Cast Your Burden, or not?

"Cast your burden upon the Lord and He will sustain you..." Psalm 55:22

It makes for really good preaching and sounds good when it is yelled from the pulpit, but I simply cannot believe that "God will not put more on you than you can bear." Practical experience and empirical evidence mitigate otherwise; God does put more on you than you can bear, and He is quite pleased to do so.

There are times in life when God places such a burden upon you so as to do a thing in your life; it is up to you to determine what that thing is and then accept it and live in it. That burden then becomes such a thing that God intends not to lift it from you so as to teach you that thing and further, to drive you to Him--to fall out of fellowship with Him because of the burden is a failure of an egregious sort and will only make the burden that much heavier to bear.

So to roll the responsibility upon God and allow Him to shoulder the heaviest portion of the burden is not only biblical but sound--it makes sense. The burdens we bear were never meant to be borne alone, yet what a celebration ensues when we do bear it alone! "I did this! I accomplished this thing!" But was any real lesson learned in faith? None whatsoever.

Can one be crushed under a heavy load? Quite possibly; but not if one end of the load has been deliberately given over to Him to shoulder.

Sinner or Saint?

I was just thinking earlier today about the dichotomy between sinner and saint. I was talking with a widower today and his decision to get remarried. He was afraid there was some sin in it and that he would not be honoring his departed wife. The lady to whom he is engaged is a widow, just to clarify.

What concerned me was that he was trying to find some sin in the relationship. However, it led me to a conclusion about something that I have been pondering for a time. It often rattles me how often Christian teachers, preachers, bloggers, writers, and so on take much time to remind us that we are sinners but rarely to ever remind us that we are saints. Instead of looking for the good in something, we automatically look for the bad.

We are sinners. Absolutely. However, we are no longer citizens of this world, but we have been translated to another kingdom, a kingdom not of this world and we have an alien righteousness bestowed upon us by a loving Creator through the death of His only-begotten. My friend had nearly resigned himself to further despair because he seemed to want me to find some sin in his decision to become engaged.

I think a lot of resignation, despair, depression, and hopelessness is generated by those pastors and teachers who fail to instruct their people that Christ and His righteousness is theirs now and not just later.

Going "Hmmm..."

Have you ever read a passage of Scripture that you have read numerous times before yet a certain verse, phrase, or sentence catches you and you think, "Wow, I don't think I remember reading that before?" That happened to me early this morning. I am reading through Matthew again and these verses were the unlikely culprits.

But I tell you that every careless word that people speak, they shall give an accounting for it in the day of judgment. For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned. Matthew 12:36-37

Being a preacher, I understand the power of words and the necessity of choosing them carefully. However, do I apply this same principle in my own life, in the way I speak to family, friends, neighbors, the lost, and even on the blogs? Verse 36 is especially sobering; Jesus said we will give an accounting for EVERY word spoken. I'm not a fan of the "video-tape rollback" theory of how the judgment is going to be carried out, but if it has any merit, I will be watching with my head hung low, humiliated for a very long time.

Thinking about Discipleship

As the title suggests, my thoughts have been continually turned to the topic of discipleship lately. As I read Scripture, a book I have been reading, and a discussion or two in the blogosphere has turned my attention to discipleship. I am thinking primarily along the lines of how well a maker of disciples I am and notice myself coming up short. Plus, I'm asking some questions, more basic and fundamental than anything relatively deep right now.

• What is a disciple?
• How do I make disciples?
• What does the Scripture say about discipleship?
• How important is discipleship?
• How can I lead the folks in the church I serve to become disciple makers?

In my Bible reading today, I read from Matthew 10. Verse 24 was especially convicting.

A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master.

This tied in really well with the slave/master thoughts I posted a few days ago to further lead my thinking. If I am going to make disciples, I myself need to be discipled.

Just Because I'm Seminary Educated...

...doesn't mean I am "in charge" of the church.

...doesn't mean I have the market cornered on truth.

...doesn't mean I am beyond sin.

...doesn't mean I have all things figured out.

...doesn't mean I am due any special privileges.

...doesn't mean I am above rebuke.

...doesn't mean I am led any differently than any other Spirit-filled believer.

...doesn't mean my opinion should be elevated above that of another believer.

...doesn't mean my opinion should be elevated above what the Bible actually says.

...doesn't mean I understand the Bible better.

...doesn't mean I deserve a title.

...doesn't mean my prayers are heard differently by God.

...doesn't mean I don't struggle.

...doesn't mean I cannot or will not stumble or fall.

...doesn't mean I shouldn't ask questions and work out my own salvation.

...doesn't mean my interpretations of the Bible are infallible.

...doesn't mean I should have a reserved parking space or be first in line.

...doesn't mean my wife should hold every capacity in the church that isn't filled.

...doesn't mean my children should be held to a higher standard than any other believing family's children.

...doesn't mean God favors me over anyone else.

Thought for the Day

If all we want to do is produce people who look like Christians, our responsibility is fulfilled when people say and do the "right" things.

Eric Wallace, writing on discipleship in Uniting Church and Home