7 Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him; Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way, Because of the man who brings wicked schemes to pass. 8 Cease from anger, and forsake wrath; Do not fret--it only causes harm.
Fretting - or worrying - will weigh us down, it will hold us back in our progress in spiritual growth. We can choose to be weighed down by the cares of this life, which Jesus teaches will choke God's Word from our hearts, or we can rest in the Lord, we can relinquish those burdens and experience His restoration. So often, we try to solve our problems without the wisdom of God and the power of the Holy Spirit, we want to be in control, but human devices are not nearly as effective as using the rich spiritual resources available to us in Jesus Christ.
Matthew 11 reminds us of the Lord's desire to release us from the burdens that we carry and weigh down our souls:
28 Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.
About 25 years ago, a Connecticut woman named Grace Edwards bought a house. For years, she had received a bill for her electricity, but embedded within the bill was a charge for streetlights near her house, to the tune of 35 dollars a month - seems the previous owner had agreed to pay for the lights.
As she put her house on the market, she discovered the area, went to the power company, who initially refused to reimburse her, but after she contacted a state consumer protection agency, the charges were dropped and Connecticut Light & Power reimbursed her almost $10,500!
It always helps to know what you're paying for when you receive a bill. For years, Grace bore this small financial burden and didn't even know it.
You know, as Christians we bear burdens that we were never intended to carry. Jesus died for our sins, to release us from the weight of sin that would hold us down and hold us back. And, he wants to take the cares of life from us - releasing us from worry and anxiety, that can also provide a strong weight. Just as Grace Edwards received over $10,000 back from the power company, we have the chance to experience restoration, as we recognize that Christ bore our sin burden on the cross, paying the price so that we may be free. And, now that we have been set free FROM sin, He desires for us to walk in freedom INTO abundant life. It's possible as we identify those areas, confess our sins, release our cares, and allow the Lord to provide for us His strength.
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