Frog lessons

Matthew 11:28 - 30 (MSG) "Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you'll recover your life. I'll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won't lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you'll learn to live freely and lightly."

Some time back, I mentioned how utterly exhausted I feel. No matter how much rest or sleep I seem to get, I can’t shake this feeling of being overwhelmed and tired. Lately, it’s as if I am at the bottom of a pit frantically trying to dig myself out, only to no avail. So I sit idly by doing nothing, afraid to move. Have you ever been there?

One summer I was reminded just how paralyzing exhaustion can be. I was chatting with friends who live next door, when their grandchildren came running up with a frog they had found near the pond in their yard. Wanting to keep the frog as a pet, the children soon found a container, filled it with pond water, and placed the frog inside. The frog was literally frozen in place. As I sat there looking at the frog, I wondered “why doesn’t he just jump out of the container?”

In the moments as I watched the frog suspended in mid-pond water the words of Matthew 11:28 – 30 flooded my thoughts. “Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life.” I had been living the past week of my life on sheer adrenaline, relying mostly on caffeine to keep me going. I hadn’t taken the time to “get away with Jesus” and give Him anything. Like the frog, I had chosen to remain still, afraid to take the next step that would surely lead me to freedom and rest.

To me, the Message paints a “serene” picture by the way it paraphrases the words of Matthew chapter 11. “Get away with me” reminds me of Psalm 23 verses 1 through 3 (MSG).

“God, my shepherd! I don't need a thing. You have bedded me down in lush meadows, you find me quiet pools to drink from. True to your word, you let me catch my breath and send me in the right direction.”

God never intended for us to be exhausted and overwhelmed. He doesn’t lay heavy burdens on us; we tend to do that all on our own. Instead, He wants us to bring our cares and burdens to Him so He can replace them with rest and abundant life.

Perhaps you’re feeling overwhelmed or stressed right now. Call on Jesus. Give Him the “stuff” of your life that seems to be weighing you down. Allow Him to exchange the stress and exhaustion with lush meadows and quiet pools of living water.

You can also let the frog be a reminder...
F - fully
R - rely
O - on
G - God

Related scripture: 1 Peter 5-7, John 14:27, Psalm 4:8, Phil. 4: 6 - 7

Are you imprisoned by fear?

Psalm 27:1 “The Lord is my light and the one who saves me. So why should I fear anyone? The Lord protects my life. So why should I be afraid?”

According to Noah Webster’s 1828 American dictionary, the word fear is defined as:

A painful emotion or passion excited by an expectation of evil, or the apprehension of impending danger. Fear is an uneasiness of mind, upon the thought of future evil likely to befall us.

I think Mr. Webster got it right. 

Fear is “a painful emotion” and can imprison us within ourselves. Once inside these dark walls, “fear” renders us completely helpless. You’ve been there at one time or another, right? 

Have you ever had the fear of being rejected or misunderstood? What about the fear of being overcome with a sickness that would not allow you to provide for your family? What about the fear of dying or the fear of losing your job in this down turned economy?

The list of “fears” we have is endless. The truth is...fear is not from God. It's a lie of the enemy. 2 Timothy 1:7 tells us "For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind."

We need to believe the truth of God's word. If we are afraid we can be certain God isn't the one making us that way. It's Satan trying to keep us from all God has for us. Are you being held in a dark place by fear today? Dispel the darkness by calling on the LIGHT to save you!

“The Lord is my light and the one who saves me.”

Romans 8:15; Hebrews 13:5-6; Psalm 56:3-4

A Peace like no other

As I continue to prepare my heart for Easter Sunday, I spent my quiet time in the 14th chapter John's gospel. Jesus is still in the upper room with the disciples where He has just taught them a very valuable lesson on how to serve others, even the two who would betray and deny him. He begins to tell his disciples about going away to prepare a place for them. He knows the disciples are worried about him leaving. If you were one of them, wouldn’t you be? Just think about that for a moment. You have spent the past three years of your life with Jesus witnessing all the miracles. Now he’s going away and you can’t go with him. I think I’d be a bit worried and want to go with him.
But listen to his voice. Is there something different about it? "Don't let this throw you. You trust God, don't you? Trust me. There is plenty of room for you in my Father's home. If that weren't so, would I have told you that I'm on my way to get a room ready for you? And if I'm on my way to get your room ready, I'll come back and get you so you can live where I live. And you already know the road I'm taking." (The Message  John 14:1 – 4)

I’m not sure the disciples understood exactly what Jesus meant by all of this or what was coming for that matter. But Jesus promised them he wouldn’t leave them hanging. In fact, he told them in his absence he would send them Holy Spirit - a Helper - the Spirit of truth - who would be with them forever. "The world cannot accept him, because it doesn't see him or know him. But you know him because he lives with you and he will be in you." (NCV John 14:16 - 17) 

Jesus knew exactly what was in store for his disciples in the weeks ahead and was trying to prepare them. "I leave you peace; my peace I give you." (NCV John 14: 27) But ordinary peace wouldn’t be the only thing he would give them. "My peace" he told them “is what I will give you.” WOW! Think about that. The God of the Universe in human form promised he would give HIS PEACE. He wasn’t offering it to them (or us for that matter) as the world gives. How does the world give peace? By telling us we have to go to some deserted island and live there all by ourselves for the rest of our lives or by keeping up with the Joneses? I think I’ve heard that a time or two. What about you?

Jesus offered HIS PEACE. Peace that surpasses all understanding (Phil 4:7). PEACE that he can calm the most treacherous storm (Luke 8:22 - 25). PEACE that he will be with us on top of every mountain and at the bottom of the deepest pit. PEACE that he carried the sin of the world on his shoulders (John 1:29). PEACE that he paid the debt for your sin and for my sin and for the sin of the world in full by being nailed to an old rugged cross and PEACE that he didn't let DEATH stop him. PEACE that he rose again and sits at the right hand of the Father interceding for you and for me. PEACE that he will come back for us and we will be with him for ETERNITY. Now that is peaceful... wouldn't you say?

This week as you go about your daily activities try to set aside time to thank him for who he is and for what he did for you that day on Calvary. Thank him for the PEACE that only he can give and then TRUST in that PEACE. No matter where you are on your walk with Christ or what you have going on in your life right now, know that you have a Savior who loves you more than anything and is still preparing a place for you in heaven.