Wednesday, March 28, 2012

Hope for the Hurting

There are so many things in this world today that cause us pain, and pain can be crippling. Drugs, alcohol, sex, self-inflicted injuries, suicidal thoughts or tendencies, pornography, and abuse are just a few of the things that either cause the pain or are used as an escape from the real problem. But they only cause you more pain.


     God knows this, and has always known this. Sin is the cause of our pain. Sin brought death and separation from God (Gen. 3). God sent His son to take away sin and restore our relationship with God. But God did not forget about the pain this could leave us with. This is why Jesus said "Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentile at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, the burden I give you is light." (Matt. 11:28-30).
      A yoke is a teaching tool. Jesus is not asking you to give up one burden and take on another, no, Jesus is saying give your burden to me, and let me teach you how to carry a burden. Peter said "Give all your worries and cares to God, for He cares about you." (1 Pet. 5:7). David wrote "Give your burdens to the Lord, and He will take care of you. He will not permit the godly yo slip and fall." Here is a picture of a yoke:
    The way this teaching tool works is to couple an experienced worker with an inexperienced one. The experienced worker keeps his buddy on track, pulls him back on course if he wavers. Jesus says let Me do this. He even tells us that He is humble so He won't correct us in a prideful or condescending way and He is gentile in how he corrects and instructs. What more can we ask for?
    God also expects us to help each other as we walk through life (1 Thes. 5:11). If you are hurting, grieving, struggling with an addiction, hurting yourself, hurting others, struggling with sex or pornography, first you need God, look into His word, look to His guidance, pray. Let others help. Check out http://www.facebook.com/towriteloveonherarms
Or the website http://www.twloha.com
Talk to a minister, comment on this post and I will talk with you. Get help. God cares and we do too, and through Him there is Hope.