| TODAY'S SCRIPTURE "Cast your burden on the Lord, and He shall sustain you; He shall never permit the righteous to be moved." (Psalm 55:22)
TODAY'S WORD , have you ever faced discouragement in life? If so, understand that you are in good company. The Bible is filled with people of God who struggled with times of discouragement.
Take a look at someone like Moses. Here was a great man of faith, chosen by God to deliver the 10 Commandments to Israel. But even he encountered times of discouragement. On one occasion, he was so overwhelmed by the consistent complaining of the Israelites that he said to the Lord, "I am not able to bear all these people alone, because the burden is too heavy for me. If You treat me like this, please kill me here and now . . ." (Numbers 11:14-15).
Then there was the Prophet Elijah. Shortly after God used Elijah to call down fire from heaven at Mount Carmel, he discovered that the wicked Queen Jezebel wanted him dead. Despaired and discouraged, Elijah said, "Take my life Lord." Then there was the Apostle Paul, who tells us of similar discouraging times when he wrote to the Corinthians that "We were burdened beyond measure, above all strength so we even despaired of life" (2 Corinthians 1:8).
If you-like Moses, Elijah, and Paul-have ever experienced times when you were overwhelmed, don't feel alone. Remember that fear lives right next door to faith. We can ride the roller coaster from fear to faith over and over. One moment we say, "Everything will be fine. No problem." Then the next moment we can look at the same circumstances and find ourselves in absolute despair. So what is the answer? We must recognize that we are human-just like the great people of Scripture. The solution is to cast our burdens on God and pray for the strength to place our problems in their proper perspective.
A PRAYER FOR YOU TODAY Almighty God, Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom you have taught us that love is the greatest good; defend me this day against all the instincts that tempt me away from love of my fellow man. Let me put aside every sort of prejudice and bias against other people who are different from me: those who have a different gender, or skin color, or accent, or who have different ideas about politics or how to do business or live life or any of the thousand other differences that Satan uses to drive a wedge between me and all the other people of earth. Let me accept others for who they are. Let me know that they are your creatures, and that you love them just as you love me. Let me not be stingy with my affection or my support of others out of jealousy, or greed, or pridefulness; but look upon the work of others, and their well-being, as I look upon my own. I am weak, Lord, and I often stumble and let myself lapse into irritation or anger at others; but through your Holy Spirit, all things are possible; and I ask that today you be with me at every moment, and fill me with the capacity for love that only your Spirit can bring to me. In the name of my Lord Christ I ask this, Amen |
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