Wednesday, November 30, 2011

HOW DO I THINK ON THESE THINGS?


PART 4.....MODUS OPERANDI.....
The Formula, (A)

Since Sunday, we have been examining, not just how to have a positive attitude and frame of mind about life or things in general, but the foundational mechanisms. We showed how we must have a fix foundation to build off from, and that cornerstone is the Word of God.

The foundation has to be the Bible or the Word of God. From the Foundational Truths of the Bible, we derive the final step - the Formula! 

The dictionary meaning of the word "FORMULA" is "a set form of words, as for stating or declaring something definitely or authoritatively, for indicating procedure to be followed, or for prescribed use on some ceremonial occasion". (Dictionary.com)

SO LET'S GET TO IT RIGHT NOW - THE FORMULA (Section A)
Philippians 4:8

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.

We have been looking at the Word of God, to 'think on these things', with methodical precision. There are several meanings for being reasonable and methodical. God is a God of reason....He said so "Come let us reason together...." He said so in Isaiah 1:18

Therefore, here are following brief items - all attributes we must develop, if we wish to have the MINDSET or the worldview of a son or daughter of the Living Christ. I will break down Philippians 4:8 phrase by phrase, with a brief explanation:

Whatever is True -  Read the Book of 1 John and know what the Truth is. The Truth is the Gospel. The Truth is Jesus - He is the Way, the Truth and the Life. Anything else is a counterfeit....and to be rejected.

Whatever is Honorable - Honor is in short supply today. Daily in the news, we read of some public official who has fallen due to moral failure or law-breaking. But it is not just that. Honor can be something as simple as returning a valuable item you found, or giving the change back when the cashier gives you too much back at the store etc. While the big things matter, God looks at the little things to see how well you did them!

Whatever is Just - Love justice, my friends.  Believe in it. God sent prophets against Israel or this or that evil King in the Old Testament because they were unjust to the poor, widows and orphans. But not just them. Today we see the evil and the crooked apparently getting away with everything short of murder, while the honest God-fearing person is struggling. 
Let not your heart be troubled. Their day is coming. Vengeance is Mine, I will repay, declares the Lord. He will not let sin or corruption slide. Therefore, YOU, as much as it depends on YOU - do your part!

TO BE CONTINUED TOMORROW!.....


(image by google images)

Monday, November 28, 2011

HOW DO I THINK ON THESE THINGS?

PART 3.....MODUS OPERANDI.....Foundational Truths

REQUIREMENTS:
Thinking Biblically, which we attempt to do and share daily here and elsewhere, requires a mind surrendered completely to God. It is also necessary to be teachable.


Being teachable requires humility.

Humility requires your acknowledgement that He is God and WE ARE NOT!



If all of this is lined up, we have the Blueprint for the Foundation of a Mind set on the Kingdom of God and not of this world! We now have something Holy Spirit can work with! God resists the proud but gives Grace to the Humble.


Therefore:


FROM THE BOOK OF PHILIPPIANS CHAPTER 4:
(Exhortations in BOLD BLUE)
A. THE FOUNDATION FOR THE RIGHT MINDSET:


4 Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice! -


Worship and Praise! Gratitude over what He has done for you will spur you to have joy unspeakable and an unmistakeably thankful heart! This leads to WORSHIP!!!

5 Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand. 



Be kind, compassionate and gentle like our Savior. He was/is God and could have thrown His Power around - He didn't! He came to love the unloveable and save the "un-saveable" (so to speak). Don't be a doormat, yet show the Love of Christ. It wins every time!


6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; 


While the world around you is losing their collective minds - you stand firm in the knowledge that YOU are God's Child. Nothing can separate you from Him and Holy Spirit (or God in us) confirms this, if you're paying attention and do not grieve Him by active, ongoing sin! 
Secondly - pray with humility and thanksgiving.  DO NOT GO TO GOD WITH A LAUNDRY LIST...HAVE A LIST...BUT GET TO IT AFTER YOU HAVE PROPERLY PRAISED AND THANKED HIM, my friends! He already knows what we are going to ask Him to do! He is waiting to see HOW you're going to ask! 
Ask with arrogance - forgeddaboudit!
Ask with meekness and a spirit of helplessness - He listens!
When God listens, He gives peace, revelation right away. The answer may take time, or not, but an answer will come! He has guaranteed it!


7 and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.


You are to pour all of these attributes above, as the concrete into your "Mindset Foundation". Look at the list in just these past few comments in blue:
Humility
Gentleness
Compassion
Self-control
Joy
Gratitude
Worship.....why, some of these sound like the Fruits of the Spirit!!!!!!!!!!! 
You are correct! That's the Foundation!


Finally - He said, GUARD your hearts! Do not love the flesh, tempting sights and sounds of this World, more than you love God! Guard your heart means - WATCH IT! Don't fall for temptation to flirt with disaster, either with an illicit affair or false doctrine or nice sounding cultural trends etc!
You should not just guard your heart, and especially if you are married, but protect garbage from going into your mind! This can be garbage from TV, even harmless sounding things like political shows which can rile you up...turn away from them....!!



TOMORROW: THE FORMULA (IN SOME DETAIL) FOR THE RIGHT MINDSET!


(image by google images)

HOW DO I THINK ON THESE THINGS?

Part 2......THE  MINDSET......


Many have made a living for decades, teaching others how to think positively. As we say yesterday, Dale Carnegie is probably the best known as one of the earliest, to do this in an organized fashion.

While he and Norman Vincent Peale are the most famous, over the years, many have used various techniques to fire up folks from Aunt Betty to those in corporate boardrooms across America. Tony Robbins and his big presence has made millions so doing. As has Ken Blanchard (the One Minute Manager guy); Steven Covey (Seven Habits of Highly Effective People; Dr. Phil; Jack Canfield (Chicken Soup for the ...you name it) and on and on.


Most of these men and women may use a bible verse or two, but these two men stand out for their long term walk with the Lord and basing their entire career on the Bible: Zig Ziglar and Dave Ramsey! This piece is not about biographies but about where the source of both men's strength comes from - the Word of God.



Men like us (and actually there are more women motivational speakers/life coaches than men) believe completely in the Sufficiency of Scripture. This means the Word of the Lord has the answers to ALL Life's great issues, problems and more.


Today, I wish to focus us on the following passage of Philippians with as little comment as possible. In fact, today, I will lay out the two part passage to Biblical Positive Thinking and tomorrow, briefly explain, in one sentence- what it means.
FROM THE BOOK OF PHILIPPIANS:


A. THE FOUNDATION FOR THE RIGHT MINDSET:


4 Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice! 
5 Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand. 
6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; 7 and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.



B. THE FORMULA FOR THE RIGHT MINDSET:
   
8 Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things arepure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things. 9 The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you.



TOMORROW: "What Does It Mean?" 

Sunday, November 27, 2011

HOW DO I THINK ON THESE THINGS....

PART 1 - DALE CARNEGIE, PEALE, OSTEEN OR JESUS?

The best selling Business book of all time is "HOW TO WIN FRIENDS AND INFLUENCE PEOPLE" by the great self-help author and business trainer - DALE CARNEGIE. In terms of impact, while other books like "A Purpose-Driven Life" by Rick Warrren may have sold more (over 26 millions copies) per unit, Carnegie's book and philosophy has influenced more worldwide, due to its ongoing training institute.

Dale Carnegie's personal story is very instructive in doing the right thing (for himself) at the right time. Even his name change from Carnegey to Carnegie, was a stroke of marketing genius. At the time, famous US steel magnate Andrew Carnegie was as well-known as Donald Trump's is today.  Carnegie took the world by storm on the following principles, which formed the foundation of the best known course in the world:
  1. Build greater self-confidence
  2. Strengthen people skills
  3. Enhance communication skills
  4. Develop leadership skills
  5. Improve our attitude and reducing stress

His "How to Win Friends...etc" book was based on the following four pillars:
  1. Part One: Fundamental Techniques in Handling People
  2. Part Two: Six Ways to Make People Like You
  3. Part Three: How to Win People to Your Way of Thinking
  4. Part Four: Be a Leader - How to Change People Without Giving Offense or Arousing Resentment

If you look at these items above, there seems to be nothing wrong with any of it. However, I am more interested in How Christ would measure up to any of these things. This is important because a person's
relationship with the Lord Jesus is more significant than succeeding in the natural.

One major fault I find with this book and its successor - Norman Vincent Peale's "THE POWER OF POSITIVE THINKING" - is its complete dependence on Psychology. Peale even said " Positive Thinking is another term for Faith"!

WHAT???? 

While Peale's Guidepost Magazine is still a wild bestseller, it should not be confused with biblical Christian doctrine, as it sometimes includes stories of other religious Faiths.

Back to Carnegie, some of his philosophy stretched away from a Biblical worldview, which Christ was not about. His modern counterpart in the church would be Joel Osteen, who practices and preaches a combination of both Peale and Carnegie.

The Bible gives us the complete way to both Think and Act positively.  You can be the most successful businessman or woman by following both these men to the letter, but unless your foundation is Christ and the Word of God, what good does i profit to gain the world and lose your soul?

The first thing to ask here is not would Carnegie or Peale say, but what would Jesus do?!
Here are two examples of how Jesus Christ, Creator of the Universe contradicts one of his creations - Dale Carnegie:
DALE CARNEGIE TEACHES  in Six Ways To Make People Like You:  Talk in terms of the other man’s interest. 
JESUS CHRIST TEACHES: And he said unto them, How is it that you sought me? knew you not that I must be about my Father's business? (Luke 2:49)

DALE CARNEGIE TEACHES: in Twelve Ways To Win People To Your Way Of Thinking:  Show respect for the other man’s opinions.  Never tell a man he is wrong.

JESUS TOLD THE RICH YOUNG RULER WHO WANTED TO KNOW THE WAY TO ETERNAL LIFE
LUKE 18:
[22] When Jesus heard this, he said to him, "You still lack one thing. Sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me."[23] When he heard this, he became very sad, because he was a man of great wealth.
[24] Jesus looked at him and said, "How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God! [25] Indeed, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.

Did Jesus appeal to the rich man's psyche and say " You know, dude, you're right. I will just forget the part about following Me. Just go ahead and make as much money and create more businesses and have all kinds of stock options as you want, and then when you feel ready, start coming to church and say My Name once in a while...except when you're using My Name as a cuss word!!"

Did Jesus say that? NO! He told the rich and powerful man that he was literally DEAD WRONG!

In the first counterpoint I listed, to Carnegie, Jesus said He was about His Father - Our Father in Heaven - Father God's Business!

Father's Business is not commerce! Father's Business is obedience, repentance and Holiness among all else!

Father's Business is the recognition of how our own sin has separated us from Him.

Father's Business is the realization of our total depraved nature of sin, sex and Satan and how we need to make a complete break from this or we will perish eternal.

Father's Business is the reassurance from His Word that this complete break from the Adamic Sinful Nature we were born with, is more than possible - it is a Gift.

Father's Business is the responsibility He took to repair the breach between Him and man after Adam blew it right from the beginning.

Father gave us His Word Who became flesh and dwelt among us.
Father gave us His Word which is living and breathing in 66 Books for us to study.
Father gave us His Wonderful Spirit to teach us, guide us and to confirm that Word, if we would just listen and obey and ready and study it.

Father's Word -the Bible- blows any book by Carnegie, Peale and Osteen out of the water and none of them can measure up to any phrase in it.

Tomorrow, we look at what God says about Positive Thinking...and it is ALL FROM HIM...nothing from the flesh!!

Tuesday: A 31 Day Challenge.

Amen.

Saturday, November 26, 2011

SPIRITUAL CHAOS AT NEW TWILIGHT MOVIE!

CONVULSIONS, STRANGE BEHAVIOR - IN AMERICA'S THEATERS - UP TO DATE INFO!
UPDATE (Dec 5): Following MORE documented cases of teens and some adults experiencing seizures and demonic convulsions at the Twilight move, AMC Theaters have put out a warning at all their Theaters nationwide. This warning states that about 90 minutes into the movie, a scene will occur, which can bring on this type of reaction.
So far, the Twilight movie distributor - Summit Entertainment - has kept silent as they rake in millions of dollars on other's misfortune.
More and more people are reporting from Maine, to Modesto and Canada as well as the UK, they got queasy and even vomited or fainted during the movie's grislier interludes!!! This is trending on Twitter!!! Also they confirmed these violent reactions, which OCCURRED DURING OTHER PARTS OF THE MOVIE, NOT JUST THE VIOLENT and satanic birth scene, had nothing to do with Epilepsy.
Still the church remains silent as many souls are lost to hell, because of this kind of movie!
Also on December 2, 2011, The US Epilepsy Foundation is using Facebook to warn its followers about a scene in the film Breaking Dawn linked to photosensitive seizures (Because of the particularly graphic scene with flashing white light). The Foundation says " The flashes – at the right frequency – can cause the brain to start firing in sync, a deviation from its normal chaos", on their FACEBOOK page.

Update (Nov 27): A young man passed out standing up at the Movie Theater after watching it and fell face down on the concrete floor!!!! From a pastor friend (Name withheld)

America has gone ape over the new TWILIGHT saga movie "BREAKING DAWN, Part 1"! It is the biggest selling movie all year in theaters across the country. Now comes word that a theater in Sacramento had to close down the theater after man told CBS 13 (which his wife confirmed) that he had convulsions. His wife said he was snorting like a pig!

This sounds like real wholesome family entertainment, huh!



Over in Utah, where the Twilight author Stephanie Meyer admitted that a "an angel of light" gave her the entire story and characters for Twilight, another man blacked out and HIS wife said he was making strange noises and flopping around! This couple as afraid to give their names to ABC TV in Salt Lake City, in case he loses his job!

More wholesome entertainment!.



Here is the account in part, from ABCNEWS.com "Brandon Gephart and Kelly Bauman had gone to see “Breaking Dawn: Part One” last Friday when Gephart began “convulsing, snorting, [and] trying to breathe,” according to Bauman. He doesn’t remember anything, he says, but soon awoke on the theater floor and was taken out by paramedics. The remainder of the screening was cancelled....


In Salt Lake City, the wife of the  unnamed couple said "“He started mumbling and he was blinking on and off with his eyes at that point.  I was kneeling in front of him slapping his face,” she said.
The couple said that they left early, and when they returned the next day they heard that it had happened to another girl watching the film too, though the manager of the multiplex where they viewed “Breaking Dawn” said he doesn’t know of that instance (ABCNEWS.com)
Folks, these brainiacs went back to the movie!
The fact that this demonic-inspired phenom is so popular in America's schools, homes and sadly, some churches, shows how easy it will be for the antichrist to take over the whole, once he - the man of sin - is revealed, according to 2 Thessalonians 1.
This is a warning to all Youth and/or church leaders, you will be held responsible by God, for not only taking kids to see this evil filth, but for not warning them about God's Wrath against witchcraft, divinations, sorcery, mediums and yes: so-called "vampires"! You, Mr. and Mrs. Church leader kept quiet when Harry Potter, written by a wiccan witch J K Rowling, spread throughout your church members. Don't make the same mistake twice.
We, who are walking with the Lord and know His Holiness is perfect, need to warn our people that God will not put up with people who indulge in this and then try to come before Him. He will cast them far away from Him, for eternity!!!

THIS WARNING FROM GOD HAS NEVER CHANGED:
“When you come into the land which the LORD your God is giving you, you shall not learn to follow the abominations of those nations. There shall not be found among you anyone who makes his son or his daughter pass through the fire [an ancient occult practice], or one who practices witchcraft, or asoothsayer, or one who interprets omens, or a sorcerer, or one who conjures spells, or a medium, or a spiritist, or one who calls up the dead. For all who do these things are an abomination [detestable] to the LORD…”
   —Deuteronomy 18:9-12a
THIS IS A GOOD RESOURCE EXPLAINING BOTH TWILIGHT AND HARRY POTTER

Friday, November 25, 2011

THINK ON THESE THINGS - BLACK FRIDAY EDITION


INSANITY? IDOLATRY...or both?


The photo above is very instructive! Frantic shoppers, hepped up from over-eating turkey and stuffing the day before...or maybe even - hours before...have begun their amphibious landing on their favorite store, which has just opened at Midnight on the Friday after Thanksgiving....or in some cases, at 5am.


The little older lady in the middle looks like a running back, about to cut off tackle straight ahead for the Household Goods! A friend of mine just messaged from the busy shopping centers of town, that there had to be about 1000 people trying to get into Best Buy! This is right after yesterday's Thanksgiving celebration and at 12:00am on the dot!


Now, I am not being sanctimonious and talking down about all of this. I did this once before, in the late 1990's when I didn't know any better. But have never done it since and never plan to. The Lord has opened my eyes to all this crazy stuff. The older I get, the more I've come to realize that I do NOT need 88% of this stuff to live! Even better, no running up of credit cards any more, but paying off debt.


On a deeper level, as crowds get more violent and well, plain STUPID, as they trample each other to buy a $59 DVD player, the question must be asked "Would these and millions of others standing for hours in the cold night for a bargain, rush forth to see Jesus like this? Would they run to God with wild anticipation at the Word of God being proclaimed? Would they even run to a special church service like this?


Of course, we know the answer is a resounding NO!

Where your passion resides is where your priority is. More and more, folks who listen to the Spirit of God's instructions, know our hope, happiness and future will not be found in the latest XBOX, ipad or flat screen TV. 



More and more, Biblically mature folks are coming to realize the so-called American Dream is not all there is to life. Due to a global economy; massive debt passed on to our children by politicians and more, that "Dream" is fast becoming a nightmare.


More and more, folks are realizing that we really need to focus on the basics of everything from family to food to teaching instead of keeping up with what slick marketing and a corrupt culture tells.


Now some people are not going to like this analogy, but if one has to carry on like the folks in the photo above, this is Idolatry! It is idol worship to pursue "must-have" things more than the Person and Promise of Jesus Christ! 


We all would like to have nice things and a 60 inch TV and a boat in the summer and ski trips in February. The thing is, almost all of us cannot do these things...and frankly, if we could, we should think thrice before indulging. In this life, we are called to be Salt and Light in a world, created by a Jesus Who, when He was alive did not even have a place of His own to rest His Head nightly! Even His disciples had their own families and homes - but Jesus had none. 


He is the example. Therefore, live humble lives and enjoy all the good things He has given us through our employment etc...but may it never lead us to worship at the Altar of Consumerism we are witnessing today - Black Friday!


MATTHEW 6: 31-34 NKJV
31 “Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. 


33 But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

Thursday, November 24, 2011

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!


GIVE THANKS WITH A GRATEFUL HEART
Once there were 10 lepers who were crying out! Their heart cry was not just "UNCLEAN" but  "Jesus, Master, have pity on us"! You see they had seen His many healing miracles - most of which are not in the Bible.

True to form, the Great Physicians spoke the Word and all ten lepers were healed!  He did not even lay hands on them, but gave instructions to "Go show yourselves to the Priests"...(The entire passage is found in LUKE 17:11-19)

They did as He said and while walking, the leprosy fell off them and they were healed. Of the ten of them, one came back to thank Him! The Lord said “Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?” (Because the only want to show ANY GRATITUDE at all was a Samaritan!)

Then He (Jesus) said to him, “Rise and go; your faith has made you well.”

Before you and I were saved, we were like that foreigner - outside God's Kingdom! We were lost, unclean and full of the perversions and death and disease of this world. The other nine lepers were just as lost to eternity as this Samaritan. 

Yet, they took the blessings of God and like most of the world - walked away from Him.

The Bible said this lone grateful, basically pagan (which you and I were) not only came back but threw himself at Jesus' feet, thanked Him and praised God.

Now here is the revelation: When Jesus told him in the first above "YOUR FAITH HAS MADE YOU WELL", Jesus was not talking about the Samaritan leper's health!

The original word for "WELL" is SOZO!!! You already know where this is heading! This former leper whose love and gratitude to God was obvious was told LITERALLY "YOUR FAITH HAS RESCUED YOU AND SAVED YOU FROM SIN"!!!

That leper was saved right there under the pronouncement of the Savior! You can't get a better confirmation than that! His body was already healed in the previous verses, now his soul was and unlike the other 9, who are like the people in our churches and towns, only 1 was really saved - the one with Faith and Gratitude.

This is the lesson on this Day of Thanksgiving - 2011. 
One man turned back as Jesus noted...except the word He uses has a deeper meaning than just turn around and come back....it means REPENTED in essence! Yes! The 10th Leper was going the way of all the other ungrateful lepers, stopped, turned and ran back to Jesus! That is Repentance!

Secondly, without submitting to Christ, a grateful heart and continued worship with that Repentance, a person will not experience that "SOZO" or eternal salvation!

Thanksgiving is more than just thanking Him for Saving you. He has given you everything. The very fact we even have the internet to write a blog like this, post it on Facebook and the freedom to be in a warm home on a cold November day is proof right there!!

How about thanking Him for this and more. 

How about writing down 10 Good Things about 2011 and just going "WOW" Thank YOU JESUS for all of this! 

We will then see just how Good God has been to us this year, we His people, while the world is heading where it is heading!

GIVE THANKS WITH A GRATEFUL HEART!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Wednesday, November 23, 2011

GUEST WRITER WEEK: JENN TRUMM JONES

HOW HAS GOD WORKED IN YOUR LIFE THIS YEAR?!


Reflecting back over the last year I have come to realize a lot of things. One of the biggest things is the realization of how slow and steady God will work in your life once He knows you have opened the door. As I look back over the past twelve months I can see it clearly.
JENN TRUMM JONES

He has given me clarity of myself through my oldest daughter, for one. She is a lot like me - in looks and personality. Seeing the things she is experiencing and going through have given me insight to my own personality. Some of the things I see, I don't like - others I have come to realize are actually assets rather than the liability I used to see them as. Slow and steady.

He has brought many people into my life over the past year that I would not have otherwise met. People with different experiences, views and outlooks that have enriched my life and given me new knowledge. These people range in age, background, profession, and personality - but each one has brought something to me that I didn't have before. Slow and steady.

He has brought me information through reading, studying, and various other sources that has increased my knowledge in various areas, therefore giving me more confidence. Over the years some have perceived me to be a very confident person, but it has only been recently that I have felt that way about myself. Slow and steady.

He has taught me many, many lessons over the past year that have proven valuable. Every struggle and obstacle that I have had, He has turned into a learning opportunity. Through these lessons He has shown me how to temper myself and be more patient. Slow and steady.

I was listening to someone on the radio yesterday that said God has two speeds - slow and steady or quick and suddenly. He moves at the speed He knows you are ready for. Looking back at what has transpired over the past year, I am glad He moved slowly because it is teaching me patience. Patience I desperately needed in my life! Perhaps someday He will kick it up a notch, but until then I know that every day I am taking another step forward in His plan. It has taught me to appreciate what He is doing in my life. If He was moving quickly in my life, I am not sure that I would take the time to notice it was Him. He knows me so well.

Though at times when we are being taught patience, it seems like it is an eternity before things start to change - when we take a moment to look back, we can see exactly what changes have come about and learn to appreciate how God walks us slowly through the changes in our lives. Some of us don't handle change well, and proceed at a snail's pace because we are resisting it - sometimes without even realizing it. 

Though my mind moves quickly and I am often times wanting things to hurry up and happen, I have come to realize that God knows best for me. If He has determined that I need to slow down, who am I to argue? Patience, consistency, balance, determination, steadfastness, and discernment are areas where I have been weak. Proceeding at a slow steady pace is how He is teaching me each one. 

Tuesday, November 22, 2011

GUEST WRITER WEEK: MARTHA MURDY ORLANDO



LAY YOUR BURDEN DOWN

Matthew 11:28: "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest."Many long years ago, in going through a far from cordial divorce, I found myself floundering in a veritable sea of stress. I was juggling too many balls, none of which, I thought, I could afford to drop.

Still a wet-behind-the-ears Christian, I did not understand how calling on God, whom I assumed had many more important things to do, would afford me the relief I so desperately needed. I claimed my burdens as my own, determined to ride out the storm by myself. Big mistake!

One morning, I awoke to a dull throbbing in my shoulders. As the day wore on, my muscles continued to contract until the tension in them was like that of a wildcat poised to pounce. It was a hardship to stand up straight due to the discomfort.

By nightfall, I was not only enduring the pain in my shoulders, but also a sharp aching in my knees. My body felt as though I had carried a 50-pound pack on a 20-mile hike.

The next day was no better; nor was the next and the one after that. Pain relievers proved useless. It was a struggle to put on a brave face for my young children, acting as though nothing was wrong when I felt my body, my life, was falling apart. When tears arose, I'd lock myself in the bathroom until the wave subsided.

It was during one of these escapes that I looked at my face, so tense and drawn, in the mirror and finally addressed God.

Why am I in so much pain, Lord? What's happening to me? Am I ever going to feel better? I can't take much more of this. Please, Lord, I need your help!"

That's when the answer popped into my head. Tomorrow was Sunday. I would go to the altar rail when it was time for special prayer requests. I would ask for prayers for healing.
~
As I limped away from the rail that morning, a friend who had come up for a birthday blessing, put her arm around me as we headed back to our pews.

"You have Atlas Syndrome," she whispered in my ear.

"I have what?" I answered, completely clueless.

"Atlas Syndrome - you're carrying the weight of the world on your shoulders," she explained with a smile, giving me a reassuring hug. "Give that burden to the Lord. It's not yours, it's His."

Epiphany! As she slipped into her pew and I hobbled back to mine, I resolved then and there to ask Jesus to lift this unbearable burden from me. I prayed silently, fervently, throughout the remainder of the service. I believed, for the first time in my infantile Christian walk, that He was truly there for me. I trusted fully in His power to heal and to carry my cares.

By the following day, my pain had completely vanished.

Thanks be to God!

What burden are you shouldering today that belongs to the Lord, and not to you?

Will you pray with me?
The trials and tribulations can weigh us down and steal our joy if we let them, Father. Help us to always remember that no burden is too heavy to bear for the One who carried the cross weighted with the sins of the whole world. With thankful hearts, let us place all our worries and cares in the competent hands of Jesus. May we find rest for our weary souls in Him. Amen.



Readings:
Psalms 26, 28 or 36, 39
Lamentations 1:1-5 (6-9) 10-12
1 Corinthians 15:41-50
Matthew 11:25-30



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