Life Walk Lesson 17: Living Victoriously — Taking up our Cross
"Cast your burden on the Lord, and He shall sustain you; He shall never permit the righteous to be moved."
Acts 20:24 [NKJV]
"But none of these things move me; nor do I count my life dear to myself, so that I may finish my race with joy, and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God."
1Peter 5:7 [NASB]
"having cast all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you."
In my journey with God I have learned to pray the word in every circumstance. When Jesus was faced with spiritual war, He answered with the Word that was already written. When Jesus was faced with the burdens of His fellow human beings, He answered with compassionate love, healing and deliverance, taking them upon Himself, ultimately at the Cross.
So what does it mean to "cast your burden" on the Lord? King David was familiar with the troubles of life, yet on every occasion he trusted in the Lord for protection and sustenance. When his life was in danger, God showed him where it was safe to hide or travel. David behaved honorably, with integrity and loyalty, even toward his attacker, King Saul. King David waited on God for the strategies and answers he needed in order to live successfully.
We think of "casting the devil out", or even casting a fishing line into the water and expecting a catch.
The Orthodox Jewish Version says, "Cast thy burden upon Hashem, and He shall sustain thee." [Psalm 55:22 OJB]
Jesus says, in John 17:12, "While I was with them in the world, I kept them in Your name..."
And in verse 6, Jesus prays, "I have manifested Your name to the men whom You have given Me out of the world. They are Yours, You gave them to Me, and they have kept Your word.
Verse 11 says, "...keep through Your name those whom You have given Me, that they may be one as We are."
Jesus makes clear, in John 15, that staying in Him is the key to receiving all things provided by Him, whether physical or spiritual. We can remain unmoved my everything that comes against us, individually or collectively as the Body of Christ, because we are in Christ.
The first time we find God casting -- it is to cast Lucifer out of heaven. The next time it is to cast Pharaoh and his army into the Red Sea.
While Jesus was on the earth, He set the example by casting the devil out of individuals. And the last time is when the devil and his followers are cast into the Lake of Fire. [Revelation 20]
So we know that every weapon formed against us shall not prosper. [Isaiah 54:17]
To cast our burden on Jesus is a daily reminder that we are in Him, and Jesus carried our burdens on the Cross so that we would not have to bear them. [Isaiah 53] Jesus says to His disciples, "Come unto Me, all you who are weary, and I will give you rest." [Matthew 11:28-29] He exchanges His light burdens for our heavy ones.
We find rest and salvation in Jesus Christ, and therefore can remain unmoved by circumstances, because we are firmly grasped in His Hand. In His name, we live and have our being, and nothing and no one can take us from Him.
When we live life at the level of a King, in the Kingdom of God, we carry His burden not ours. What is His burden? To love as God loved us, and to relieve the burdens of others.
[Isaiah 58, John 15, Matthew 25:31-40]
Jesus makes clear to "those on the left" in verses 41-46, "Depart from Me, you accursed people, into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels; for I was hungry, and you gave Me nothing to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me nothing to drink...a stranger...naked...sick...and in prison...and you did not visit Me."
God takes our faithfulness to one another very seriously. When we take care of the needs of those around us, who are in Christ, we are taking care of Jesus. Be found faithful and righteous in Him, doing the work His Father gave us. Then the glory of the Lord can't help but spill out all over the world, and cover the earth with the knowledge of God and the gospel of His grace.
Luke 9:23
"And He was saying to them all, 'If anyone wants to come after Me, he must deny himself, take up his cross daily, and follow Me.'"
John 15:13
"Greater love has no one than this, that a person will lay down his life for his friends."
