Our Ever-Present Help in Need

Our Ever-Present Help in Need

           The Glory of God is who He is and what He does and one of the great glories of God is His faithfulness. In heaven He manifests himself there in such light and beauty that

there is no need of the sun or the moon to shine on it “for the glory of God gives it light.” We don't see the physical light yet but we do experience the glory of His presence and His faithfulness. He can be counted on. Always. He is always an ever-present help in need, no matter how difficult the trial.

         His faithfulness is seen in His promises: “God is faithful and will not allow you to be tested beyond that you are able, but will with the testing “also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.” 1 Cor. 10:13 NIV

         God is unchangeable (immutable). The eternal God is thy refuge and underneath are the everlasting arms. We rest in the reality of His Presence and His faithfulness. But He wants us to be faithful, too. Do you stop to think about God's expectations for you? “Moreover it is required in stewards that a [person] be found faithful.” 1 Cor. 4:2 God expects you to be faithful to the tasks that He in His providence has given you to do. Be faithful. Be dependable. People should be able to count on you. Be single-minded in following the Lord. “A double-minded man is unstable in all his ways.” James 1:8 That's not the way God is and it's not the way we should be.

          You are aware that this world is growing in its instability. It's in a state of flux and confusion. Most people don't even understand who they are, why they were created, and what God's purposes are for their lives. Since God the Holy Spirit indwells all those who know Jesus as Savior, we should be able to add some stability to our own little world that we live in every day. “God is not the author of confusion, but of peace. . . .” 1 Cor. 14:33

         The place to begin is with ourselves and within our family. Can the others count on you? Will you “be there” when they need you? Do you help give your home a little taste of heaven and the love that we find there? Is there peace and love and joy and helpfulness and encouragement and patience and stability and beauty of human relationships shown there?
Are you “kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.” Eph. 4:32

         Our whole eternal security is based on God's faithfulness. We could paraphrase and apply a well-known scripture, “Be ye faithful even as your Father in heaven is faithful.” Integrity. Truth. Reliability even when it's difficult.

          “A mighty fortress is our God, A bulwark never failing. Our Helper He amid the flood of mortal ills prevailing. . . .” “God is our Refuge and Strength.” Psalm 46 “For the Lord is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations.” Psalm 100:5 “From everlasting to everlasting, thou art God.” Psalm 90:2

What does God require of you?

What does the Lord require of you? We remember that Jesus said, “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.” And He gave us the “First and Great Commandment” which is to love God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength”--with all the implications thereof! And the 2^nd is “like unto it, thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.” Those two commandments should engage our attention every day. They're obviously central and very helpful.

            But there's another way of seeking the answer to this momentous question. It's found in the book of Deuteronomy chapter 10 when Moses was speaking to the people of God shortly before he died. Moses asked, “¹² “And now, Israel, what does the Lord your God require of you. . . .??” And then answered the question:

1 but to fear the Lord your God,

2 to walk in all his ways,

3 to love him,

4 to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul,
5 ¹³ and to keep the commandments and statutes of the Lord . . . for your good

         Then Moses pointed out why the Lord has the right and authority to command us and to “require of us” what He does. ¹⁴ Behold, to the Lord your God belong heaven and the heaven of heavens, the earth with all that is in it. And that's amplified in Psalm 24:1-2
¹ The earthWe belong to God by right of creation.

And We belong to God by right of preservation. He provides for us and keeps us alive.

And We belong to God by right of redemption. “You are not your own, for you were bought with a price.” 1 Cor. 6:19-20

        So God gives us a list of 5 ways for us to see if we measure up to what God expects.

Love is at the heart of all of this. “Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.” 1 John 4:10    And if we love God, we must do so with our hearts. God seeks those who will worship and serve Him with a willing heart.

        Spurgeon in his inimitable way shows us what that means.

2 Chronicles 31:21 He did it with all his heart and prospered.

       This is no unusual occurrence; it is the general rule of the moral universe that those men prosper who do their work with all their hearts, while those are almost certain to fail who go to their labour leaving half their hearts behind them. God does not give harvests to idle men except harvests of thistles, nor is He pleased to send wealth to those who will not dig in the field to find its hid treasure. It is universally confessed that if a man would prosper, he must be diligent in business. It is the same in religion as it is in other things. If you would prosper in your work for Jesus, let it be heart work, and let it be done with all your heart. Put as much force, energy, heartiness, and earnestness into religion as ever you do into business, for it deserves far more.

       The Holy Spirit helps our infirmities, but He does not encourage our idleness; He loves active believers. Who are the most useful men in the Christian church? The men who do what they undertake for God with all their hearts. Who are the most successful Sabbath-school teachers? The most talented? No; the most zealous; the men whose hearts are on fire, those are the men who see their Lord riding forth prosperously in the majesty of His salvation.

        Whole-heartedness shows itself in perseverance; there may be failure at first, but the earnest worker will say, "It is the Lord's work, and it must be done; my Lord has bidden me do it, and in His strength I will accomplish it." Christian, art thou thus "with all thine heart" serving thy Master?  Remember the earnestness of Jesus! Think what heart-work was His! He could say, "The zeal of Thine house hath eaten Me up." When He sweat great drops of blood, it was no light burden He had to carry upon those blessed shoulders; and when He poured out His heart, it was no weak effort He was making for the salvation of His people. Was Jesus in earnest, and are we lukewarm?

                                                                    --Charles Spurgeon, 1834-1892

             It is also refreshing to read the paraphrase of this passage in Deuteronomy 10 in The Message: “So now Israel, what do you think God expects from you? Just this: Live in his presence in holy reverence, follow the road he sets out for you, love him, serve God, your God, with everything you have in you, obey the commandments and regulations of God that I'm commanding you today—live a good life.”

           “Look around you: Everything you see is God's—the heavens above and beyond, the Earth, and everything in it. . . . God, your God, is the God of all gods, he's the Master of all masters, a God immense and powerful and awesome. . . . He's your praise! He's your God!”

“The Faithful witness in the skies”

“The Faithful witness in the skies”

          Did you see the moon last night?! It was so beautiful once again. And the sky was perfectly clear where we live in Arkansas. You've seen it so many times before and you never tire of it. It so reminds us of God's Presence and God's faithfulness when you see a lovely moon in the skies. I'll never forget the time I went to a Christmas program at the mission in Carmel, California. Minnie had taught school that day and was tired and wanted to stay home so I went by myself, which was quite unusual since she was almost always with me. It was the night of a full moon and the skies were clear and crisp as a winter night can be. It was so lovely I decided to drive by Carmel beach and watch the moon in the ocean as the white caps washed gently on the beach and the sand was so white in the moonlight! It was absolutely breath-taking and I immediately wished that Minnie was there to see it, as she had before. I parked my car and just stayed there a long while watching and praising God that He gives us such beauty regularly and faithfully.

         Then I thought about the scripture that calls the moon “God's faithful witness in the sky.” Psalm 89:37 The moon reminds us of God's faithfulness and His goodness and His Presence and His love of beauty which He created because He is the source of beauty. It reminds us of God's promise that “while the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease.” Genesis 8:22

        Then I thought about how the moon reflects the glory and power of the sun but has no light within itself, but can only reflect (or tell of) the light of the sun. In the same way Jesus calls us, His disciples, “salt and light.” The light is not our own; we have none. The light we are to reflect is Jesus' Light who truly is “the Light of the World.” “I am the light of the world,” Jesus said, “he that follows me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.” John 8:12

         And I thought of the many friends God has given Minnie and me throughout the world and I wondered if you saw the moon last night or was it cloudy and blocked from sight? Did you thank God for it and for its beauty and its faithful reminders of God's creativity and love? Did it remind you of the glory that is yet to come? ^“And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof.” Rev. 21:23

         When you read this, click on Reply from Australia, New Zealand, Taiwan, Mexico, Hong Kong, Singapore, Korea, that beautiful pleasant land of Washington, California which I still love in spite of it all (my native state), Arkansas, that lovely state of Colorado, and even the great state of Texas from where God gave me my greatest gift, my wife—and two of our children. Did you see the moon last night? Did you thank God for what you saw? It kinda ties us together, doesn't it, giving us a similar experience.

                                          Love, Pastor Burnside

The Bondage of Fear and the Courage Jesus gives

The Bondage of Fear and the Courage Jesus gives

        A sudden realization of potential danger or a plan to avoid danger is one of the ways God warns us to be prudent and avoid dangerous situations. “The prudent sees danger and hides himself, but the simple go on and suffer for it.” Proverbs 22:3 ESV Many times in scripture we see people of God avoiding danger when they could do so and still continue the ministry or mission God had given them. Paul, for example, escaped those who sought to kill him by being let down from the city walls in a large basket. Acts 9:23-25

          Jesus Himself knew that He was perfectly safe in the protection of God until “His hour was come” that God had before ordained should occur, but He, too, avoided danger and didn’t deliberately incite unnecessary hostility. Early in His ministry in Judea “the Jews sought the more to kill him,” John 5:18 so Jesus went to Galilee to minister for the next year and a half. He returned to Jerusalem during the three festivals where His attendance was required by the Mosaic Law. But notice how He even avoided undue attention. John 7:1-2 “After these things Jesus walked in Galilee; for He did not want to walk in Judea, because the Jews sought to kill Him. Now the Jews' Feast of Tabernacles was at hand.” So Jesus needed to go to Jerusalem but read the opening verses of John 7: He told His brethren to go without Him and later in the week He went up alone or with a few of His disciples.

        But He had important lessons to teach the people so He quietly went to the Temple area and taught. Jesus never avoided danger when the Father had a mission for Him to accomplish (including the cleansing of the Temple at the beginning of His ministry and again towards the end). It was not fear that motivated Him, but prudence and wisdom. Towards the end of His ministry, Jesus told His disciples that “the hour has come” and went to Jerusalem knowing full well that the Jewish leaders intended to kill Him. So He never shrank back from the mission He had come to do, offering Himself as the atonement for sin by His death on the cross.

        Fear and self-control: Courage in the midst of danger. So we prudently seek to avoid danger, but when we must face it, we look to the Lord for courage to meet the test. Sometimes in life danger cannot be avoided. And then God gives the courage to face that danger. A sudden emotion of fear when you realize you are in a dangerous or potentially dangerous situation awakens an alertness and is a gift from God to help
protect us. But you immediately control that fear and it subsides as you look to the Lord for courage–and He gives it to you. In fact He has given us a promise to do just that in Psalm 27:14 “Wait on the Lord: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the Lord.” So you look to the Lord for protection, wisdom, and strength, and use the courage He has already given you. Then He promises to “strengthen your heart” as you continue to wait or depend on Him.

       “Be not afraid of sudden fear. . . . For the Lord shall be thy confidence, and shall keep thy foot from being taken.” Proverbs 3:25-26 “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.” 2 Timothy 1:7 This is a wonderful verse, but an important part of it is often missed in translation. The Greek word translated “a sound mind” is sophronismos (Strong’s 4995) which means “discipline or self- control” in English. ESV translates it “self-control.” NAS, “discipline,” and NIV, “self-discipline.” The contrast is to “the spirit of fear.” Instead of being fearful, we can control ourselves in the power of the Holy Spirit and not panic, even when the danger is considerable. Courage instead of panic or fear. You control yourself and your emotions even though you might have a sudden urge to panic. Self-control or selfdiscipline is one of the most important parts of the fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faith, gentleness, self-control. Galatians 5:22-23

         Self-control “signifies entire command of the passions and desires; a self-control which holds the rein over these.” Vincent   The New Testament takes a common Greek virtue, that of self-control, and “transformed it into a condition yet higher still, in which a man does not command himself, which is well, but, which is better still, is commanded by God.” Trench So it is God who is strengthening your heart and gave you the promise that He would “not allow” you to be tested beyond your ability in His strength to endure.
1 Cor. 10:13

       And Jesus gave you the authority to tell your heart, “Let not your heart be . . . afraid.” John 14:27
Fear is bondage and there are all sorts of fears. Are you afraid of sickness and pain? Are you afraid that you will lose your job or that God will not provide? Are you afraid of bodily harm? Are you afraid of failure or persecution or tribulation? Are you afraid of what the future might bring? Jesus can deliver us from all those fears. He can “deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.” Hebrews
2:15 ”If the Son shall make you free, you shall be free indeed.” “If you continue in my word, then are you my disciples indeed; And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” John 8:36,31-32

        Sin deceives and enslaves. “They promise them freedom, while they themselves are slaves of depravity–for a man is a slave to whatever has mastered him.” 2 Peter 2:19 NIV So submit to God and be free from slavery to sin, self, Satan–and fear.

          Anxiety and Fear.  Worry or anxiety takes away your joy and your peace. So God has given us
abundant reason to choose His joy and His peace instead of our fears and worries and anxieties. Worry accomplishes absolutely nothing except to destroy your joy and peace. Scripture is so clear on this: “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds
through Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:6-7 NAS

       Jesus put both worry and fear together and contrasted it with His peace when He told the disciples, “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” John 14:27 And in the Sermon on the Mount He talked about the futility of worry. Instead we should concentrate on today and see how the Lord provides each day. Look at the
birds of the air and the flowers of the field, how God cares for them. So “fear not, Little Flock,” He said in another place; you are of more value than many birds and flowers.

         What are we then to do with our fears and worries if we don’t want to be burdened with them? Give them to the Lord for safekeeping and He will handle them. “Roll your burdens on the Lord.” “Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and he shall sustain thee.” Psalm 55:22 “Cast all your care (or worry) on Him for He cares for you.” 1 Peter 5:7

      Freedom from Fear does not mean Freedom from Suffering and Sorrow “The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? When the wicked, even mine enemies and my foes, came upon me . . ., they stumbled and fell.” Psalm 27:1-2 So we have no reason to fear. But as fallen, sinful people we share in the sufferings of this present sin-cursed world. And that’s a very large subject in itself, but “I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. . . . The creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but
by the will of the One who subjected it, in hope [or, expectation] that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God.” Romans 8:18-25 NIV

      So let’s take the eternal perspective and anticipate with joy the future. “Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and
momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.” 2 Corinthians 4:16-18 NIV
                                                                                     –Pastor Burnside

God Fulfills His Purposes for You

God Fulfills His Purposes for You

        God gave the same promise twice in the Psalms:

^“ I cry out to God Most High, to God who fulfills his purpose for me.” Psalm 57:2 ESV

^“The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me; your steadfast love, O Lord, endures forever. Do not forsake the work of your hands.” Psalm 138:8

           God never forsakes what He has begun and He will bring it to completion or fulfillment.

“. . . He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion. . . .” Phil. 1:6

         And what are those purposes for your life? Scripture tells us several purposes, maybe the most important of which is to make us more like Christ. We are “predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son. . . .” Romans 8:29 And the same passage speaks of our ultimate “glorification” when we shall see Him as He is: “we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.” 1 John 3:2

          There are, no doubt, other purposes and plans for us individually which are unique for each of us. That's why the NLT interprets Psalm 138:8 “The Lord will work out His plans for my life.” And those plans gradually unfold so that we follow God's leading step-by-step and day-by-day. “The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord: and he delighteth in his way.” Psalm 37:23

       This passage is about the exile of God's people in ancient times but there is an application to us today since “all scripture is . . . profitable.” 2 Tim. 3:16

Jeremiah 29:11-14 (ESV) “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you, declares the Lord. . . .”

         While we are waiting expectantly on God, God is at work and we can observe His hand in the providential care of our lives. “Whatsoever the Lord takes in hand, He will accomplish.”

Providence is the “performance of God's gracious purposes and promises to His people. Grace makes the promise, and providence the payment.” (John Flavel, 1628-91)

      In the meantime we have “the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.” Ephesians 1:14

Renewed every morning

           One of our daily privileges is to look to the Lord for respite, rest, renewal and rejuvenation each day. And the result is rejoicing in Him because “although our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day.” 2 Cor. 4:16 ESV It is fascinating how so often in the midst of a dilemma, a problem, or a trial, God gives us rest and renews. We can take a deep breath before going on.

Sometimes A Light surprises the Christian while he sings;

It is the Lord who rises with healing in His wings:

When comforts are declining, He grants the soul again

A season of clear shining, To cheer it after rain.

         God does this daily. I notice it often and remember so well how Minnie and I were refreshed on those last steep hills on her journey home. We often had to “come apart and rest awhile,” but God renewed us daily—and He still does. Where does that “Light” that “surprises” you come from? God meets with us in His Word! How often we read our Bible and see how glorious the old truths are and how they grip our hearts. It’s the Light of the illumination of the Holy Spirit exalting Jesus the Light of the world.

         But this wonderful hymn says the “surprise” reminder comes “while he sings.” Aye, and that’s so true as we sing to one another and to the Lord in “psalms and hymns and spiritual songs.” That’s because we are singing scriptural truths and God has put a new song in our hearts, even praise unto the Lord our God. Why is it “new”? It’s always new because it’s fresh and illumined by the Presence of God Himself who is always “there” (or shall we say “here.”)

Think of the rain and how the “season of clear shining” follows that long rain. Or how the spring follows the winter. Or how the morning light follows the dark midnight. Or how joy comes in the morning after a long night.

In holy contemplation we sweetly then pursue The theme of God's salvation, And find it ever new;

Set free from present sorrow, We cheerfully can say, Let the unknown tomorrow Bring with it what it may.

It can bring with it nothing But He will bear us through: Who gives the lilies clothing Will clothe His people too:

Beneath the spreading heavens No creature but is fed; And He who feeds the ravens Will give His children bread.

Though vine nor fig tree neither Their wanted fruit should bear, Though all the fields should wither, Nor flocks nor herds be there:

Yet, God the same abiding, His praise shall tune my voice: For, while in Him confiding, I cannot but rejoice.

                                           --William Cowper, alt. From “A Quiet Heart,” Soundforth Singers

Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for him. Psalm 37:7

Learning to Let Christ Carry your Burdens

         Do you ever wonder how you're going to “carry” all those burdens the Lord has allowed you to experience or sent your way? All those troubles and problems that the people you love face and you do what you can but you can't handle it all. It's impossible. There's just too much. And the world seems to fall apart around you sometimes. How do you handle all that? Well, you can't and you know it.

        Besides, you realize how weak you are. And you're not really courageous and you have no desire to be either a hero or a martyr. “When I am weak, then He is strong.” Weakness? Oh, I meet that criteria very well. Inadequate? My problem is not that I feel inadequate My problem is that in reality I am inadequate! More than inadequate. Totally helpless sometimes, unable to affect the outcome of so many problems.

         It helps a lot that God teaches us to be content regardless of our outward circumstances, but that doesn't mean being content with the status quo. Sometimes there are changes and modifications available to you. Contentment is not an easy achievement! But though we've learned to be content in whatever situation, how do we learn to avail ourselves of one of the most sweeping, helpful promises of scripture: Psalm 55:22 “Cast thy burden upon the Lord and He shall sustain thee: He shall never suffer the righteous to be moved.” And the one we all love: 1 Peter 5:7 “Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.” We all know how to do that, don’t we? Well, maybe not “all your care”—but some of it anyway and after all, “every little bit helps!” Partial is not sufficient, is it?! “All” is all just like “all things” in Romans 8:28 it’s certainly not “partial.”! But what a reassurance to know He “cares” for us—in a double meaning! He cares in the sense that He loves us. And He takes care of us as well. The meaning of the Greek word is “the watchful care of interest and affection.” (Vincent, I, 669)

         “Casting” means throwing something on something or someone else—like throwing a blanket over a horse's back to get him ready to carry your load. What we can “cast” on the Lord for Him to carry for us is “all discontentment, discouragement, despair, questioning, pain suffering, and whatever other trials we encounter [because we] can trust His love, faithfulness, power, and wisdom.” (John MacArthur)

         How do we prepare for the future, for what is yet to come—when we don't even know what it is? By casting our burdens on the Lord and waiting on Him and His good time. In answer to a very important question, HOW do we cast our burdens on the Lord? I wrote this e-mail on November 4, 2008.

        “Here are some of the things I've learned in struggling with the same question. And they are important answers because I know the Lord has pulled me along and taught me a few things in my 75 years. [now 78]. . . . My heart is heavy when I see people in my family suffering or struggling or especially not walking with the Lord or not bringing their children up in the nurture of the Lord. And since I'm pastor of our little church I share in their problems, too--and rejoice when we see spiritual growth--which we certainly do. One of the ladies had tears as she came from the Morning Worship service yesterday overwhelmed with the reverence of communion and thinking of the passage I had read aloud from the Garden of Gethsemane. She wrote an e-mail today that "God's glory and the gift of salvation is so real that it is truly overwhelming."

So these are burdens I seek to roll off on the Lord. . . .

          What God is teaching us is to learn to walk with Him and trust Him when things are going well and when it seems like we're walking in the dark and uncertain what's next. "Walk in the Spirit" is something we have to learn and never learn perfectly this side of heaven. So it's certainly not a mechanical answer or a 4-step program or something. It's learning to know and walk with a Person, with our Lord, just as the disciples on the Emmaus Road did after the Resurrection.

       A basic presupposition is God's adequacy for whatever problem He sends (or allows) our way. The sufficiency of the Lord our Refuge. The longer you walk with Him, the more you realize how true that is.

      Part of this is patience and endurance because we are in an endurance race. They told the apostle Paul that he was going to be imprisoned and he replied, "But none of these things move me, neither count I my life dear unto myself, so that I might finish my course with joy, and the ministry, which I have received of the Lord Jesus. . . ." "Finish my course" is an endurance race and "with joy" is vital because "The joy of the Lord is your strength." Joy in the Lord is one of the most important parts of our life and we can have joy (and peace) even in the midst of affliction.

        So that's part of it. But listen to this: a major part is where and how you focus your attention. And I think of that in two ways: on what you are presently concentrating, that which is in front of you. And what is kinda back behind what you're doing--sort of in the back of your mind. It's easy to have those problems loom large in the back of your mind even while you're concentrating on taking care of the children. That's where you need to cast or throw them to the Lord. It's not that you can't focus on them and ask the Lord for guidance and run through the possibilities again. But not in an anxious way.

          To do this you must take your focus off what's causing anxiety and worry and put your focus on the One who will either 1) bring a solution or 2) give you the grace to endure and go through the trial. This is exactly what Scripture says in Hebrews chapter 12:1-3

          1. Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the [endurance] race that is set before us,

         2. Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.

        3. For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds.

        This is vital. Instead of focusing on the problems, focus on the Lord and His word. You read the Word every day or several times in the day not only for food and knowledge and direction, but also to cleanse your mind.

        Those words about looking and considering are very strong. 12:2 is better translated "Fixing" our eyes on Jesus--instead of being preoccupied with the problems. The Holy Spirit focuses on Jesus to glorify Him; when we walk in the Spirit, we do the same. When we're focused on Jesus, then we can see our problems in the proper perspective. He is our example and when we don't know what to do, we search the scriptures to see if we can find out.

The joy that was at the end of the race was what Jesus focused on and that's part of our focus, too. Verse 3 "Consider Him" who endured so much.

          Here's a key quotation for you: "We do not live in our own power but in His." That includes physical strength that He gives us as a gift as well as spiritual. Galatians 2:20 "I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me." "Christ in you, the hope of glory." So focus on Him, not on yourself because it all depends on Him and He will give you the strength to do your part. 2 Cor. 4:7 "But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us."

        The answer to your "how" is the same answer that the angel gave to Mary's "how": "The Holy Spirit will come upon you and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. . . ." The Holy Spirit indwells us and Christ lives within. So our response should be the same as Mary's, "Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word."

         There are other parts to the answer. Surely the one Jesus gave in talking about anxiety is also vital. "Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble." Matt. 6:34 NKJ In other words focus your attention on today; tomorrow is not here yet. Living one day at a time helps a lot in an endurance race.

But never let go of the joy because that's what God uses to get you through a trial. "These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full. " John 15:11 How do you roll your burden on the Lord? Focus on Him and His work and His joy and what He will bring to pass in the future, not on your problems.

         “Let not your heart be troubled,” but let Him carry your burdens instead.

                                                                                   Love, Pastor