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ED WRATHER

Take it to the Lord

Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 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. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light. - Matthew 11:28-30 NKJV.

When life gets tough and we’re between a rock and a hard place, what do we do? What do we do when the car is repossessed and the IRS wants the rest? What do we do when the doctor tells us there is no hope? What do we do when we are arrested for a crime we didn’t commit and no one will believe us? What do we do when unexpectedly we are given the “pink slip” and told to find another job? What do we do when we have an addiction that won’t let go, and it is destroying our life?

What are we to do? Do we just “grin and bear it?” Do we “count our many blessings?” Do we“look on the bright side?” Do we put on our smiley face and tell everyone we’re fine when we’re really dying inside? Do we pop a few more pills, shoot some more dope, or go on a week-long drinking binge?

When bad things happen or are happening in my life my response, since I have been a Christian, has always been to pray. When bad things happen, I take it to my Lord. When our youngest son was born with Down Syndrome my Lord gave me strength to continue on and still does. When my wife left me early in our marriage, my Lord intervened, and changed what looked like an impossible situation. When I was in debt up to my eyeballs, God provided the way out. When tornadoes have been headed for us, God has protected us. When I have lacked wisdom, He has come through with the guidance that I needed. When I have been desperately ill, my Lord has brought healing. When I have fallen into sin, He has given forgiveness, and raised me up to serve Him. When I have been depressed and discouraged, He has given me rest, peace and encouragement. When I was lost, and on my way to hell, He found me and gave me eternal life. He can do the same and more for you.

Jesus says, “Come to Me... and I will give you rest.” How can Jesus give us rest? He can give us rest by taking away our burden of sin. He can give us rest by giving us “peace which surpasses all understanding (Philippians 4:7).” He can give us rest by giving us supernatural strength to endure our situation “through Christ (Philippians 4:13).” He can give us rest through His supernatural provision “according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:19).” He gives us rest through His Spirit, through His Word, through His people.

Are you between a rock and a hard place? Are you at the end of your rope and your fingers are slipping? Jesus is the answer. His yoke is easy. His burden is light. Only Jesus can give rest to your soul.

The words to the hymn, What a Friend We have in Jesus, were written by Joseph Scriven. Here are some of the words of the hymn:

Have we trials and temptations? Is there trouble anywhere?
We should never be discouraged; take it to the Lord in prayer.
Can we find a friend so faithful who will all our sorrows share?
Jesus knows our every weakness; take it to the Lord in prayer.

Copyright © 2008-2015. Ed Wrather

THOMAS WATSON

What an amazing word!

(Thomas Watson, "A Treatise Concerning Meditation")

Meditate on ETERNITY. What an amazing word is eternity!

Eternity to the godly — is a day which has no sun-setting!
Eternity to the wicked — is a night which has no sun-rising!

Eternity is a gulf which may swallow up all our thoughts. Meditate on that scripture, "And they will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous will go into eternal life." Matthew 25:46.

Meditate upon eternal PUNISHMENT. The bitter cup which the damned drink of, shall never pass away from them. The sinner and the furnace shall never be parted. God's vial of wrath will be always dropping upon a wicked man. When you have reckoned up so many myriads and millions of years, nay, ages — as have passed the bounds of all arithmetic, eternity is not yet begun!

This word forever breaks the heart!

If the tree falls hell-ward — there it lies to all eternity! Now is the time of God's long-suffering; after death will be the time of the sinner's long-suffering, when he shall "suffer the vengeance of eternal fire!" Jude 7.

Meditate upon eternal LIFE. The soul that is once landed at the heavenly shore, is past all storms! The glorified soul shall be forever bathing itself in the rivers of pleasure. "You have made known to me the path of life; You will fill me with joy in Your presence, with eternal pleasures at Your right hand!" Psalms 16:11. This is what makes heaven to be heaven — "We shall be forever with the Lord!" This makes up the garland of glory!

Meditation on eternity, would make us very SERIOUS in what we do. The thoughts of an irreversible condition after this present life, would make us live as for eternity.

Meditation on eternity, would make us overlook present WORLDLY things — as flitting and fading. What is this present world, to him that has eternity in his eye? It is but nothing. He who thinks of eternity, will despise "the passing pleasures of sin."

Meditation on eternity would be a means to keep us from envying the wicked's prosperity. Here on earth, the wicked may be "dressed in purple and fine linen, and live in luxury every day." But what is this, compared to eternity? As long as there is such a thing as eternity, God has time enough to reckon with all His enemies!

JR MILLER

Death to the Christian!

(J.R. Miller, "Help for the Day")

"They are without fault before the throne of God!" Revelation 14:5

Death to the Christian, only . . .
washes out all his sins and stains,
shatters the crust of his mortality,
sweeps away all his moral spots, blots, infirmities, weaknesses, follies, limitations and blemishes —
and then life expands into perfect freedom, fullness, joy, and power.

The translation of a Christian from earth to Heaven, is but like the removal of a tender plant from a frigid northern garden, where it is stunted and dying — into a tropical field, where it puts out most luxurious growth and covers itself with splendor!

"In Your presence is fullness of joy; at Your right hand there are pleasures forevermore!" Psalm 16:11

RIFKAH .. A SAVED RABBI

A HEBREW SAGE MIGHT SAY. . .
The Jew is the emblem of eternity. He whom neither slaughter nor torture over thousands of years could destroy...he who was the first to produce the oracles of GOD, he who has been for so long the guardian of prophecy, and transmitted it to the rest of the world — such a nation cannot be destroyed. The Jew is everlasting as eternity itself.[-Leo Tolstoy]

ONE BODY IN MESSIAH
"For as the body is one and has many members, but all the members of that one body, being many, are one body, so also is MESSIAH YESHUA. For by one SPIRIT we were all baptized into one body — whether Jew orGentile, whether slaves or free — and have all been made to drink into one SPIRIT." [1 Corinthians 12. 12 - 13]

"For you are all sons of GOD through FAITH in YESHUA. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in MESSIAH YESHUA." [Galatians 3. 26, 28]
The statement "there is neither Jew nor Greek...neither male nor female...all are one in JESUS" relates back to Faith and indicates that all races, classes, and both sexes are equal in rights and privileges relative to gospel benefits, that ALMIGHTY HEAVENLY FATHERdoes not recognize one above the other — all are one body in YESHUA ha'MASHIACH.
However, this same verse does tell that within the body of MESSIAH there is both Jew and Gentile, master and slave, male and female. One does not change his ancestry, descent, position in life, or sex by receiving the MESSIAH into their heart. Nothing can divest a Jew of his physical identity.
One who is not Jewish who has accepted the LORD JESUS, remains a Gentile but now a believer. A Jew, accepting the LORD YESHUA, remains a Jew but now a believer. Both Jew and Gentile keep their earthly distinctions even as bond and free, male and female keep theirs. Their unity is in the SPIRIT — they are one in MESSIAH the KING by Faith.
"For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly, nor is circumcision that which is outward in the flesh; but he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the SPIRIT, not in the letter; whose praise is not from men but from GOD."[Romans 2. 28 - 29]
This passage is found in a Jewish Context in the book of Romans. Paul was not speaking to the Gentiles here but to Jews who were trusting in the fact that they were Jews, "Indeed you are called a Jew, and rest on the Law, and make your boast in GOD." [Romans 2. 17] Here, Paul is describing the True Jew who is one not only outwardly, but inwardly. Paul does not boast in his religion or the fact he is a Jew — there is no pride of race or grace in MESSIAH YESHUA — but he counts all that as loss and his trust now is in the Lord Jesus as we find in the words of Paul again:
"For we are the circumcision, who worship GOD in the spirit, rejoice in CHRIST JESUS, and HAVE NO CONFIDENCE IN THEFLESH, though I also might have confidence in the flesh. If anyone else thinks he may have confidence in the flesh, I more so." Then Paul explains what it is about the "flesh" in which he could trust: "Circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel , of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of the Hebrews; concerning the Law, a Pharisee; concerning zeal, persecuting the church; concerning the righteousness which is in the Law, blameless."
Now Paul is counting as unnecessary and vain all those things of the flesh in which he could have trusted: "But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for CHRIST (MESSIAH YESHUA). Yet indeed I also count ALL THINGS LOSS for the excellence of the knowledge of CHRIST JESUS my LORD, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and COUNT THEM AS RUBBISH, that I may gain CHRIST and be found in HIM, NOT HAVING MY OWN RIGHTEOUSNESS, WHICH IS FROM THE LAW, but that which is through FAITH IN CHRIST, the righteousness which is from GOD by FAITH." [Philippians 3. 3 - 9] Thus, our spiritual duties must be our own hearts actions, not boasting in our human bloodline, but in the BELOVED MESSIAH alone.