Category: Christian Blog

How to Respond When Your Heart Is Heavily Burdened

How to Respond When Your Heart Is Heavily Burdened

As I lay there awake with the rustling of the wind outside and the rumbling sounds of thunder in the distance, I realized the true storm was the one inside my heart and mind. I cannot say why this restlessness of the soul; yet, there it was. So, finally I get up and head to my chair of prayer. I got out my Bible. Its pages are worn and have writings scribbled through the margins. Most of those scribbling written during moments just like this one. I reached out for my prayer journal to pray for family, friends, work, the nation and myself. Each page listed with scriptures to pray—a strategic battle plan against Satan’s attack. Yet, the only words that came from my lips were “Lord, I need you now.”

dawning light

SEASONS OF JOY AND SEASONS OF SORROWS COME TO ALL

This journey of life leads us through many seasons. Sometimes those seasons are filled with great joy, moments of strength, and wondrous answers to prayer. It would seem that we are floating on mountaintops high above all the trials and tribulations. Then there are those moments when our hearts are heavily burdened with great care and pain; although, nothing in particular has changed. After all, God is still on His throne. The truth of His promises have not changed. Yet, a heavy heart of despair leaves us wondering what is wrong. Sometimes, there is nothing to pinpoint as the triggering factor. No major catastrophe that has occurred. We feel a sense of loneliness as though we have lost our best friend. [bctt tweet=”When discouragement, loneliness, and despair creep into our hearts, our only hope is to seek God.”]

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Did God’s Love of the World Cause Him Agonizing Pain?

Did God’s Love of the World Cause Him Agonizing Pain?

It was the summer of 1997 when the call came at work that my son had been in a bad wreck and the ambulance was in route to the hospital. The dispatcher couldn’t tell me anything except that the car had rolled over many times and was totaled. They couldn’t tell me if Ron was ok; but, they said the ETA of the ambulance was about 20 minutes. After all, it was a rural area. As I quickly said a prayer for Ron, I called my supervisor to find someone to take over my patients and I made my way to the ER to wait. When he arrived, he was ok; except for a compression fracture of the thoracic spine. He was in so much pain that his body trembled, he was very pale and covered in a cold sweat. I urged him to let them give him something for pain; but, he refused. He said, “I deserve the pain—my fault, I took the curve too fast.” He had only been driving for a few weeks and had misjudged the curve on a dirt road. My heart bled for him. If I could take the pain from him, I would have gladly. If I could just bear the burden of his guilt, I would have. That was only one example; yet, I could tell you many more. I would gladly carry every pain, every heart break, and every burden for any one of my children; if only I could.

mountaintop-experiences-in-the-valley-ronald-barba

So, imagine this. If I, with this human heart that fails sometimes can love my children with so much love; how much more does God love His only begotten, perfectly righteous son? [bctt tweet=”What agony must God have felt as He watched His son be rejected, beaten, and hung on the cross.”] What depth of sorrow must have been His to watch Him suffer!! He could say, “Enough” at any second and hurl all of mankind into eternal hell where these selfish hearts deserve to go. Yet, He held His hand and turned away in silence as His son took on the sins of the whole world along with all their guilt. He did it out of love for this His creation—a creation who turned their back on Him. A bunch who chose to worship self instead of Him who had made them.

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What is the Heart and Truth of Amazing Love?

What is the Heart and Truth of Amazing Love?

Love—perhaps one of the greatest mysteries of human emotions. We seek love, desire love, and search for love. Yet, do we really even understand it? Is it some emotion that for a fleeting moment elates our being into a sense of ecstasy? We so long to love and to be loved; yet, so often we find that we are disappointed by love. We find that our hearts are broken by the very thing we so desperately long for. Or so it has been for much of my life. As though love is some illusion that cannot be fully obtained. Perhaps we hope that somehow love will validate us—make sense of our existence or provide a purpose for all the humdrum activities of our day. We are told then that what we really need is to learn to love ourselves. So we primp and we search deep within only to be disappointed all too quickly. Television, movies, books, and advertising all promote this idea that we desperately are in search of love. What if I told you that we were honestly created to be lavished with love?

[bctt tweet=”God created man so as to pour out His love, His joy, and His glory upon him. Some said, No thanks”]

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What Does Saving Belief In Christ Really Look Like?

What Does Saving Belief In Christ Really Look Like?

Nicodemus had believed that Jesus was a teacher come from God; yet, did not understand when Jesus said, “You must be born again.” Nicodemus was a religious scholar; yet, his eyes were veiled to the truth that salvation was grace and act of faith. He believed in Jesus because of the miracles—a belief of the mind. Still, the eyes of his heart were veiled to the glorious truth that Jesus was God and the messiah had come. Nicodemus did not understand that the messiah would die to pay the penalty for man’s sin, even though Jesus had pointed out that Moses had lifted up the serpent in the wilderness. Nicodemus had studied the book of Isaiah. He should have known and seen the truth. Nicodemus and the Jewish nation were looking for the Messiah to come as a King and they would have possessions, power, and luxury in the Kingdom of God—here on earth.

Lost sheep

[bctt tweet=”Did Nicodemus recognize his own need for a shepherd?”] He saw Jesus as a teacher; but, did not see Him as the Messiah who came to be the Savior of all who would come unto Him.

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How to Be Born Of Water and Spirit

How to Be Born Of Water and Spirit

It was late at night as he made his way to Jesus. The crowds had gone home to rest. He was a scholar, one of the elect of the Sanhedrin. He had spent his lifetime studying the scripture; yet, this man Jesus from Nazareth spoke as no other he had heard before. Then, there were the miracles as well. He, Nicodemus, wanted to have a moment to speak with this man who had run all the money changers and merchants from the temple; who had then taught the scripture as no other teacher had ever done. With a tone of great respectfulness as he approached he said to Jesus, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the signs you are doing if God were not with him” (John 3:2 NIV).

Spiritually Alive

[bctt tweet=”Then Jesus very passionately responds with the greatest truth that all needed to know. “]This was the greatest message of all. The good news of why Jesus had come to this earth to be the final sacrifice needed to cover man’s sin and to provide the only atonement that can give new spiritual life. It was the only message that could restore a full, vibrant relationship with God. “Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again” (John 3:3 NIV).

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