HEAVY LADEN? WEAR THE GARMENT?
By Wade Martin Hughes, Sr. Kyfingers@aol.com
DUAL TASKING OFTEN BRINGS HEAVINESS…
Proverbs 27:3 A stone is heavy, and the sand weighty; but a fool’s wrath is heavier than them both.
Seems we are trying to carry the weight of the world on our shoulders. We are carrying heavy loads that we are not designed to carry.
Seems each person is laden with two heavy bags. One bag is worn in front of the person. This bag is full of very heavy, hard rocks. The weight of this bag is almost crushing. This bag worn in the front is the faults and failures of every person you know. You can see these heavy rocks in watching people daily. So you pick up the failures and faults of others and carry them in your bag. This is so sad.
There is a second heavy bag that you wear on your back. This bag’s heavy and hard rocks are of your own doing. But the problems of the backpack is you can’t see it. It will break your back but you ignore your own burdensome loads and daily carry it complaining and complaining. All you have to do is unload your bag… no, you seem to love to carry your stress load.
HURT? MIGHT I ADD A PREACHER’S PERSPECTIVE TO START THIS LESSON? BE KIND TO EVERY PERSON. PERHAPS YOU DO NOT KNOW THE PROBLEMS AND THE BATTLES OTHERS ARE FACING.
A preacher friend of mine was having some self-doubts and fears he was facing. There was a rather large family that had attended the church for many years. The woman decided to leave the church and told the pastor to his face. This church is dead. We have found a very “SPIRITUAL CHURCH” on the other side of town and we will use our influence to take as many as we can to this “VERY SPIRITUAL CHURCH” where the pastor is so loving! My husband does not agree but we are leaving this dead church.
The pastor cried all the way home. These people were the best givers in the church. Is God telling me I should leave the ministry? Their NEGATIVE SEEDS along with his personal doubts MAGNIIFIED the pastor’s insecurities. One night after supper the lady called and asked to speak to the pastor. The lady was crying real hard and begged the pastor to please come over to their house, it was a terrible problem. PLEASE, PLEASE PASTOR --- COME OVER TO OUR HOUSE WE NEED YOU DESPERATELY.
The pastor said I have a recommendation for you. WHY DON’T YOU CALL YOUR LOVING PASTOR? REMEMBER HE IS MUCH MORE SPIRITUAL THAN WE ARE. Hang up and call your “LOVING PASTOR, HE CAN HELP YOU!” The pastor hung up and told his wife about HOW THEY BEGGED HIM TO COME OVER AND HE RECOMMENDED CALLING THEIR PASTOR.
The next morning the hurt pastor went out in the yard and picked up the morning newspaper to read the headlines.
The newspaper brought the pastor to his knees on his front porch. The old church member had loaded the gun and shot and killed his wife, killed the 3 kids and then killed himself. 5 deaths? The “loving pastor and the spiritual church” had taken a terrible toll. LIFE AND MINISTRY CAN GET VERY HEAVY.
COULD BEING HEAVY LADEN AND BURDENED WITH MANY CARES BE MALIGNANT, A DEADLY CANCER THAT CAN BRING DEATH TO OUR GROWTH, HOPES, PEACE AND JOY?
*MALIGNANT: the presence of cancerous cells that have the ability to invade and spread to destroy and grow. FATAL.
*HEAVY: great weight, difficult to move, dense, hard to carry, intense.
*LADEN: burdened by cares and worries, little support, heavily loaded, weighed down.
We can be physically laden, mentally laden and/or spiritually laden… we can’t carry it all at once?
WE WERE NOT DESIGNED TO CARRY HEAVY LOADS? THERE IS A MUD BOG CONTEST THAT IS FOLLOWED BY A ROUGH STEEP CLIMB UP A CLIFF?
We need a special vehicle for this rough ride. So we go into the Chevrolet show room and buy an expensive CORVETTE to win the contest. Wow. The CORVETTE was not designed for mud bogs and cliff climbing. Can we agree to that? The Corvette was designed for smooth, fast roads? The Heavenly Father never designed you to carry heavy burdens for long periods of time.
DO WE HAVE FULL JOY TANKS? WHO’S JOY? We were designed to love, walk in peace and to be full of joy. Our joy is to be full and complete… not our joy but HIS JOY… HEAVINESS IS A JOY KILLER… ARE WE WALKING THROUGH HARD TRYING TIMES… DOES THE PANDEMIC KILL OUR JOY?
Psalm 51:12 Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit.
John 15:11 These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.
John 16:24 Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full.
HEAVY? SURE HEAVY! CAN WE SMELL THE SWEAT ARM PITS OF LOSERS? WE ARE LIVING IN THE HEAT OF A TERRIBLE, HEAVY BATTLE… AS LONG AS OUR ARMS ARE LIFTED WE WIN… WE MUST HAVE A TEAM THAT WILL CARRY THE HEAVY STONE TO HAVE A PLACE TO REST… AARON AND HUR UNDERSTOOD THE HEAVINESS OF THEIR LEADER… THEY STAYED THE MAN OF GOD’S HEAVY HANDS… UNTIL VICTORY…
Exodus 17:10 So Joshua did as Moses had said to him, and fought with Amalek: and Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill. 11And it came to pass, when Moses held up his hand, that Israel prevailed: and when he let down his hand, Amalek prevailed. 12 But Moses’ hands were heavy; and they took a stone, and put it under him, and he sat thereon; and Aaron and Hur stayed up his hands, the one on the one side, and the other on the other side; and his hands were steady until the going down of the sun.
Can you see the HEAVINESS? In the spirit of heaviness there can grow a root of bitterness. DEFILED?
Hebrews 12:12 Wherefore lift up the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees;
Hebrews 12: 15 Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled;
Seems we are in the midst of HEAVY trials. Can you see the heaviness or do we just walk on by? Maybe we just walked out of a valley? Maybe we are heading into another storm? Maybe life is about the HEAVINESS AND BURDENS WE SEEM TO CARRY OVER AND OVER? Death, pain, suffering, illness, financial debts, grief, guilt, family troubles and politics. Many of the weights and burdens we carry cannot be avoided and are beyond your ability to fix or control. I know of splintered families and friends that do not understand the HEAVINESS THAT TRIES TO CRUSH US.
Psalm 55:22 Cast thy burden upon the LORD, and he shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved.
LIFE IS NOT FAIR MY FRIEND! Worry, Anxiety, the lack of prayer and communication with God and with people, religion replacing RELATIONSHIP. Heaviness can come from the feelings of frustration and failure. SIN CAN BECOME ONE OF THE HEAVIEST BURDENS WE CAN CARRY.
WINSTON CHURCHILL spoke of an old man that worried all the time. The old man was on his death bed. The old man recalled I have had a lot of worry about trouble in his life. He said: MOST OF MY WORRIES NEVER HAPPENED…
WE NEED HELP… WE CAN NOT BEAR LIFE BY OURSELF… WE NEED JESUS AND THE HOLY SPIRIT. MOSES FATHER IN LAW SAW THE LEADERSHIP HEAVINESS WOULD CRUSH MOSES OVER THE LONG HAUL… DELEGATE…
Numbers 11:14 I am not able to bear all this people alone, because it is too heavy for me.
Exodus 18:18 Thou wilt surely wear away, both thou, and this people that is with thee: for this thing is too heavy for thee; thou art not able to perform it thyself alone.
AHAB… WHY ARE YOU SO HEAVY? POUT, DOUBT, I WANT… I WANT…
1 Kings 21:4 And Ahab came into his house heavy and displeased because of the word which Naboth the Jezreelite had spoken to him: for he had said, I will not give thee the inheritance of my fathers. And he laid him down upon his bed, and turned away his face, and would eat no bread.
JESUS WORKED WITH HIS FATHER JOSEPH IN THE CARPENTER SHOP. JESUS KNEW ABOUT THE YOKE… THE YOKE WAS FOR HEAVINESS.
One of Jesus’ duties was to make YOKES, a wooden frame to join two animals to work together. They were joined at the neck. The yoke’s function was to make the burden of work easier.
Matthew 11: 28 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
Let us say one horse can pull 800 pounds. Another horse can pull 600 pounds. TOGETHER THIS IS 1400 pounds. But YOKED TOGETHER THE TWO CAN PULL 2,200 POUNDS. That is 800 pounds more by being yoked together.
Are our loads heavy? Are we tired and worn out? DO WE NEAR BURN OUT? We can know REST and PEACE. Life should not become heavy. Learn to enjoy life and make your loads easier and lighter.
CHRISTIANITY IS MUCH MORE THAN A HEAVY RELIGION OF RULES… JESUS SAID COME TO ME IN A PERSONAL RELATIONSHIP… I WILL BE YOUR FRIEND… YOU WILL NOT BE MY SERVANT, YOU CAN BE MY BROTHER, MY FRIEND.
THE JEWS TOOK THE TEN COMMANDMENTS AND ENLARGED ALL THEIR TRADITIONS AND RULES TO MAKE 613 COMMANDMENTS AND HEAVY RULES… JESUS HAD A DIFFERENT PLAN. JESUS SAID WALK AWAY FROM THE HEAVINESS. LIFE IS TO HAVE A FULL JOY TANK AND LIVE IN PEACE. JESUS SAID: COME TO ME ALL THAT ARE HEAVY LADEN…
CONCLUSION:
JESUS’ PLAN IS TO BE OUR BURDEN BEARER… There was a little boat complaining to anyone that would listen. The little boat said: NOBODY KNOWS THE BURDENS I BEAR. I AM SO HEAVY. The SEA listened to the boat that was complaining about being heavy. The SEA said: BOAT YOU DO NOT CARRY THE LOAD, I AM BENEATH YOU AND IT IS I THAT HOLDS YOU UP AND SUPPORTS YOU! The sea knew it lifted and carried the weight.
Jesus promises each believer to lift our burdens…WILL WE MAKE THE CHOICE TO CAST YOUR CARES ON ME…GOD NEVER DESIGNED US TO BEAR OUR LOADS ALONE…
1 Peter 5:7 Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.
JESUS HAS BORNE ALL OUR GRIEVES, SORROWS AND TRIALS…
EXCEEDINGLY ABOVE WHATSOEVER YOU ASK OR THINK…
Philippians 4:19 But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.
STAY FULL OF JOY AND BE POSITIVE… NEVER ALLOW MINISTRY TO BECOME A HEAVY HAVE TO… No you don’t have to… YOU GET TO…
AWAKE, AWAKE… COME LET US SEE THE VERY HEART OF GOD… GOD HAS A PLAN AND HEAVINESS IS NOT HIS PLAN. JESUS GIVES US A WHITE ROBE… WE HAVE A GARMENT, MORE THAN JUST AN EXTERNAL BUT A SPIRITUAL STATE…
WE DO NOT HAVE TO WALK IN HEAVY DESPAIR… WE HAVE A GARMENT TO WEAR… Let us accept the challenge of God’s plan… Let us trade the hard heavy daily menial life for OIL (lessens the friction), the crown of life and the GARMENT OF PRAISE… God desires us to walk in joy… LET US CAST THE VISION WE CAN WEAR THE GARMENT OF PRAISE… WALK ABOVE OUR WORRY AND DESPAIR INTO THE REALM OF PRAISE.
Isaiah 61:3 To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he might be glorified.
Are we willing to lay aside the hurts and take our emotions and walk in faith? Will we become a church of praise? A family of praise? RECEIVE HOPE, PEACE AND JOY IN JESUS’ NAME. WITH MY WHOLE HEART I WILL PRAISE GOD!
THE ROAD IS LONG WITH MANY A WINDING TURN THAT LEADS US TO WHO KNOWS WHERE, WHO KNOWS WHERE.
BUT I AM STRONG, STRONG ENOUGH TO CARRY HIM. HE AIN’T HEAVY, HE’S MY BROTHER.
SO ON WE GO HIS WELFARE IS MY CONCERN, NO BURDEN IS HE TO BEAR, WE’LL GET THERE.
FOR I KNOW HE WOULD NOT ENCUMBER ME, HE AIN’T HEAVY HE IS MY BROTHER.
IF I’M LADEN AT ALL, I’M LADEN WITH SADNESS THAT EVERYONE’S HEART
ISN’T FILLED WITH THE GLADNESS OF LOVE ONE FOR ANOTHER.
IT’S A LONG, LONG ROAD FROM WHICH THERE IS NO RETURN, WHILE WE ARE ON THE WAY TO THERE,
WHY NOT SHARE. HE AIN’T HEAVY HE IS MY BROTHER. (By Bob Russell)
His servant, Wade Martin Hughes, Sr. Kyfingers@aol.com (TWO PART)
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