A preacher was complaining to a close friend, “Oh my, I have so many burdens to bear on behalf of others that I am ready to give up!”

“I am so very sorry,” replied his friend. “But wait until you hear what I discovered this morning. David left me a note in the Psalms that said, ‘Praise be to the Lord, to God our Savior, who daily bears our burdens.’ Why don’t you share them with the Lord rather than trying to carry the load by yourself?”

Often we feel crushed with the cares of life. There are times when we dwell on our defeats. We sometimes assume that our grief is so great that it will be with us for a lifetime. We expect to be overwhelmed with life’s obstacles and even want to hang on to past failures and seem to take pride when life is unfair.

Could it be that we take pleasure in thinking we have more problems than anyone else in the world? Do we want to be known for having the longest list of unanswered prayers or for being forgotten and forsaken by God? Is it possible that we might even take great pleasure for what we do not have so we can be constant complainers?

Or do we need to change our view of God?

Remember the words of the Psalmist. “Praise be to the Lord, to God our Savior,” said David, “who daily bears our burdens!” Peter put it this way: “Cast all your cares upon Him because He cares for You.” And Jesus said, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest.” We can “cast or carry” – be “burdened or blest.”

Prayer:  It’s really up to us, Lord. Either we take You at Your Word or reject Your offer to bear our burdens. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Scripture For Today:  Praise be to the Lord, to God our Savior, who daily bears our burdens. Psalm 68:19

Please leave a comment and tell us how you were helped by today's devotional!

 A preacher was complaining to a close friend, “Oh my, I have so many burdens to bear on behalf of others that I am ready to give up!”

“I am so very sorry,” replied his friend. “But wait until you hear what I discovered this morning. David left me a note in the Psalms that said, ‘Praise be to the Lord, to God our Savior, who daily bears our burdens.’ Why don’t you share them with the Lord rather than trying to carry the load by yourself?”

Often we feel crushed with the cares of life. There are times when we dwell on our defeats. We sometimes assume that our grief is so great that it will be with us for a lifetime. We expect to be overwhelmed with life’s obstacles and even want to hang on to past failures and seem to take pride when life is unfair.

Could it be that we take pleasure in thinking we have more problems than anyone else in the world? Do we want to be known for having the longest list of unanswered prayers or for being forgotten and forsaken by God? Is it possible that we might even take great pleasure for what we do not have so we can be constant complainers?

Or do we need to change our view of God?

Remember the words of the Psalmist. “Praise be to the Lord, to God our Savior,” said David, “who daily bears our burdens!” Peter put it this way: “Cast all your cares upon Him because He cares for You.” And Jesus said, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest.” We can “cast or carry” – be “burdened or blest.”

Prayer:  It’s really up to us, Lord. Either we take You at Your Word or reject Your offer to bear our burdens. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Scripture For Today:  Praise be to the Lord, to God our Savior, who daily bears our burdens. Psalm 68:19

Please leave a comment and tell us how you were helped by today's devotional!

An elderly man was taken for his very first plane ride. When it was over and he was safely on the ground, his wife asked him, “Well, Sam, how did you like that?”

“Pretty good,” came the reply. “Only problem was that I couldn’t let all of my weight down on the seat and relax.”

Sometimes we Christians have difficulty laying down or letting go of the burdens we carry. While we may have many excuses, there is no real reason why we cannot let go of our fears and failures, problems and pressures and trust the Lord.

Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.”

The burdens Jesus came to relieve are not only physical ones, but spiritual and emotional ones as well.

There are times when we fear that our sins may not have been forgiven because we believe that they are too horrible for God’s grace and mercy. But we are promised that “if we confess our sins, God is faithful and just to forgive and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

Perhaps we become fearful that we are not doing enough for God or have missed His will for our lives. Again, the verse echoes in our ears, “If you become humble…pray…seek…turn…I will forgive.” God’s willingness and ability are as good as His Word. The problem belongs to us – not Him.

Prayer: Help us, Heavenly Father, to take You at Your Word, and to cast all of our cares on You. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Scripture for Today: Matthew 11:28  Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

While watching a large oceangoing cargo ship slip quietly into the Atlantic I noticed a mark on the side of the ship. Having been in the Navy for several years, I was rather embarrassed to ask my friend what it meant.
“It’s a Plimsoll Mark,” he said with authority. It was not an answer that helped at all, so I asked, “What’s a Plimsoll Mark?”

“It’s a load-line on the ship that shows how much cargo the ship can carry safely under different conditions. For example, the closer the line is to the water, the more ‘at-risk’ the ship would be in a storm.”

The Lord has a “load-line” marking on each of us. As we read in Psalm 103:14, “for He knows how we are formed, He remembers that we are dust.” The Psalmist assures us that God knows our limitations - what we can safely and securely “carry.”

None of us are immune to trials - nor are any of us excused from being tempted. All of us, in one way or another and at one time or another, face similar types of trials and temptations. None are new. None are different. They come at different times in different situations from different directions appealing to our different weaknesses.

As Paul wrote, “No temptation has seized you that is not common to others, And, God is faithful! He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, He will also provide you a way out.”

He knows our “load-lines” and will not let us sink. However, we must be careful not to put ourselves at risk.

Prayer: Help us, Father, to realize that You created us, that You know us and that You will protect us if we allow You to. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Scripture for Today: Psalm 103:14 for he knows how we are formed, he remembers that we are dust.

A preacher was complaining to a close friend, “Oh my, I have so many burdens to bear on behalf of others that I am ready to give up!”

“I am so very sorry,” replied his friend. “But wait until you hear what I discovered this morning. David left me a note in the Psalms this morning that says, ‘Praise be to the Lord, to God our Savior, who daily bears our burdens.’ Why don’t you share them with the Lord rather than trying to carry the load by yourself?”

Often we feel crushed with the cares of life. There are times when we dwell on our defeats. We sometimes assume that our grief is so great that it will be with us for a lifetime. We expect to be overwhelmed with the life’s obstacles and even want to hang on to past failures and seem to take pride when life is unfair.

Could it be that we take pleasure in thinking we have more problems than anyone else in the world? Do we want to be known for having the longest list of unanswered prayers or for being forgotten and forsaken by God? Is it possible that we might even take great pleasure for what we do not have so we can be constant complainers?

Or do we need to change our view of God?

“Praise be to the Lord, to God our Savior,” said David, “who daily bears our burdens!”

Peter put it this way: “Cast all your cares upon Him because He cares for You.” And Jesus said, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest.” We can “cast or carry” - be “burdened or blest.”

Prayer: It’s really up to us, Lord. Either we take You at Your Word or reject Your offer to bear our burdens. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Scripture for Today: Psalm 68:19 Praise be to the Lord, to God our Savior, who daily bears our burdens.

Years ago an elderly lady boarded a train for the very first time in her life. As she sat comfortably in her seat, she continued to clutch her small suitcase tightly, fearing something might happen to it.

As the train left the depot a conductor came to her and said, “Madam, if you’ll allow me I’ll place your suitcase under your seat so it won’t burden you down. The train is perfectly capable of carrying you and your baggage.”

“Oh, no,” she objected. “I want to take care of my baggage by myself.”

Many of us are like that gracious, yet frightened elderly lady. We want to take care of our “baggage” by ourselves.

In the most loving and encouraging way David advised us to “Cast your cares on the Lord and He will sustain you; he will never let the righteous fall!” The word “care” in Hebrew means “what is given to you in life, your lot.” And the word “sustains” means that He will “support and nourish” us.

When we throw our “lot” - or ourselves and all of our problems - on the Lord, He will not only hold us up and “sustain” us but he will “never let us fall!”

David was nearly destroyed by men who wanted to deceive and destroy him. But it did not happen. He took all of his pain and problems, his attackers and adversaries, his sins and short comings to the Lord and God upheld him and stabilized him and saved him!

Prayer: Thank You, Lord, for the example You gave us in David. Give us a faith like his that we may not fail. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Scripture for Today: Psalm 55:22 Cast your burden on the Lord, And He shall sustain you; He shall never permit the righteous to be moved.

A world famous surgeon was being interviewed by a television reporter for a series on the advances being made in the medical profession. Coming to the last question, the reporter asked,

"Tell me doctor, what is your greatest fear?"

After thinking for a moment, he replied, "That I may no longer feel the pains of my patients."
For him, feeling was essential if he was to help others. It moved him as he performed surgery on those in need of healing.

Sympathy is meant to stir us to service, to help us see the needs of others and to move us into action. Without sympathy we would do little to help the least, the last and the lost.

Paul said, "Share each others troubles and problems." Sympathy enables us to see the needs that others have and do something about them. It is the very foundation from which love and obedience to fulfill the commandments of Christ flows.

No Christian should ever feel that they are beyond the requirement of or excused from helping and praying for others. At all times and in all situations we are to be alert to the needs of others and respond as Jesus did.

Prayer: Lord, open our eyes that we might see the things that You saw and be moved by the things that moved You and then do as You did in love. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Scripture for Today: Galatians 6:2 Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.

=Lou Gehrig is remembered as the “Iron Man of Baseball.” At the height of his career he was stricken with a mysterious disease and realized that his days of playing baseball would soon be over.

Sharing the news with his wife, she courageously and comfortingly said, “Whatever it is, we’ll see it through together.”

Togetherness is the opposite of independence. It suggests one of the basic blessings of being a Christian: we are never alone and need not face life alone.

Jesus said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” What a comforting thought. The Creator and Sustainer of the universe is with us at all times. He did not create us and abandon us to struggle through life without Him. But there’s more.

No Christian should ever feel independent from other Christians and not in need of the help of others. Nor should Christians feel excused from the task of helping other brothers and sisters in their times of need. The body of Christ – the church – is only doing the work of Christ when it works together for the well being of other members of the body. Whatever the need – spiritual, physical, financial, emotional, educational, legal – if I know about it, I am obligated to Christ to do something about it.

Prayer: Father, let us humbly, in the Spirit of Christ, do His work in ministering to the needs of others in His name. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Scripture for Today: Galatians 6:2-3 Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. For if anyone thinks himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself.

A farmer was walking down a long, winding mountain road in Mexico carrying a heavy sack. Without realizing it, a man with a mule-drawn wagon was suddenly beside him and offered him a ride. He climbed on the back of the wagon and breathed a long sigh of relief.

After traveling for some time, the man driving the wagon turned around, and to his amazement, the man was still holding his sack. “Why don’t you drop it next to you?” asked the wagon driver.

“Oh no,” came the reply. “You are kind enough to carry me. You do not have to carry my load as well.”

Many of us are like that man. God pleads with us to give Him our burdens. Yet, we needlessly and continuously carry them rather than setting them down. We say that we trust Him and talk of turning to Him in times of need, but we refuse to “let go and let God” do what He wants to do: completely take the weight from our shoulders and place it in His loving, caring arms.

If we can trust Him for our salvation, surely we can trust Him with every care or concern we have. Most assuredly, His strength will sustain us, always.

Prayer: Lord, help us to be willing to believe that You are able to relieve us of life’s burdens if we truly trust You. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Scripture: Psalm 55:22 Cast your burden on the LORD, And He shall sustain you; He shall never permit the righteous to be moved.

An elderly man was taken for his very first plane ride. When it was over and he was safely on the ground his wife asked him, “Well, Sam, how did you like that?”

“Pretty good,” came the reply. “Only problem was that I couldn’t let all of my weight down on the seat and relax.”

Sometimes we as Christians have difficulty in laying down or letting go of the burdens we carry. While we may have many excuses, there is no real reason why we cannot let go of our fears and failures, problems and pressures and trust the Lord.

Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.”

The burdens we carry are not normally physical ones, but spiritual or emotional ones.

There are times when we fear that our sins may not have been forgiven because we believe that they are too horrible for God’s grace and mercy. But we are promised that “if we confess our sins, God is faithful and just to forgive and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

Perhaps we become fearful that we are not doing enough for God or have missed His will for our lives. Again, the verse echoes in our ears, “If you become humble…pray…seek…turn…I will forgive.” God’s willingness and ability are as good as His Word. Let go!

Prayer: Help us, heavenly Father, to take You at Your word, and to cast all of our cares on You. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Scripture: Matthew 11:28 Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.