Beast of Burden – Luke 19:35

35 They brought the colt to Jesus. Then, throwing their coats on its back, they helped Jesus get on.

– Luke 19:35 MSG

Beast of Burden

The colt . . . the lowly colt of the lowly donkey . . . designed, created, crafted for a life of service, a life of toil, a life so ordinary and filled with hardness and never-ending labor; the only peace it will ever know is when it is no longer any use and is set aside to await its final rest. 

Ah . . . but what an amazing life! This lowly colt, tethered and owned, and awaiting it's tumultuous life; this "beast of burden," has a place forever in the pages of scripture as the very vessel which ushered in the King of Kings – our Lord – our Savior – our Beautiful Redeemer! What a wonderful way to start your career eh? I mean if even the rocks knew who Jesus was, surely this simple-minded beast knew, and walked as tall and proudly as it could as it carried our Lord through the streets of Jerusalem. The finest hour of any animal ever to parade through any town, any time, and anywhere.  This was THE gig - the big time - the BIg Show!

But was the colt the real Beast of Burden in this story?  Hmmmm . . . I'd like to think the real "Beast" in this story was the Burden that our Lord was carrying upon His shoulders. The knowledge – oh the very real knowledge of exactly what He must do . . . the weight of the entire world, present and every future generation, riding and cutting, and digging, and burning into His very flesh with each step of the colt's hoof against cobbled stone.  What a beast that load must have been! What a horrible burden our Lord had to carry.  A burden He gladly and willingly accepted as He purposefully made His way through those crooked and dusty streets.

I imagine He could see into the hearts of every soul, and He could hear every heart-beat of every person watching, and cheering (some jeering), as the "parade" marched along. As Jesus, the man, the terror must have been unbearable, but as Jesus/God, the purpose and the promise made from the beginning of time, drove Him onward - keeping the resolve. The conflict between man's Flesh and God's Love all wrapped in one, sitting on a lowly colt, marching through the crowds of unsuspecting, undeserving, un-repenting souls – a slow-moving procession if ever there was one!

We all carry burdens don't we? The burden of our children, our careers, our family and friends, our communities, our countries, our world . . . does it ever end?  The real problem is that we hold onto our burdens; like tight-fisted monkeys not willing to give up the grain of rice, we stay captive in our own unwillingness. Our unwillingness to just open our hands, palm-up, and fingers-wide – stretched high over our heads in complete surrender to the one who already took care of all of it.  Our Savior and Redeemer, Jesus Christ! He resolved all of it! He Overcame it completely and with undisputed finality! He handed to each of us the Victory over all of our burdens . . . now we just have to be willing to believe it, and accept it, and then live like we have.

Don't get me wrong, we will always have burdens, but what I'm saying is that our Lord, already resolved all of our worries, and our cares,and our hurts, and anything and everything else that is keeping us awake at night. We just need to believe it! We just need to give it up because we weren't designed to carry these burdens; because no matter what we do, no matter how much we worry, no matter how many nights we lay awake stressing over our lives . . . the only One who can do anything about it . . . already has!

Jesus is your solution, and He is my solution . . . to ALL of it!  Let's believe it, and then let's let our faces know that we believe it.  The smile that results will let the rest of the world see that we have the answer to overcoming any and ALL of life's "little" burdens. The Answer . . . the Solution . . . the Victory . . . IS JESUS!

Prayer

Lord Jesus, thank You for carrying that terrible burden and for enduring the hardship and the suffering so that we could have victorious lives. Thank You for Your Sacrifice for us.  Lord I am so sorry for the worry, and for doubt, and for the despair that I know I can hold on to for far too long. As I get to know You better, I am learning to "give it up" that much sooner but I know I still struggle sometimes.  Help me Lord to always go to You first because I know that You are my answer, You are my Healer, You are my Victory over ALL of my burdens.

Have a blessed day everyone!

– Richard

Blue Light Special! – Psalm 104:33-34

33 I will sing to the LORD all my life; I will sing praise to my God as long as I live. 
34 May my meditation be pleasing to him, as I rejoice in the LORD.
    –Psalm 104:33-34

Blue Light Special!

What do you do when you are feeling blue?  Some people like to shop, treating themselves to something nice in order to pick themselves up.  Some people like to eat . . . but we all know the consequences of that trap.  Some people like to wallow in their misery and even use it to seek validation from others who feel sorry for them.

I have found that the very best way to overcome the blues is to praise God.  It works every time.  There is absolutely no way you can continue to feel bad after you have poured out your heart to the Lord in song.

Can't sing you say?  No problem – there are lots of good worship CDs or you can download music from the internet.  There's also the radio if you happen to be a low-tech kind of person.  And even if you couldn't carry a tune in a bucket, God doesn't care what you sound like.  Sing your praises to Him, off-key and at the top of your lungs. Be proud of that awful voice of yours and make sure the neighbors can hear too!  They might just find Jesus (you never know!).

The point is that it doesn't matter the abilities you do or don't have, it doesn't matter where you are, it doesn't matter how bad you feel, and it doesn't even matter if you make up the words as you go along – the point is to sing.  Sing praises to God with everything that is in you!  He will hear you and He will minister to you as you minister to Him.  And even if it's just for a few minutes that you feel better about your situation, a few minutes can be a wonderful start to turning your focus off of your situation and back on to Him and how wonderful He is and the marvelous things He has done in your life and will continue to do.

Let's face it, we all go through times of depression and doubt – it's one of the many tools the enemy uses to take our focus off of our Savior.  It's recognizing when those time are upon us and conditioning ourselves to react positively by having a praise plan at the ready.  We do it for other disasters right?  How many of you have an earthquake kit?  How many know exactly what to do if the tornado sirens should sound?  Like boy scouts, we are prepared for just about any emergency – except for when the enemy attacks.  It's time to create your Emergency Blue Light Preparedness Kit (EBLPK for short).

1. Pick out 4 or 5 of your favorite praise and worship songs - about 30 minutes worth.
2. Burn them on to a CD or download them as a group or album to your mp3 player.
3. Learn all the words to the songs (typing or writing them out will help you learn them quickly).
4. Put the CD and written lyrics in an envelope and put it in your night stand or somewhere you can easily find them (in case of emergency).
5. Do a few "fire drills." 

Walk through exactly what you will do the next time you start to feel depressed or you feel doubtful that God is with you, or even when you aren't feeling well and the enemy is putting fear into your head of what the ailment might be. Take out your EBLPK and go to the exact spot where you will listen to the music and sing along.  It might be a comfortable chair, it could be a spot in your back yard or even taking a walk – this practice will be beneficial because you will be able to jump right in when the actual "emergency" comes.

This might all feel silly to you but it really shouldn't.  As effective Christians we should be proactive in our faith and always be at the ready for when the enemy comes prowling around.  Give it a try, it might just save you from wallowing around in the pit of despair as you Rejoice In The Lord!

Prayer
Father, I pray for all my brothers and sisters who are going through tough physical and emotional times right now.  I ask that You wrap them in the warmth of Your loving Spirit and place in their hearts the urgency to praise You.  Remind them of all of the wonderful things You have done in their lives and put a new song in their hearts.  Help them to put aside any feelings of inadequacy so that they can sing praises to You with total abandon.  I thank You for the joy You bring to me whenever I sing of Your love and faithfulness and i will continue to sing - all the days of my life!

Have an awesome day everyone!

–Richard

13 It's in Christ that you, once you heard the truth and believed it (this Message of your salvation), found yourselves home free - signed, sealed, and delivered by the Holy Spirit. 

14 This signet from God is the first installment on what's coming, a reminder that we'll get everything God has planned for us, a praising and glorious life. 

- Ephesians 1: 13-14

Signed - Sealed - Delivered!

Have you ever had to get anything ready for shipping?  Perhaps a special Christmas gift that is going cross country?  You make sure that the contents are securely packed and protected with either styrofoam peanuts or bubble-wrap or some other form of protection.  You take extra care in filling out the shipping form, checking the address 2 or 3 times to make sure you got it right - then you take care to make sure it is sealed properly so that no one can tamper with  it . . . and then after paying for the extra insurance, you hand it over to the delivery service.  After getting the tracking number you daily check the package's progress until it arrives safely at its destination.  All this just for a package!

Not UPS, FedEx, DHS, USPS nor anyone else can even come close to the care and security that our Father and Savior have taken in making sure that you get to heaven.  He put you in the perfect package to make the life-long journey;  He protected you with the Holy Spirit, who wraps Himself around you every day, and every step, and every breath, so that you make it through to your final destination;  He sealed it with His blood so that no one and no "thing" can destroy you.  He did such a great job that your place in heaven is already prepared and waiting for your arrival - it's not a question of if you will arrive, but when.

So take heart - know that you are on your way!  Have confidence that as long as you keep your eyes on Him, our Lord and Savior will not allow the enemy to steal your joy.  Keep looking towards heaven and keep walking in your eternal tennis shoes;  keep singing praises to our Father and proclaiming His unconditional Love to everyone you meet;  keep sharing your heart with Him and letting Him be a part of your daily walk;  keep on living because you are instrumental in bringing others into the kingdom.  He wants to use you by letting others see His light shining through you - they will be drawn to you like moths to a flame  because the love of Christ pours out of you and everything you do.  You have been purchased and your destination has been sealed and signed for - and your destination is guaranteed!

Prayer

Father I thank You for choosing me to share Your kingdom with.  What a joy it is to know that I will be in Your presence and praising You as we stroll through streets of gold and fields of silk and pearls.  Your love humbles me and I know that if I can show someone just a portion of Your grace and forgiveness that they will be joining us in paradise.  Help me Lord to keep my eyes fixed on you and to not focus on the daily problems that will always be a part of this life - I know that You make everything better and that my problems are only temporary.  Thank You Lord!

Have a blessed day my Brothers!

-Richard