Nov 16
12
LEAN HARD!
“Cast your burden upon the Lord, and he shall sustain you.” Psalm 55:22
It is by an act of simple, prayerful faith we transfer our cares and
anxieties, our sorrows and needs, to the Lord. Jesus invites you come
and lean upon Him, and to lean with all your might upon that arm that
balances the universe, and upon that bosom that bled for you upon the
soldier’s spear! But you doubtingly ask, “Is the Lord able to do this
thing for me ?” And thus, while you are debating a matter about which
there is not the shadow of a shade of doubt, the burden is crushing your
gentle spirit to the dust. And all the while Jesus stands at your side
and lovingly says, “Cast your burden upon Me and I will sustain you. I
am God Almighty. I bore the load of your sin and condemnation up the
steep of Calvary, and the same power of omnipotence, and the same
strength of love that bore it all for you then, is prepared to bear your
need and sorrow now. Roll it all upon Me! Child of My love! Lean hard!
Let Me feel the pressure of your care. I know your burden, child! I
shaped it—I poised it in My own hand and made no proportion of its
weight to your unaided strength. For even as I laid it on, I said I
shall be near, and while she leans on Me, this burden shall be Mine, not
hers. So shall I keep My child within the encircling arms of My own
love. Here lay it down! Do not fear to impose it on a shoulder which
upholds the government of worlds! Yet closer come! You are not near
enough! I would embrace your burden, so I might feel My child reposing
on My breast. You love Me! I know it. Doubt not, then. But, loving me,
lean hard!” Octavious Winslow
Weary?
(J. C. Philpot, “The Laborer’s Rest” 1845)
“Then Jesus said, “Come to Me, all of you
who are weary and carry heavy burdens,
and I will give you rest.” Matthew 11:28
The Lord’s purpose in laying burdens upon
us is to weary us out. We cannot learn our
religion in any other way. We cannot learn
it from the Bible, nor from the experience of
others. It must be a personal work, wrought
in the heart of each; and we must be brought,
all of us, if ever we are to find rest in Christ,
to be absolutely wearied out of sin and self,
and to have no righteousness, goodness, or
holiness of our own.
The effect, then, of all spiritual labor is to bring
us to this point: to be weary of the world, for we
feel it, for the most part, to be a valley of tears;
to be weary of self, for it is our greatest plague;
weary of professors, for we cannot see in them
the grace of God, which alone we prize and value;
weary of the profane, for their ungodly conversation
only hurts our minds; weary of our bodies, for they
are often full of sickness and pain, and always
clogs to our soul; and weary of life, for we see
the emptiness of those things which to most
people make life so agreeable.
By this painful experience we come to this point:
to be worn out and wearied; and there we must
come, before we can rest entirely on Christ.
As long as we can rest in the world, we shall
rest in it. As long as the things of time and
sense can gratify us, we shall be gratified in
them. As long as we can find anything pleasing
in self, we shall be pleased with it. As long as
anything visible and tangible can satisfy us,
we shall be satisfied with them.
But when we get weary of all things visible,
tangible, and sensible–weary of ourselves,
and of all things here below–then we want
to rest upon Christ, and Christ alone.
“Then Jesus said, “Come to Me, all of you
who are weary and carry heavy burdens,
and I will give you rest.” Matthew 11:28
Isaiah 40: 28: Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the
everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth,
fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of his
understanding. 29: He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have
no might he increaseth strength.
Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard? Do you have any idea how big
God is and how tiny we are? The true and living God is the everlasting
God. God is immutable, unchanging and unchangeable. His gifts and
calling are without repentance (Rom 11: 29.) Salvation is by his grace,
not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of his mercy. The
LORD—Jehovah—is the self-existent, self-wise, all knowing, all powerful
God of heaven and earth. He rules all things in heaven and in earth.
There has never been nor shall ever be at any given point in time one
thing whether it be good or evil that God has not been in absolute
control of. God is the Creator of the ends of the earth—the Maker and
Upholder of all things—even to the extremities of the earth.
Have you heard how that salvation, calling, keeping, is all of God,
that, salvation is of the Lord? God is the Comforter of his people.
Christ is the Captain of our warfare and that warfare is accomplished.
God has rewarded his people righteousness and eternal life when the only
wages we have earned are the wages of sin, death. (Isaiah 40: 1-2) Our
God is the mighty Savior, whose glory is his reward, his recompense the
people who are his workmanship (v. 10). He is the good Shepherd who laid
down his life for his sheep. He feeds us, clothes us, protects us, and
provides for us. (v11) This same Savior is the omnipotent, omniscient
God our Creator. (vv. 12-14; Rom. 11:33-36) Compared to him all the
nations and peoples of the earth are nothing, less than nothing, and
vanity. (15-17) God is the self-sufficient God and the whole world has
nothing to offer him. (v. 16) So great is our God that nothing can be
compared to him. Idolatry is foolish nonsense! (vv. 18-20) God is
sovereign Monarch ruling the entire universe (vv. 21-26).
Have you heard that “He fainteth not, neither is weary?” Man who puts so
much confidence in his strength, sleeps; man who puts so much confidence
in his will, grows weary. God never sleeps or grows weary. The Creator
of the whole world, upholds all things by the word of his power, and all
things are held in store and operate according to his power.
Have you heard that “there is no searching of his understanding?” We may
become depressed, cast down, and find ourselves thinking “My way is hid
from the LORD, and my judgment is passed over from my God.” But God
knows. There is no searching of his understanding. Often the ways God
goes about to perform our good does not appear to be good to us at all,
but even sometimes appears to work against us. Though we may encounter
perplexing providences God is fulfilling his promises. (Rom. 8:28).
He is all-gracious to his children. “He giveth power to the faint; and
to them that have no might he increaseth strength.” (v29) He gave his
only begotten Son; he gave us freely his spotless garment of
righteousness; he gave us freely justification from all our sin; he gave
us freely eternal life; he gives us freely his protective hand of
providence; he gives power to the faint; he increases strength to them
that have no might. “He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him
up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all
things?” (Rom 8: 32) He even gives us the thorn. But what gracious
giving even this is! (2 Cor 12: 7-10) He gives it to teach us we are
utterly weak but “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth
me.” (Phil 4: 13)
So let us not look not upon our circumstances, let us not let our sins
make us think they are too much for God to forgive us for the sake of
his Son. Instead, look to our immutable, everlasting God and flee to
Christ in faith
Clay Curtis.
A man may be weary of life, but never of Divine love. Histories tell us
of many that have been weary of their lives, but no histories can
furnish us with an instance of any one that was ever weary of Divine
love. As the people prized David above themselves, saying, “Thou art
worth ten thousand of us;” so they that indeed have God for their
portion, oh, how do they prize God above themselves, and above
everything below themselves and, doubtless, they that do not lift up God
above all, they have no interest in God at all.
Thomas Brooks
The fight!
September 1764
My dear Madam,
I understand something of your warfare. Paul describes his own case in
few words, “Conflicts on the outside, fears on the inside.” Does not
this comprehend all you would say? And how are you to know
experimentally, either your own weakness—or the power, wisdom and grace
of God, seasonably and sufficiently afforded—but by frequent and various
trials? How are the graces of patience, resignation, meekness and faith,
to be discovered and increased—but by the exercise of trials?
The Lord has chosen, called, and armed us for the fight! Shall we wish
to be excused from the battle? Shall we not rather rejoice that we have
the honor to appear in such a cause, under such a Captain, such a banner
and in such a company?
God has graciously provided:
a complete suit of armor,
formidable weapons,
precious balm to heal us—if we receive a wound, and
precious cordials to revive us—when we are in danger of fainting!
Further, we are assured of the victory beforehand! O what a crown of
glory is prepared for every conqueror, which Jesus, the righteous Judge,
the gracious Savior—shall place upon every faithful head with His own hand!
So let us not be weary and faint, for in due season we shall reap! The
time is short! In a little while, the struggle of indwelling sin, and
all the conflicts surrounding us, shall be known no more! “Be faithful,
even to the point of death—and I will give you the crown of life!”
Revelation 2:10
John Newton
HIM AND THEM
That precious saving faith which unites the sinner to Christ, also
unites the sinner to all of those who belong to Christ. To be one with
him is to be one with them. Loving and serving Him has something to do
with loving and serving them; likewise, loving and serving them has
something to do with loving and serving Him (Matthew 25:31-46). Saving
faith says that there is one Savior. Saving faith also says that there
is only one household, one family, one body, one vine tree, etc. “I
(Christ) am the vine, ye are the branches”…(John 15:5). Pastor Maurice
Montgomery