Which is Larger & More Powerful: Your Burden or Your God?
“Praise the LORD!
(The Psalms 147: 1-5 NASB)
For it is good to sing praises to our God;
For it is pleasant and praise is becoming.
The LORD builds up Jerusalem;
He gathers the outcasts of Israel.
He heals the brokenhearted
And binds up their wounds.
He counts the number of stars;
He gives names to all of them.
Great is our Lord and abundant in strength;
His understanding is infinite.”
Have you ever been going through something only to encounter another person who sees the ‘something’ written all over your face? The kindness of the other person reaches out to help, offering to do this or to do that, to help you with the ‘something’ you are burdened with and carrying.
Having you ever been overwhelmed by a situation in your life, maybe it has grown because of a past sinful action, an on-going sin, or maybe it comes because of the association you have with someone you dearly love? The weight of carrying the situation all alone, walking through each day, wishing to sit down the heavy load but not really understanding the right place to sit down the burden.
Every person we meet today on the sidewalk, in the hallway, across the street, at the check-out counter, and even staring back at us in our bathroom mirror—carries something.
EVERY PERSON ALIVE CARRIES SOMETHING!
EVEN YOU.
&
EVEN ME.
So, the important question to ask ourselves:
Which is Larger & More Powerful: Your Burden or Your God?
The LORD GOD, the Elohim—the Creator—builds, gathers, heals, binds, counts, names & understands.
“Great is our Lord and abundant in strength;
His understanding is infinite.” (The Psalms 147: 5 NASB)
Here’s the most important part: We are not!
- We are not abundant in strength, but we are weak human beings, created to worship a HOLY GOD.
- We are not infinite in our understanding, but we are finite human beings, created to have fellowship with a HOLY GOD.
The apostle Paul addressed this conversation when he was led by the Holy Spirit to write his first letter to the church at Corinth. Let’s read together the list Paul records, the ways we display our unholiness, our need of HOLY GOD.
“Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God?
(The 1st Letter of Paul to the Corinthians 6: 9-11 NASB)
Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate [the perverted], nor homosexuals,
nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers,
will inherit the kingdom of God.
Such were some of you;
but you were washed,
but you were sanctified,
but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God.”
When I arose from my slumber this morning, I had a message on my phone from a person who stayed in our home overnight. “I think I left my face wash on the bathroom sink.” Naturally, I believed her and went to gather that which she left, but there was nothing to be found. Everywhere I looked, the face wash could not be found. Surely, it is with her, in her bag, and not left as she thought. I returned a message to her, telling her what I could not find. As I did, I began to think about how I have felt before when I was required to go to bed without first washing my face clean.
- My eyes were drier.
- My cheeks felt tighter.
- My forehead seemed grimy.
- My sleep was affected, and my rest was not as pleasant.
Why not?
- Consider the way our eyes feel in the morning when we arise, wearing yesterday’s eye make-up still applied.
- Consider the way our cheeks need a scrubbing when we arise, feeling yesterday’s dirt clogging our pours.
- Consider the way our forehead seems oily to the touch when we arise, sensing yesterday’s with us, even today.
EVERY PERSON ALIVE CARRIES SOMETHING!
- EVERY PERSON ALIVE IS A SINNER!
- EVERY PERSON ALIVE NEEDS REDEMPTION!
- EVERY PERSON ALIVE NEEDS AN ENCOUNTER WITH JESUS TODAY!
- EVERY PERSON ALIVE NEEDS DAILY CONFESSION, A DAILY WASHING!
BOTH YOU & EVEN ME.
So, the important question to ask ourselves:
Which is Larger & More Powerful: Your Burden or Your God?
We should desire that Christ Jesus would wash us thoroughly with His Word.
Why, we might ask?
We are already saved, already redeemed, already justified.
What more is needed, we might ask?
Sanctification—a cleansing, a daily washing, a growing and a maturation in the Holy Spirit.
Why, we might ask, is this necessary?
The reasoning really is quite simple: So we would be cleansed of every spot of any sin that keeps us unholy before HOLY GOD.
Years later, the apostle Paul addressed the same conversation with the congregation of believers, when he was led by the Holy Spirit to write his second letter to the church at Corinth. Let’s read together the Word of God and the way it speaks of our need of HOLY GOD, who is LARGER & MORE POWERFUL than our burdens.
“For I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy;
(The 2nd Letter of Paul to the Corinthians 11: 2-3 NASB)
for I betrothed you to one husband,
so that to Christ I might present you as a pure virgin.
But I am afraid that,
as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness,
your minds will be led astray from the simplicity
and purity of devotion to Christ.”
The LORD GOD, the Elohim—the Creator—builds, gathers, heals, binds, counts, names & understands the burdens we carry.
- May we lay them at HIS feet today.
- May we leave them at the foot of the cross.
“Great is our Lord and abundant in strength;
(The Psalms 147: 5 NASB)
His understanding is infinite.”