Devotional Song: … GO TO THIS LINK … Please take the time to take in a You Tube video of the Maranatha Singers singing the praise song, Friend of a Wounded Heart, repeating a song from my blog a few days ago with the truth that Jesus can/will bear the wounds/hurts of any who willing to bring our cares to Him.
Highlight Passage: 2 Thessalonians 1:3,7 [NKJV] … USE THIS LINK …
… Encouragement and promise for those who are overburdened or being persecuted.
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Highlight Context – 2 Thessalonians 1:3-12 [NKJV] … USE THIS LINK …
… God provides rest for those in trials.
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Reference Passage #1 - Matthew 11:28-30 [NKJV] …
28 “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”
… Jesus said it, and He means it!!
Reference Passage #2 - Philippians 4:6-7 [NKJV] …
6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; 7 and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
… Not difficult to grasp, is it? … Just difficult to do!
Reference Passage #3 - 1st Peter 5: 7 [NKJV] …
11 Casting all your cares on Him, because He cares for you.
… So, why don’t we do it?
My Journal for Today: Today’s Our Daily Bread author, Jennifer Benson Schuldt, teaches about God’s promise of relief and help from her highlight Scripture in 2nd Thessalonians, Chapter 1, where Paul was writing to fellow Christians who were being deeply oppressed and persecuted.
Perhaps some, reading with me here today, are feeling overburdened by some stress or pressure or issue in your life. Well, besides trying to help with my journaling here today, I also wrote some thoughts, making reference to most of the same reference scriptures above as well as the linked song by the Maranatha Singers. You can go back to read that journal entry by USING THIS LINK.
But once again today, as I wrote on 4/21/16 and I’m reasserting here today, that Jesus has promised that He’s available to help us carry our burdens and to go to Him when we’re feeling oppressed or hyper-stressed [see Matt. 11:28-30]. So, why don’t we do it? … Well, I think it’s mostly a matter of pride, isn’t it? We’ve been conned by our culture and our secular world to think that we should rely on our independence, or our position, or science, or the government, or some medication to relieve our stress or carry our burdens. And maybe some of us have fallen prey to this culture of entitlement.
Dear one; … fellow disciple of Christ, … let’s be disciples; … and let’s do what Jesus promises. Let’s do what Peter said to persecuted Christians (see 1st Peter 5:7) and give our burdens over to our Savior. Sure, we’ll have to do whatever we can do; but then, … as promised by Paul in Philippians 4:6-7, let’s take our wounded heart to God in prayer and seek His peace that surpasses all understanding, which God promises to all of us with wounded hearts here today.
My Prayer Today: O, Heavenly Father, … I pray for Your grace to heal the wounded hearts who've come here today; and thank You for giving me Your peace to heal mine. Amen
Blogger Note: Everyday during this year, my daily devotional blogs are influenced by the reading and study of the online devotional blog entitled Our Daily Bread, distributed online via email by RBC Ministries. If you GO TO THIS LINK on the date of my blog, you can read/study the ODB blogs; or you can subscribe to the blog via email at that site.
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