While You Still Can
Have you found yourself chasing the treasures and pleasures of this world? Have you attempted to find peace and purpose outside of the One who created you? Have you discovered that your striving has done nothing but leave you anxious, empty, overwhelmed, and possibly numb?
God, speaking through the prophet Isaiah, said this:
“Seek the Lord while you can find him. Call on him now while he is near. Let the wicked change their ways and banish the very thought of doing wrong. Let them turn to the Lord that he may have mercy on them. Yes, turn to our God, for he will forgive generously.”
Isaiah 55:6-7 NLT
It’s not too late for you, and you are not too far from God.
So what can you do? Seek Him. Call on Him. Change your ways. Turn to Him. And what will He do? He will be near. He will offer His mercy. He will forgive even the worst of your decisions, mistakes, and sins.
God is good. God is also good at being God. He created you, He loves you, and He wants a relationship with you. And since He designed you, He knows how you were hardwired to thrive.
He knows that you need Him more than anything else in the world.
You can ignore His nudges and reject His love and continue to do things your way. Or, you can come boldly to the throne of grace, where you will receive mercy and grace when you need it most (Hebrews 4:16).
So while you still can … seek Him, call on Him, change your ways, and turn to Him. He is your loving Father and He is your merciful God.
Help is Near
We weren’t created to go through life carrying heavy burdens that weigh us down.
Thankfully, we don’t have to.
“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. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
Matthew 11:28-30 NIV
When Jesus came to earth, He took our burdens onto Himself. Even though we were far from God, Jesus carried the punishment for our wrongdoing and bore our suffering. And because of that, we have a Savior who understands and has compassion on us.
This Savior meets us in our mess, and invites us to find rest in Him. This Savior is God with us.
Praise be to the Lord, to God our Savior, who daily bears our burdens.
Psalms 68:19 NIV
King David wrote that Psalm hundreds of years before Jesus’ arrival. But even then, God was illustrating to people that His character was constant, and He was trustworthy.
God ...