Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that He may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you. 1 Peter 5:6-7
A faithful paraphrase of these words of Saint Peter addressed to recent converts would be: "Lead a life of true humility before the Lord. He will lift you up in due time. Just cast your burdens on Him, for He is very much concerned about you."
The Christian who leads a life of true humility, a life of daily awareness of his or her dependence on the Lord, will know what to do with the inevitable burdens of each day -- the worries, sorrows, and anxieties. The Christian will share them with the Lord, who has declared His personal concern for each believer.
The Scriptures again and again invite us to burden the Lord with our burdens. The psalmist urges: "Cast your cares on the LORD and He will sustain you" (Psalm 55:22). The Savior's entire earthly ministry was an open-armed offer: "Give Me your burdens, and I'll give you My peace." What an offer!
Have we learned to make that exchange in our daily lives? Christ's peace in exchange for our burdens! That offer still stands. All we need do is accept it.
PRAYER: Lord Jesus Christ, You are our Friend so faithful. You know all our weaknesses, and You bear not only our sins and griefs but also our burdens. We thank You. Amen.
(Taken from "Words of Promise," copyright 1996 (out of print), Concordia Publishing House. For information on other devotional materials, call 1-800-325-32040.)
Today's Bible Readings: Jeremiah 33, 21 Hebrews 9
To Download Devotion MP3 to your computer, right click here and select "Save Link As" or "Save Target As" or "Download Linked File As"