Wednesday, September 07, 2005
Chapter 9
The Blessings of Burdens
I have often thought that if there is any blessing in having a burden, and there are, one of them must be that when we have experienced the burden, it gives us the sensitivity, and the compassion, to recognize burdens in others. I have certainly found that to be true in my own life. You may have found it to be true in your as well.
The Israelites were made better because of the burdens put on them by the Egyptians. It says in Exodus 1:12, “But the more they afflicted them, the more they multiplied and grew…” The Egyptians tried to wear down the Israelites by mistreating them and forcing them into slavery but instead of giving up, the Israelites grew in number and they grew stronger. When we are burdened or mistreated we may feel defeated, but our burdens can actually make us stronger and develop qualities in us that prepare us for what God has for us in the future.
But there is yet another blessing that is found in Romans 5:1-5 where it says, “Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand (we stand in grace), and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.”
Look at all of these wonderful privileges listed here that we have as Christians:
§ Justified by faith
§ Peace with God
§ Access by faith
§ Stand in grace
§ Rejoice in hope
Paul goes on to say, “And not only so”, not only all of this that is listed above, not only do we have all of these privileges as children of God, “BUT we glory in tribulations also…” Not only are we justified by faith, not only do we have peace with God and access by faith, not only do we stand in grace and rejoice in hope, no only all of this, but we also glory in tribulation. Why, why would anyone in their right mind glory in tribulations? Why did Paul glory in tribulation? The passage goes on to say that Paul gloried in tribulation because “…knowing that tribulation worketh patience; And patience, experience; and experience, hope…” You see, the end result of tribulation is hope. Tribulation leads us to patience, which leads us through experience, which leads us to the end result which is hope.
Tribulation = patience, and patience = experience, and experience = hope
But that’s not all, it gets even better than this! Paul goes on to say “…and hope, the end result of tribulation, maketh not ashamed…” Why, why does “hope maketh not ashamed”? Hope maketh not ashamed because of the result of hope. Remember that the result of tribulation is hope, now we see that the result of hope is that “the love of God is shed abroad”. The love of God is shed as a result of hope. The passage even tells us where the love of God is shed abroad. We read that the love of God is shed abroad “in our hearts”. The end result of tribulation is hope, the end result of hope is that the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts; thus tribulation ultimately ends in the love of God being shed abroad in our hearts. That is why Paul gloried in tribulation; that is why we should glory in tribulation.
Tribulations, trials, burdens, emotional pain – they all bring us together, they make us closer, as nothing else can do. They result in the Love of God being shed abroad in our hearts. They give us who have experienced them, a common bond.
We were all witnesses to the common bond developed among the people of New York City on and after September 11, 2001. You may have experience a similar common bond within your own family or circle of friends.
My family developed such a common bond on December 12, 1987. We look at things differently now. A phone call late at night sends a chill through you. The worlds “I love you” and hugs mean more. We enjoy life and each other more because we know that today could be the last day for any of us. Goodbyes are tougher; laughter is sweeter, cards and notes more thoughtful, and birthdays more celebrated.
A common bond is a special thing, whether it is born of tragedy or happy times; we all need this kind of bond with others. It too is one of the blessings of burdens.
Another blessing is the blessing of a God that upholds us. It says in Psalm 145:14, “The LORD upholdeth all that fall, and raiseth up all those that be bowed down.” Sometimes our burdens seem to be far more than we could ever bear, and you may wonder, “How can I go on?” All we can do is give those burdens to the Lord. I call Him my “Great Burden-Bearer.” Chapter 145 of Psalms holds many evidences of how and why God is able to uphold the fallen because:
He is great beyond discovery, Psalm 145:3
He dose mighty acts across many generations, Psalm 145:4
He is full of glory, honor, and majesty, Psalm 145:5
He does wondrous works, Psalm 145:5 & 6
He is righteous, Psalm 145:7
He is gracious, compassionate, patient, and merciful, Psalm 145:8
He reaches out to us with tenderness, Psalm 145:9
He rules over an everlasting Kingdom, Psalm 145:13
He is the source of all of our daily needs, Psalm 145: 15 & 16
He is righteous and holy in all His ways, Psalm 145:17
He remains close to all who call on Him, Psalm 145:18
He hears our cries and saves us, Psalm 145:19 & 20
These verses should be an encouragement to all of the fallen; He is just waiting to lift you up.
In Matthew 11:28 & 29 Jesus says, “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, (all those that are burdened) and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me (Be still and know that I am God); for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.” Come unto Him and find rest for your soul – What a comforting blessing to have a God like that.
Maybe you are suffering today for the cause of Christ. Maybe your burden is one of tribulation because of your faith in Christ, because you have chosen to be a Christian. In Acts 5:41 Luke says, “And they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for His name.” Have you ever though of persecution as being a blessing? It can be. It certainly would push us to be more Christ-like – are we “worthy”?
In Acts chapter five, Luke recounts the events of Peter and John being persecuted, physically abused for their faith in Jesus Christ. Both of these apostles knew how Jesus had suffered and they counted it a privilege to suffer, to be persecuted, and to be found “…worth to suffer shame for His name.”
In Matthew 5: 11 & 12 we read “Blessed are ye, when men shall revile (insult, abuse, scorn, condemn, despise) you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.” The blessing of a burden, the blessing of persecution – great is your reward in heaven. If this is the boat you are in, you’re not in bad company, “for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.”
We find in Acts 5:42 that the burden of persecution was a blessing in that it formed the first home Bible study. In Acts 8:1-4, 11:20 & 21, and in I Peter 1:1, we see the blessing of the burden of persecution as being a springboard for the spread of the gospel. Remember in the last chapter when we talked about the love of God being shed abroad in our hearts (Romans 5:5)? In Galatians 5:11 we see the blessing of the burden of persecution being the proving ground that Paul was preaching the truth. A proving ground, what is our “proving ground”? Are we preaching and teaching the truth – is there proof? The burden of persecution could be that proof.
Burdens certainly can be a blessing. Another blessing of having a burden is that it gives us greater opportunities for trusting God. Job lost almost everything he had, his family, his wealth, and even his health. Through all of this, God never revealed to Job the why of his burdens, He never revealed to Job that Satan himself had challenged Job’s motives for serving God. Job’s friends, even his wife turned against him after he had lost everything, but Job just kept on trusting God. Do we trust in the Almighty God through our burdens? What about when everyone else turns against us – do we still trust?
Another blessing – God meant it for good.
A young man in his teens, living in a Middle Eastern country, was kidnapped and sold to slave traders. Carried across the border into a foreign nation, he was there framed and falsely accused of a serious crime. He languished in prison for several years until, through an incredible turn of events, he was catapulted to a position of enormous power and influence within the government of that foreign country – a position he then used to rescue his own kidnappers.
Layton Talbert. Not by Chance. Greenville, SC:
Bob Jones University Press; 2001. p. 1
In Genesis 50:19 & 20, Joseph finally after years of bearing the burden of being kidnapped, sold to slave traders, falsely accused, thrown in prison, and forgotten for years, faces his kidnappers, his own brothers, and this is what he has to say, “… Fear not: for am I in the place of God? But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive.” God meant it for good. We cannot always see this blessing right away – that “…God meant it for good….” There may be sometimes that we may never know how “…God meant it for good….” It is a blessing however, to know that everything, even the burdens that come into our lives is a result of a God we can trust. That in His infinite plan – He means it for good.
I have often thought that if there is any blessing in having a burden, and there are, one of them must be that when we have experienced the burden, it gives us the sensitivity, and the compassion, to recognize burdens in others. I have certainly found that to be true in my own life. You may have found it to be true in your as well.
The Israelites were made better because of the burdens put on them by the Egyptians. It says in Exodus 1:12, “But the more they afflicted them, the more they multiplied and grew…” The Egyptians tried to wear down the Israelites by mistreating them and forcing them into slavery but instead of giving up, the Israelites grew in number and they grew stronger. When we are burdened or mistreated we may feel defeated, but our burdens can actually make us stronger and develop qualities in us that prepare us for what God has for us in the future.
But there is yet another blessing that is found in Romans 5:1-5 where it says, “Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand (we stand in grace), and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.”
Look at all of these wonderful privileges listed here that we have as Christians:
§ Justified by faith
§ Peace with God
§ Access by faith
§ Stand in grace
§ Rejoice in hope
Paul goes on to say, “And not only so”, not only all of this that is listed above, not only do we have all of these privileges as children of God, “BUT we glory in tribulations also…” Not only are we justified by faith, not only do we have peace with God and access by faith, not only do we stand in grace and rejoice in hope, no only all of this, but we also glory in tribulation. Why, why would anyone in their right mind glory in tribulations? Why did Paul glory in tribulation? The passage goes on to say that Paul gloried in tribulation because “…knowing that tribulation worketh patience; And patience, experience; and experience, hope…” You see, the end result of tribulation is hope. Tribulation leads us to patience, which leads us through experience, which leads us to the end result which is hope.
Tribulation = patience, and patience = experience, and experience = hope
But that’s not all, it gets even better than this! Paul goes on to say “…and hope, the end result of tribulation, maketh not ashamed…” Why, why does “hope maketh not ashamed”? Hope maketh not ashamed because of the result of hope. Remember that the result of tribulation is hope, now we see that the result of hope is that “the love of God is shed abroad”. The love of God is shed as a result of hope. The passage even tells us where the love of God is shed abroad. We read that the love of God is shed abroad “in our hearts”. The end result of tribulation is hope, the end result of hope is that the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts; thus tribulation ultimately ends in the love of God being shed abroad in our hearts. That is why Paul gloried in tribulation; that is why we should glory in tribulation.
Tribulations, trials, burdens, emotional pain – they all bring us together, they make us closer, as nothing else can do. They result in the Love of God being shed abroad in our hearts. They give us who have experienced them, a common bond.
We were all witnesses to the common bond developed among the people of New York City on and after September 11, 2001. You may have experience a similar common bond within your own family or circle of friends.
My family developed such a common bond on December 12, 1987. We look at things differently now. A phone call late at night sends a chill through you. The worlds “I love you” and hugs mean more. We enjoy life and each other more because we know that today could be the last day for any of us. Goodbyes are tougher; laughter is sweeter, cards and notes more thoughtful, and birthdays more celebrated.
A common bond is a special thing, whether it is born of tragedy or happy times; we all need this kind of bond with others. It too is one of the blessings of burdens.
Another blessing is the blessing of a God that upholds us. It says in Psalm 145:14, “The LORD upholdeth all that fall, and raiseth up all those that be bowed down.” Sometimes our burdens seem to be far more than we could ever bear, and you may wonder, “How can I go on?” All we can do is give those burdens to the Lord. I call Him my “Great Burden-Bearer.” Chapter 145 of Psalms holds many evidences of how and why God is able to uphold the fallen because:
He is great beyond discovery, Psalm 145:3
He dose mighty acts across many generations, Psalm 145:4
He is full of glory, honor, and majesty, Psalm 145:5
He does wondrous works, Psalm 145:5 & 6
He is righteous, Psalm 145:7
He is gracious, compassionate, patient, and merciful, Psalm 145:8
He reaches out to us with tenderness, Psalm 145:9
He rules over an everlasting Kingdom, Psalm 145:13
He is the source of all of our daily needs, Psalm 145: 15 & 16
He is righteous and holy in all His ways, Psalm 145:17
He remains close to all who call on Him, Psalm 145:18
He hears our cries and saves us, Psalm 145:19 & 20
These verses should be an encouragement to all of the fallen; He is just waiting to lift you up.
In Matthew 11:28 & 29 Jesus says, “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, (all those that are burdened) and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me (Be still and know that I am God); for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.” Come unto Him and find rest for your soul – What a comforting blessing to have a God like that.
Maybe you are suffering today for the cause of Christ. Maybe your burden is one of tribulation because of your faith in Christ, because you have chosen to be a Christian. In Acts 5:41 Luke says, “And they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for His name.” Have you ever though of persecution as being a blessing? It can be. It certainly would push us to be more Christ-like – are we “worthy”?
In Acts chapter five, Luke recounts the events of Peter and John being persecuted, physically abused for their faith in Jesus Christ. Both of these apostles knew how Jesus had suffered and they counted it a privilege to suffer, to be persecuted, and to be found “…worth to suffer shame for His name.”
In Matthew 5: 11 & 12 we read “Blessed are ye, when men shall revile (insult, abuse, scorn, condemn, despise) you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.” The blessing of a burden, the blessing of persecution – great is your reward in heaven. If this is the boat you are in, you’re not in bad company, “for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.”
We find in Acts 5:42 that the burden of persecution was a blessing in that it formed the first home Bible study. In Acts 8:1-4, 11:20 & 21, and in I Peter 1:1, we see the blessing of the burden of persecution as being a springboard for the spread of the gospel. Remember in the last chapter when we talked about the love of God being shed abroad in our hearts (Romans 5:5)? In Galatians 5:11 we see the blessing of the burden of persecution being the proving ground that Paul was preaching the truth. A proving ground, what is our “proving ground”? Are we preaching and teaching the truth – is there proof? The burden of persecution could be that proof.
Burdens certainly can be a blessing. Another blessing of having a burden is that it gives us greater opportunities for trusting God. Job lost almost everything he had, his family, his wealth, and even his health. Through all of this, God never revealed to Job the why of his burdens, He never revealed to Job that Satan himself had challenged Job’s motives for serving God. Job’s friends, even his wife turned against him after he had lost everything, but Job just kept on trusting God. Do we trust in the Almighty God through our burdens? What about when everyone else turns against us – do we still trust?
Another blessing – God meant it for good.
A young man in his teens, living in a Middle Eastern country, was kidnapped and sold to slave traders. Carried across the border into a foreign nation, he was there framed and falsely accused of a serious crime. He languished in prison for several years until, through an incredible turn of events, he was catapulted to a position of enormous power and influence within the government of that foreign country – a position he then used to rescue his own kidnappers.
Layton Talbert. Not by Chance. Greenville, SC:
Bob Jones University Press; 2001. p. 1
In Genesis 50:19 & 20, Joseph finally after years of bearing the burden of being kidnapped, sold to slave traders, falsely accused, thrown in prison, and forgotten for years, faces his kidnappers, his own brothers, and this is what he has to say, “… Fear not: for am I in the place of God? But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive.” God meant it for good. We cannot always see this blessing right away – that “…God meant it for good….” There may be sometimes that we may never know how “…God meant it for good….” It is a blessing however, to know that everything, even the burdens that come into our lives is a result of a God we can trust. That in His infinite plan – He means it for good.
