Many people in the world lift weights as part of their workout regiment. Lifting weights helps build muscle up and to continue pushing their muscles, they have to keep adding weights or lifting more. They continue to pile the weight on to get better. Unfortunately, this is not how life works. In life, we find that the more we pile on, the worse things become. So, how do we get through this? How do we start taking things off the pile? In reality, we can’t, but Jesus can.
Remember when Jesus called out the Pharisees for practicing religion instead of having a relationship with Him? That Pharisees were taking community standards instead of biblical truths and is when Christianity turns into a religion. It’s crucial that we continue to focus on what the biblical truths are and don’t take them out of context. When we start putting a list together of do’s and don’ts, we limit ourselves. We’re limiting ourselves to the possibilities and also not allowing Jesus to pour His truth and light into our lives to help us grow. Jesus tells us that He is the only one that can provide what we need in Matthew 11:28-29:
Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
We all have that one friend that tells us thing we don’t want to hear. What you may not know is that Jesus is that friend. We may have other people in our lives that try to do the same; however, we will never respond to them the way we respond to Jesus in our lives. We need to remember that He is the ultimate truth and not afraid to tell us even if it’s painful. We have to be open and willing to make changes and align our lives with His will because He knows everything. Think about when you’re driving in a car and how there are certain things you can’t see. These are known as your blind spots, and they can even be the cause of accidents. It’s comforting to know that Jesus knows all of our blind spots in our lives. When He finds one, He’ll help lead us away from the accident.
The most crucial point of Jesus is that He gave up His life for ours. He died on the cross and displayed how important we are. Even though He knew that people were looking for things to use against Him, He didn’t hide. He always shows Himself even though He had a fear of what was to come. We need to remember to be thankful for what He did for us as it was the ultimate price.
For Week 3, the challenge was to read Psalm 139:23 every day:
Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts.
