The Lord tells us to “cast all our cares on Him, for He cares for us”. But my problem is that I deceive myself and act like my worries are actually wisdom. I begin to consider how much wisdom and knowledge I have about people and situations and use it to steer me. When all the while, God is in agony watching me try to make my own destiny through the lenses that I have chosen to put on. Oh dear friends, He want us to cast ALL our cares, all that we care about and take on His light and easy yoke. Praise God for His word, it surely cuts deep.
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“Yes, yes, thank you for your praise. I accept it. I’m so glad you took the time to be shut in with Me. I have heard your request and the Father will give you the desire of your heart. But please, wait! Please be still awhile. Don’t leave just now. I have some things I want to share with you. My heart is yearning to be unburdened to you. I’ve bottled your tears, I’ve soothed your troubled mind. Now, allow Me to talk! Allow Me to tell you what is on My heart” ~ From a Sermon by David Wilkerson
Jesus’ Prayer of Thanksgiving
Matthew 11:25-30
25 At that time Jesus prayed this prayer: “O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, thank you for hiding these things from those who think themselves wise and clever, and for revealing them to the childlike. 26 Yes, Father, it pleased you to do it this way!
27 “My Father has entrusted everything to me. No one truly knows the Son except the Father, and no one truly knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.”
28 Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. 29Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.”
“Don’t talk about Him behind His back today. Get face to face with him forget about who else is in the room.” ~ Victor Cabe
One baffling fact I’ve discovered…
When I say,
“Lord God, I give you my whole heart!, take every bit of it.”
I lie.
I’m a pastor, I cherish Christ’s Church. I’m also a preacher, I speak God’s words.
From my observations many preachers spend so much of their time preparing their presentations while they pastor poorly. Some would call them “pulpit-teers”. I feel the allure of such a role. Spend all your time preparing a message so that the presentation encourages people to follow you. But, as much of a joy it is to speak a powerful sermon that people are able to receive, this kind of church lifestyle is dysfunctional.
I believe that the preacher is called to be a healthy PART of the body. I believe that one of the troubles with the Western church is that the pastors have been systematically held to corporate leadership standards. This is a substitution of servant leadership, the kind Christ revealed for us. These two ways of leading are in direct contradiction of one another. One is a structure where one man leads, corrects, hires, fires, places demands, and leads by exemplifying his strength. He has a group that functions under him that handle the lower cast of people that he may or may never have to talk to. It’s the corporate pyramid. 
Ever seen or felt any of that in the church?
There are many problems with this kind of corporate pyramid working inside the church. When in action, it puts undue power in the hands of the leader where they are given the opportunity to use it for their gain. It places a pressure to perform on the leader that is difficult to bare. Moreover, it allows for there to be dysfunction in the other parts of the body that God has called to be just as important.
So on Sunday mornings instead of a gathering of the saints , we have a show to see. Instead of building each other up, we mandate Christian entertainment. Instead of a coming together to bring the gifts God has given us, we come together deformed and dysfunctional. The preacher preaches, we go home, and the world dies.
When will we see our error? How can we back out of this kind of order? I’m not sure about others, but my heart is longing for a group of disciples who are renewed in a way that they begin to function in a healthy way within the body. They know God’s voice for themselves, they submit themselves to one another out of charity, they encourage one another, try not to backbite, and the pastor is in his rightful position… the bottom…. weeping over the feet he is washing.
(Recognizing my failures and my participation in it, I repent. That is where we start.)
Frodo: [telepathically] If you ask it of me, I will give you the One Ring.
Galadriel: You offer it to me freely? I do not deny that my heart has greatly desired this.
[starts to grow dark]
Galadriel: In the place of a Dark Lord you would have a Queen! Not dark but beautiful and terrible as the Morn! Treacherous as the Seas! Stronger than the foundations of the Earth! All shall love me and despair!
[she stops]
Galadriel: I have passed the test. I will diminish, and go into the West, and remain Galadriel.
Frodo: I cannot do this alone.
Galadriel: You are a Ring-bearer, Frodo. To bear a Ring of Power is to be alone.
“Son, how will you run with horses if you fail at running with mere mortals?
Let yourself take rest in me. Live in light of my glory.
Allow me to take your burdens and carry them.
Learn to put your trust in me in difficult situations.
Allow me to defend you and care for you.”
Being a son of The King has many benefits that are unknown, unseen, and incomprehensible. The benefits are given to those who trust, obey, and love The King. After many years of coming in and out of His shadow, I now have my goal set before me. Live as a son of The King.
Lord, you know how my mouth confesses great desire and need for you, but my soul finds its rest in others. Lord, I long to rest in you. To not worry about bad news coming,but to trust in you. To turn my enemy on his back as he fiercely attacks. To see 10,000 falling at my side and walk fearlessly. Lord, thank you for this season of training. Forgive me for my disdain for it. I love you, Lord.
