a lot of blood when He was beaten, when the time came to carry the heavy cross He could not because there was no more strength in Him. Theologians and Bible scholars said He fainted several times because of the weight of the cross. Out of nowhere a man called Simon appeared and agreed to carry the cross for Jesus. God strategically positioned this man to help Jesus bear the burden. Only God knows if Jesus would have made it to the cross, if Simon had not carry the cross that day. Today the Lord is looking for men and women like Simon who will bear the burden with Jesus. Simon gave up his time, energy, ambition, family, freedom e.t.c. to bear the burden with Christ. He could have been anywhere in the world but He chose to bear the burden with Jesus. He could busy doing a thousand and one things, but he abandoned all to carry the cross of Jesus. You might not be able to work as a missionary but you can support mission work by sponsoring a missionary today. You can give food, clothes, shoes, bags, bibles, used toys and other things the Lord lays on your mind to mission work. You can also pledge to give a small amount to support missionary monthly. Nothing is too small. Your gift of love would be used to win souls for Christ.

ACTION POINT: Support missionaries with your resources. They also need your prayers too.