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Listen while you read: "At The Foot Of The Cross"1 (Lyrics) |
Matthew 11:28 – Come to Me, all you who labour and are heavy-laden and overburdened, and I will cause you to rest. [I will ease and relieve and refresh your souls.] (AMP)
I've noticed in recent years that many kids are carrying backpacks to school, which look like they are a real burden to them. Some of them look like the Hunchback of Notre Dame, as they trudge along the street. Interestingly enough, doctors are seeing back problems, particularly in young children, which normally don't appear until later adulthood. They attribute these symptoms to the weight of the backpacks on the spines of young children.
I believe that many of us carry spiritual and/or emotional backpacks in our lives, that weigh us down and prevent us from growing in our walk with the Lord. Furthermore, medical studies have even shown that if we have pent-up anger, bitterness, or lack of forgiveness in our lives, they can harm our physical and/or emotional health.
Are we carrying a backpack full of stuff undealt with?
If we are, Jesus will relieve us through confession and help us to deal with things from our past, which are continuing to weigh us down.
1 John 1:9 – If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (NKJV)
It is often said that confession is good for the soul. It's amazing what happens to our souls when we ask for forgiveness of someone or God Himself. It feels like a great weight is taken off our back, like those children must experience when they get to school and take off their backpacks.
Unloading our backpack of cares and sins is just what God wants us to do. Then we can sing the lines of that song, "Cast all your cares on Him for he careth for you. He is our peace; He is our peace."
Prayer: We thank You, Lord, that we can unload the sins and the cares of our lives for You to discard. Pour out Your grace, O God, to help us release the burdens, and give us that lightness of soul and the peace that passes all understanding. In Jesus' precious name, we pray. Amen.
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Great article Al.
Amen to that, Allan.
Good one. So true about back packs too.
Wonderful analogy Allan. Thanks for sharing.
Thank you for sharing this illustration and application with us, Allan. Blessings.
Very good observation and analogy. Thank you for sharing and challenging us.
Great analogy Allan! Thank you for this important reminder to cast all our cares upon Him.
Keep writing!
Blessings.
Allan – A timely topic and great analogy! Your devotional reminds of the song, “Take Your Burdens to the Lord and Leave Them There…” Thank you for sharing your thoughts with us.
God bless.
Thanks for your thoughts Allan, I particularly enjoyed the solution: “If we are, Jesus will relieve us through confession and will help us….” But it requires, as our Sunday School teachers used to suggest: “Keep short accounts with the Lord and go often to the mercy seat for cleansing and renewal.”
And I agree with you about back packs.
Blessings.
Dear Allan Smith,
Thank you for your devotional.
I agree. I don’t like seeing the children so loaded down. And I wonder how much of all that weight is necessary. Pray with me that what is not essential will be eliminated.
And we adults, with the children, are also carrying burdens that the Lord has already taken for us upon the cross. We can toss those burdens aside, and say, “Thank you, Lord.”
Keep writing.
Thank you Allan. This is a real challenge to those of us who think we have to carry all of our problems until we solve them and forget that the Lord has promised to take that burden from us, and deal with the situation if we but surrender them to Him.
Thanks so much for the devotional posted on Wednesday, 17 July. Perhaps I should lighten my backpack – I shall continue to work on that!
God’s best to you.
What an analogy…backpacks, but so true.
Thanks for making it so simple