#casting burdens

[pastorhogg]

Held by the Hand That Never Fails

As the Day Begins “Cast your burden on the Lord, and He shall sustain you; He shall never permit the righteous to be moved.” — Psalm 55:22 There is a quiet invitation embedded within this verse that many overlook in the rush of daily life. The psalmist uses the Hebrew word shalakh (שָׁלַךְ), meaning “to throw” or “to cast away,” which carries the idea of releasing something with intention—not…

Held by the Hand That Never Fails

[itsfarmerphil]

Burdens, how good are you at laying them down or making an exchange?

Ever considered what a burden is? Have you been challenged to lay them down or even exchange them for something else? Do those burdens build up pressure and stress in your life? What if you could just stop and put them down? How about if you could make a swap that would something easier and lighter? What is a burden? A burden is anything that weighs you down—physically, emotionally, mentally,…

Burdens, how good are you at laying them down or making an exchange?

[theramblingsofabeggar-blog-blog]

Set-apart

“I will dwell in them and walk among them; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. Therefore, come out from their midst and be separate,” says the Lord. “And do not touch what is unclean, and I will welcome you.” -2 Corinthians 6:17

As with everything else in our lives, our identity should be under His control. God sets us apart and sanctifies us for His purposes, and as such, we must accept and act in submission to His identity for us. In the process of sanctification, we are removing everything that has formerly defined us. Holding on only slows the process and distracts us from the goal, that is, Christ. We must stand before God with total openness and honesty of heart and hands, submitting all of who we are to His Lordship, His authority. In coming to Christ, in seeking to be sanctified and justified by Him, I remove any right to retain any aspect of my personality, character, or behavior that does not line up with His character and is not fitting for His son or daughter.

In essence, our lives are a rejection of who we think we are, who the world is, and who the world says we are, and we embrace who He is in us. He may well return to us and utilize in us certain aspects of our personalities and individual quirks, but even these things that He returns are not effectively used by Him until they are submitted to His purposes and placed under His Lordship.

For those who are concerned with losing their individuality and uniqueness, remember that God is the One who created this uniqueness in the first place. The Creator certainly would know how to use His creation more effectively than a product tester, wouldn’t He? True, genuine godliness is a very unique, uncommon trait. We gain little by holding on to things; much better things await when we willingly submit.

What identifies you? Release that to His control. Anything that we attempt to justify with a “this is just who I am” statement should probably be questioned thoroughly. And how freeing it is to realize that we are not given the responsibility and burden of defining ourselves. That is His responsibility; we must not carry it.

That was (and is) a lot to think about. Too often am I still defined by what I do, by who I desire to be, by how I desire (consciously or unconsciously) for others to perceive me. Too often do I forget my Lord’s definition, and who He desires me to be.