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For the first 18 years of my life, my parents assisted me with burdens. From
teaching me responsibility to getting me jobs to tending to my basic needs, they
helped me carry the burdens that come with growing up. Since then, there have
been other occasions when they helped me bear unwanted burdens: when I lost a
job, when a relationship failed, when a child rebelled, when my only car broke
down.
Others have also helped me carry burdens. Church members who've come to my side
when death took a loved one, grandparents who helped me purchase tires for a
vehicle, a child who forked over hard earned money to help me pay a bill, total
strangers who helped me free my truck from a snow drift, and a spouse who helps
me bear every burden that surfaces.
The ancient prophet told of how the coming Messiah would help bear burdens. He
would not blow in on a white horse and conquer Israel's enemies. Rather, He
would bear burdens the first time and conquer at His Second Coming.
The greatest burden Jesus Christ helps carry is sin. Since I'm born with a
sinful nature, I need a burden bearer. On the cross, Jesus bore the sins of
humanity. Though paid for in full, the results of what He accomplished are only
effective when I ask for what He did to be applied to my personal life.
Forgiveness doesn't automatically happen.
When I ask Jesus to carry my sin burden, it is not only carried but removed and
thrown as far as the East is from the West as well as shoved into the uttermost
depths of the ocean. In other words, He eliminates the penalty for this burden:
eternity apart from Him.
Unfortunately, life also has other burdens that result not from my personal sin
but from living in a world tainted by sin. These burdens I need help bearing
also. While others help me shoulder these burdens, only God can do it
consistently and permanently. Others will disappoint me-not necessarily
intentionally but simply because they are human.
Though the help of others is wonderful and needed, the help of an all-powerful
and all-knowing God is crucial. He is the burden bearer who will never leave or
forsake us. Are you letting Christ bear your burdens?
The Illustrator: This daily newsletter is dedicated to encouraging
everyone to look towards Jesus as the source of all the solutions to our
problems. It contains a daily inspirational story, a Bible verse and encouraging
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The Nugget: Published three times a week, this newsletter features inspirational devotionals and mini-sermons dedicated to drawing mankind closer to each other and to Christ.