Worship

Give Jesus your burdens or ride out your storm

There comes a time when everybody goes through the storms of life. Often they come when you least expect or when one is most vulnerable. And if one is not careful he or she could become so overwhelmed that you forgot Jesus could calm your storm.

Even so, being followers of Jesus Christ may not stop the tempest or the rolling billows. But you can rest assure Jesus can calm your storm. Still, sometimes your blessing comes at the end of the storm. And all you need to do is stay calm and ride it out. The late John Newton who knew a thing or two about storm and tempest wrote, “With Christ in the vessel I can smile at the storm.

Without a doubt, my fellow world citizen, if you got caught in the storm of life do not panic and do not despair. Just remember the following words spoken by Jesus. “Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, 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. My yoke is easy, and my burden is light,” (Matthew 11:28-30).

Why I am super Thankful

Why I am Thankful

There are many more reasons I am Thankful than that which we celebrate and much more than I have time to itemise. Like everybody else, I take too much for granted. But on this day when the focus is on Thanksgiving, the mood is perfect to reflect on one’s virtues and attempt counting one’s blessing.

Father in Heaven, I thank you for your saving Grace. You sent your only son to die so that a wretched soul like me could live. I know I do not deserve it. I am Thankful that you ignore my faults and focus on my needs. That I am alive and in good health is much more than I could ask. But your mercies extend far beyond the tangible and the obvious.

Lord, I thank you for the many things I often take for granted. Things like mother nature in all her glory. And the air I breathe, which of course is free. And is an essential thing that keeps me alive.

Aba Papa, thanks for giving me hope. There are millions of people in the world who have lost faith. They do not know whether they come or whether they go. But it’s not too late for those people to restore hope. They can have the same hope I have in Jesus Christ.

Thanks for my parents, Lord, especially my mother who taught me to love you at an early age. Proverbs 22:6 instruct parents to do the following. “Train up a child in the way he should go,
And when he is old he will not stray from it”. I did stray for a while but like the prodigal son I soon realise there is no place like home.

Thank you, Lord, for family, friends and neighbours. Thank you for my employer and thank you for giving me some of the best coworkers anywhere. Thank you for the USA. We do not always see eye to eye, but we are a unique people who never fails to extend a helping hand.

Father, thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

Why worry?

Just like many of you, I worry about tomorrow. I worry about my future, my kid’s future; there is always something that causes any number of us to worry. But sometimes our worry is unnecessary. Other times it’s out of genuine fear of what might or might not happen. Either way, worrying is an unwelcome burden we take unto ourselves.

As Christians, we shouldn’t worry so much. In fact, we should cut worry out of our lives. Instead, we should pray, and do what Jesus said: “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. My yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” (Matthew 11:28-30). The writer of 1 Peter 5:7 said: “Cast all your anxiety on Him (Jesus), because He cares for you.” Also, the Psalmist David said this: “Cast thy burden upon the LORD, and He will sustain thee. He will never let the righteous be move, (Psalm 55:22).

My late grandmother thought me how not to worry about things I cannot control. A long time ago she noticed that I was beside myself. She asked me what was wrong. I told her that I feared I did not do well in my grade nine achievement exams. She looked me in the eyes and said, “Too late! Worry won’t change what you wrote on your exams.” That was good advice, but I do not always use it for my benefit.

Indeed! Worry never made a wrong decision right. It never changed the course of a hurricane, and it never stopped a financial disaster. But it can wreak havoc on one’s health. Why waste precious time worry?