"DESTRESS YOURSELF BY SHARING"

Good Evening to All!

Invitation to Come to Jesus

(25) At that time, Jesus answered and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of Heaven and earth, because thou has hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes. (26) Even so, Father: for so it seemed good in thy sight. (27) All things are delivered unto me of my Father: and no man knoweth the Son, but the Father; neither knoweth any man the Father, save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal him. (28) Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. (29) Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. (30) For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. (Matthew 11:25-30)

Jesus said, "I praise You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and intelligent and have revealed them to infants. Yes, Father, for this way was well-pleasing in Your sight. All things have been handed over to Me by My Father; and no one knows the Son except the Father; nor does anyone know the Father except the Son, and anyone to whom the Son wills to reveal Him.

"Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light." (NASB New American Standard Bible)

According to the NKJV Reference: The portion of scripture which speaks of "you who labor and are heavy laden describes the Jews as suffering under a load of religious responsibilities laid on them by priests, rabbis, scribes, and Pharisees ( Mat. 23:3-4 and Acts 15:10 reveal more about these yokes and burdens). Rest is a relief from this burden. The word yoke while the dictionary meaning is a harness connecting two animals together, also in the New Testament denotes servitude. Such as being "yoked with Jesus". Having a servant's attitude. He also says His burden is light. He will not put on us more than we can bear. We are connected with Him so He will help hold us us under the yoke.

While we of today don't have the same issues as they did back in Biblical times, I find it so reassuring that I still can look at that verse and KNOW I can still go to Christ with my burdens of today. My stress. I can "cry on His shoulder" and He will hear me. He will ease my suffering, my pain, my stress.

The members of a support group or team encourage one another in a common bond. No matter what the hardship or problem anyone is facing they are there to root each other on toward their goals or console one another in their troubles, sorrows and hardships.

I have heard so many people make the statement, "I can worship God and read my Bible anywhere. I don't need to go to church. May I state, THAT'S NOT THE POINT. As well as learning about God, praising Him, and worshiping Him, you go for Christian companionship. You go to be uplifted and encouraged by people who love and care about you in a way that others don't understand. You go there because it's the one place where you won't be judged. (Yes, there are "some" in every crowd, but the majority you will find will love you no matter your faults, what you wear, whether you smoke, it doesn't matter to them. Believe me we ALL HAVE FAULTS and hang ups. Don't let that "little devil" sitting on your shoulder keep whispering things like that to keep you out of church.

Picture this. Being side by side with Jesus in a yoke. You start getting weary, but He takes up your slack. Remember, there is nothing too small or too big for Jesus to handle. They didn't call Him the "Lion of Judah" for nothin'. (A little humor, there). I rest in the thought that I have Him I can depend on.

Jesus wants us to go to church so that we can concentrate on Him, and learn as much as we can about Him. He wants us to share our burdens, our cares and our problems with Him. Also, when we go to church, we make friends that we can trust with anything we tell them, and as I said before, they won't criticize you, ridicule you or make you wish you hadn't opened your mouth. I've had that happen with people who I thought were friends (not in the church). If you let Him, Jesus will guide you to that person who you can pour your soul out to just for their listening, or advice. Other than that, the altar is another GREAT place to pour your soul out. I've done that quite a few times. It definitely helps. I know what the "reference said about that verse, but I truly believe that it was talking about us sharing our burdens with HIM as well. All we have to do is ask for His help.

The answers for Last Night's Bible Challenge are as follows:

1. c) Canaan (Genesis 50:4-6)
2. d) Mordecai and Esther (Esther 8:29-32)
3. the ant (Proverbs 6:6)
4. a) Benjamin (1 Samuel 9:1-2)
5. c) Solomon (1 Kings 10:1)
6. c) king of Babylon (2 Kings 24:11)
7. d) the writer of Proverbs (Proverbs 29:12)
8. a) Judah (2 Kings 15:23-24)
9. a) unknown causes (Deuteronomy 32:48-52)
10. c) cut the child in two with a sword (1 Kings 3:16-28)

Good Night to All and May God Bless!