<%@LANGUAGE="JAVASCRIPT" CODEPAGE="1252"%> Untitled Document What Burdens Do You Bear?

One of the great invitations of the Lord is found in Matthew 11, and it reads, "Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 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. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light" (Mt. 11:28-30).

Are you fatigued by the tremendous load you now bear? Do you feel as if you have the weight of the world resting upon your shoulders? Do you need refreshing? Then do I have the solution for you. His name--Jesus! His book--the Bible!

When you are bearing the burden of . . .

Poor health, the prescription is James 5:14-15. "Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord: And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up."

A spouse who is not a Christian, the answer is 1 Corinthians 7:14,16. "For the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified by the husband: else were your children unclean; but now are they holy. For what knowest thou, O wife, whether thou shalt save thy husband? or how knowest thou, O man, whether thou shalt save thy wife?"

Loneliness, the companionship is 2 Timothy 4:16-18. "At my first answer no man stood with me, but all men forsook me:... Notwithstanding the Lord stood with me, and strengthened me; that by me the preaching might be fully known, and that all the Gentiles might hear: and I was delivered out of the mouth of the lion. And the Lord shall deliver me from every evil work, and will preserve me unto his heavenly kingdom: to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen."

Discouragement, the encouragement is Galatians 6:9. "And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not."

Losing a Christian loved one, the comfort is 1 Thessalonians 4:18. "But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words."

A questioning faith, the confidence is Hebrews 6:17-20. "Wherein God, willing more abundantly to shew unto the heirs of promise the immutability of his counsel, confirmed it by an oath: That by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us: Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast."

Being a Christian who sins, the solution is 1 John 1: 4-10. "...But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us."

Peer pressure, the ability to conquer is Matthew 5:13-16. "Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men. Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven."

Anxiety, the cure is Matthew 6:25-34. "Therefore I say unto you, be not anxious for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than the food, and the body than the raiment?...And which of you by being anxious can add one cubit unto the measure of his life? And why are ye anxious concerning raiment?...Be not therefore anxious, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? For after all these things do the Gentiles seek; for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first his kingdom, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. Be not therefore anxious for the morrow: for the morrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof."

Do your burdens seem to heavy to bear alone? If you answered yes, you are exactly right. You cannot do it alone. There are some burdens that good Christian friends can help you bear--"Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ" (Gal. 6:2). On the other hand, there is one friend who can and will help you with every burden. His name is Jesus. -

Neil Richey

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