The Importance of Christians Knowing that Christ will gladly accept Their Burdens and give Them Rest in Return!

31 Mar 2026 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Matthew 11:28.           Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

Ah friends, like March was determined to go out like a lion this year…and he certainly did with the thunderous roar of a mighty lion and the amazing brilliance of light that he unleashed during the night time hours. I don’t know if I’ve ever heard such thunderous thunder, (smile) like it wanted to destroy the place, the same way a big detonation of ammunition does. And the brilliance of the lightening was extraordinary. It was so strong that the Duchess had to cover a glass scale in our bathroom with a cloth because the lightening was throwing dangerous reflections off of it.

At one point, while sitting on the side of my bed, the thunder roared and the lightning flashed so brilliantly that it came clear through the aluminum blinds and curtains at the window. Anyone looking directly at it would surely have been blinded. But thankfully all of that is over now, and for the last day of March, we have just a damp, somewhat cloudy day. Yes, believe it or not, March is now done like dinner, and like the other months, it has passed by rather quckly. But isn’t that what our society is all about…speed? 

And today we’re going to offer up an interesting heartfelt prayer from the March In Touch Devotional, that I’m sure will resonate with some of us. So please pray with me. ‘Lord, I’m tired – tired of the burdens I carry, both those given to me and the ones I picked up myself. The truth is, I’m afraid to release them to You. I don’t know who I’ll be without their familiar weight on my shoulders. Father, help me each day to let one fear, one problem fall into the dust, forgotten. Fill the spaces left behind with warmth and light – the overflowing joy that comes only from knowing You until there is no room, no need, to take them up again. In Jesus name, amen.’

Yes my brethren, all of us have some fears or problems that’s been with us for so long that if we let them go, we won’t know what to do with ourselves, we’ll feel strange, possibly naked. But thankfully that’s what Jesus is there for; to alleviate all our fears, to take them to Himself and free us from them. That’s why He offers the Great Invitation to all who are troubled, fearful and weary.

Listen to these wonderful words of encouragement and reassurance. ‘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 (from) me; for I am meek and lowly in heart (gentle and humble): and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.’ (Matt. 11:28-30)

Oh my people, have you ever heard anyone else offer such freedom and relief from our earthly burdens and heartaches? Obviously not! And if anyone tries to do that, then you’ll know that they’re just a charlatan, an impostor, a fake, a fraud, for it’s only our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ that has the power to take away our burdens and replace them with His light yoke. Listen to Him again from the gospel of John, where He invites us to come to Him so we can experience the good life.

A multitude of people had followed Jesus over to the other side of the Sea of Galilee after He did the miracle of the five loaves and two fishes, but as He told them. ‘Verily, verily, I say unto you, Ye seek me not because ye saw the miracles (signs), but because ye did eat of the loaves, and were filled. Labour not for the meat (food) which perisheth, but for the meat (food) which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you: for him hath God the Father sealed. Then they said unto him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God? Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he had sent.’ (John 6:26:-29)

Yes sir, it’s that simple! All the Lord expects of us is to believe on the One whom He sent to earth to save us. And after the people desired of Him, the bread that came down from heaven, ‘Jesus said unto them I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst. But I said unto you, That ye also have seen me, and believe not. All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise (certainly not) cast out.’ (John 6:35-37)

Obviously Jesus was talking there about the spiritual and eternal life, which one can only acquire through Him. As He says later on: ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father but by me.’ (John 14:6) That’s why so many of us are tired and worn out, because we don’t truly and fully believe in Jesus. We say it, and think we believe it, but it doesn’t show up sufficiently in our everyday lives, thus we never reach the point where we feel free and unburdened.

And furthermore, some of us are like those spoken of in this passage from Jeremiah. ‘Thus saith the Lord, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls. But they said, We will not walk therein.’ (Jer. 6:16) So then you stand your bounce and suffer the consequences of disobedience. No wonder Uncle Charles (Dr. Charles Stanley) always said ‘Obey God and leave all the consequences to Him.’

Yes friends, if we obey God, we won’t have to worry about the consequences. But if we don’t then we’ll surely pay the high price disobedience demands. And with the world in this awful state, it only makes sense to cling to the One who can give us peace of mind. That’s Jesus Christ!

Now, let’s go home declaring our Tuesday Mantra, letting all and sundry know to whom we belong, lock, stock and barrel. As one strong and sincere voice: ‘In God’s eyes, I’m not what I do. I’m not what I have. I’m not what people say about me. I am the beloved of God, that’s who I am. No one can take that from me. I don’t have to worry. I don’t have to hurry. I can trust my friend Jesus and share His LOVE with my immediate neighbours, as well as with the whole wide world! Glory be!’ 

And having said that, it now behooves us to go out and share the LOVE and friendship of Christ with others, so that they too can come to know and LOVE Him like we do! Much LOVE!

…ONLY in Jesus…can we find true rest from our earthly cares and concerns…

Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien

Today’s Scrip-Bit   16 February 2024 John 6:35a.

16 Feb 2024 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

John 6:35a.       I AM the BREAD of LIFE:

Welcome to a white, chilly and somewhat cloudy Friday! But those negatives are not stronger than the lure of the weekend, therefore, the worldwide shout of  ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday!’ nonetheless rises to high heaven. That’s how powerful the weekend is in our dull, mundane working lives. (smile)  But as I keep saying, our lives don’t have to be ordinary and dull, for we have the wonderful option of accepting Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour, Guide and Leader, Pilot in the storm and Giver of Eternal life…amongst the many other roles that He plays in a true believer’s life! 

And today, as we settle into the Lenten season, let’s look at some of the great and wonderful things that Jesus is and Jesus does, let’s look at the ‘I AM’s’ that He proclaimed while here on earth. It’s reminiscent of the early times, when the Lord called Moses to go to Pharaoh and desire the release of the enslaved Hebrew people. But, understandably, Moses balked at the very idea of going back into Egypt, much less back to a Pharaoh who would no doubt know his history of killing an Egyptian and then running to the backside of the wilderness.  

Now, one of the ploys Moses used to try and extricate himself from the unwanted situation was to tell God, ‘Behold, when I come unto the children of Israel, and shall say unto them, The God of your fathers hath sent me unto you; and they shall say to me, What is his name? what shall I say unto them? And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you.’ (Ex. 3:13-14) 

Well friends, when Jesus came many moons later, He also said the same thing, I AM! And He didn’t just say that He was one I AM, but several I AM’s. So let’s take a look at some of them nuh, and see the many different I AM’s that Jesus is. (smile) Oh my fellow believers, in the gospel of John, Jesus declares (steups!!!) the ‘I AM’ dictum some seven times. 

The first one states: ‘I AM the BREAD of LIFE: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.’ (John 6:35) He said that to a group of Jews who had been searching for Him after He fed the five thousand men with five barley loaves and two small fishes, then sent the disciples across the lake in a boat, and went by Himself into the mountains to pray. And as the morning came He went walking on the water to His disciples, who were astonished and afraid to see Him. It’s also where Peter walked on water. (John 6:1-24) 

But eventually the people found Him on the other side of the lake, and wondered when He had come there. ‘Jesus answered them and said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Ye seek me, not because ye saw the miracles (signs), but because ye did eat of the loaves, and were filled. Labour not for the meat (food) which perisheth, but for that meat (food) that endureth unto everlasting life, which the son of man shall give unto you: for him hath God the Father sealed.’ (John 6:26-27) 

Yes friends, like so many of us, the Jews weren’t seeking Jesus for His spiritual side, but for actual food to fill their physical selves. But remember what Jesus said earlier on: ‘But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added on to you.’ (Matt. 6:33) It’s the very same thing He’s saying to us today. If you put God first place in your lives, then He will provide all your necessary wants. Meanwhile Bruh Paul said it thus to the church at Philippi: ‘But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.’ (Phil. 4:19) 

And so, we are continually reminded throughout the scriptures, that physical food and garments are important, but the most important thing is spiritual enlightenment, and acknowledging the sovereignty of Almighty God, who possesses all things, because the earth and all therein is His, and He will generously share it if you make Him Number ONE in your life. 

And I’m chuckling here my people, because it’s obvious with my trying to tie up all the angles of Christ’s ‘I AM’s’ we won’t be able to complete them all today. Don’t know what I really expected nuh. As if it were possible to just list the ‘I AM’s’ without any explanations of the circumstances that surrounded them. And since getting into any more today, would make the Bit way too long, let’s go to the throne of grace right now, through our Friday Chant, seeking divine help to handle our many earthly problems. 

Altogether: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through this past week. You know it’s been rough…   because our many serious problems are escalating instead of improving. And it’s obvious we can’t fix them on our own, so Lord, we’re desperately crying out for your help. Oh heavenly Father, with your omnipotent help, and our trusting faith, we know that we can stand strong and steadfast and defeat the simmering unrest in our land. We therefore ask you Lord to give our leaders the wise guidance to handle these unexpected storms properly. 

And please help the rest of us to be responsible and to stay safe amidst all the anxiety and confusion of these ungodly times. We fervently pray too Lord that you’ll use the discontent and dissatisfaction in our land as a means of restoring faith in you. Return backsliders to your fold. Show them the error of their ways. And please introduce a new flock of believers, who will embrace your LOVE and compassion by the example, we, your faithful believers set. So that our sinful world can wake up and smell the coffee, wake up and smell it sweet and strong! We pray this in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen!’  

And if we seriously expect divine help, then we need to begin showing that we are indeed faithful believers in Almighty God! Much LOVE!

…the only words to truly describe God’s omnipotence, omniscience and omni-presence are…I AM…for He’s EVERYTHING…

P.S. Wow! The Bit’s so early today only because my eye surgery forced me to rest a lot last night, and thus get up earlier than normal. Please don’t expect it to become habitual. (smile) 

Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ