By Rex A Lones

What does it mean to carry someone elses burden? What does that actually look like? . We’ve all known a friend carrying a heavy burden and yet so often, we don’t know how to help even when we want to. We must begin with our own hearts. We must first find OUR fulfillment in God alone and allow His grace and love to fuel us.

After you fuel up, you will find strength and excitement about serving others. Striving to carry another’s burden then comes naturally. Our church doors are always open to those who are suffering and being a “hospital for hurting souls“, it should be the first choice for those who are carrying a load.

That doesn’t take away OUR personal responsibility of bearing the burdens of others. The Bible tells us so. Burdens can come in many forms and shapes. In Galations 6 we are told that when we “catch someone else in a sin“, a burden (my definition) we should restore that person in a spirit of gentleness. It next indicates that when we do bear the burden of someone else we are fulfilling the “Law of Christ.”

What does THAT mean? I believe that when Jesus answered the question, “Which commandment is the most important of all,” He told us!

Jesus said to “love God with ALL our soul, mind, and strength” and secondly we are to “love our neighbor as ourself.” In my mind, THAT is what is meant by the Law of Christ! We are not talking about the Mosiac Covenant but the New Covenant written in the blood of our Redeemer!

Jesus already fulfilled the old testament law and the new covenant that He established was a covenant of redemption and forgiveness. The love He has for us and the love we return to Him is what fuels the fire of OUR FAITH. The Law of Christ is the Law of Love! Bearing someones burden is an act of love.

Without a constant and intimate connection with the Lord, it will be impossible to love others as we are called. Are you in constant communion with God?  Is your heart at rest with His peace?  We must allow His grace, love and strength to fuel us. When we help someone who is carrying something heavy we should reflect back on what Jesus carried for us. Sometimes helping to carry anothers burden can be painful.

To keep it in perspective, we are not called to pull others out of suffering.  We are called to walk alongside them and “help” carry their burdens. I think that Galations 6 also tells us that our “motives” are important in bearing someones burdens. We are told to “test our own work” to determine if we are doing it for the right reason. When we help by supporting someone without the expectation of something in return, we got our priorities “STRAIGHT!”

I am reminded of The Sermon on the Mount from Matthew 5,6 & 7. Jesus clearly tells us to to not make a spectacle of our efforts to help others who struggle. Just quietly and privately do your act of love. Otherwise , don’t be a rich Pharisee!!! Their reward can’t compare to the rewards that await those with clean hearts!

We should all be challenged to “examine our own heart” as we reach out to others. Not only is it the right thing to do but it is what we need from others. Remember, we will “reap what we sow” which means we will find others willing to help us bear OUR burdens if we do the same. I think God promises us that! I’ve seen it “up close and personal!”

We carry another’s burdens when we humbly come alongside them and support them wherever they are in their walk with God. We must remember that God is the one True Deliverer.  It isn’t up to us to alleviate suffering. Carrying another’s burden does not mean to take away their pain.  It simply means to hold them up and point them to Christ.

I have come to one un-escapable truth about bearing the burdens of others. It is the BEST way to express the “Heart of Christ!” #discipleship #eyesonHim

By Rex A Lones

Thank God my wife loves her daily devotions and is willing to share them with me. I have been seeking direction in my life as to where I’m supposed to be and how I might best serve Him. I have labored with what I truly have to offer others and at times whether there truly is a call to ministry on my life.

Through my wifes thoughtful sharing I realized that because I have a “heart for God” I have a “heart for ministry.” Those two things go hand in hand! They are both a gift and a responsibility! You are “Born Again” with a desire to tell others about the beautiful things God has done for you. The woman at the well was so amazed at Jesus that she ran to tell everyone in her town. I like that!

When I met the Master I was forgiven a LOT! Having been forgiven so much, I began to love much. Ministry is the natural response to that kind of redemptive love. You can’t avoid it because the more you deny or reject that nudging in your heart and soul, the more UNFULFILLED you will become. You will KNOW you were made for more!

When Jesus did a miracle for someone, that person began to minister! They desperately wanted to tell others what Jesus did for them. Mary Magdalene was forgiven much and she was the first person to go to Jesus’ tomb after His burial. She needed to know if what Jesus told her was true. Jesus DID NOT disappoint ! She told everyone what Jesus did for her and because she was forgiven “much” she loved “much”. This was her “service.” Her ministry!

Mary and Martha met Jesus and they were so grateful for what He did for their beloved brother that they began to serve Him, each in her own way. They truly loved Jesus! Others served Him in different ways. James’ mother served by preparing Jesus’ body for burial and the woman Joanna, supported Him with her “own means.” Each one responded to meeting Christ by serving others.

This tells me that once you have a true encounter with Jesus Christ, you don’t have to “twist” someones arm to move them in the direction of serving others. The Apostles calling was clear but every life He touched resulted in some act of service to others. Because of what Jesus did for me, I must tell others about Him! I refuse to give myself the options of keeping quiet, backing away, being still or giving up!

I am grateful for what Jesus did for me and I finally realize that ministry is NOT an option, it’s my life! It is the ONLY right response to the miracle that Jesus performed for ME. I cannot let anything stand between me and the calling that He put on my life. “I am just a no-body trying to tell everybody all about somebody who saved my soul!” and I AM going to tell it!

I desperately needed to once again hear that beautiful truth that my wife shared with me today. When you meet the Master, MINISTRY follows!

#discipleship #Kidkrazydad #mentoring

By: Rex A Lones

We must understand that BUILDING COMMUITY is not a passive spectator sport. It involves sacrifices of our time, energy, and resources. It takes vulnerability, humility, and honesty. It requires us to set aside our own interests for the benefit of those around us. It necessitates that we identify with one another in both joy and suffering, in triumph and defeat.

When we begin to master this process we find that not only have we added value to the lives of those around us but we find that our lives are so much better too. We certainly will reap what we sow so we should always look for occasion to encourage others to be their very best.

Community is not just a group of people living in the same place. It is a sense of fellowship with others as a result of sharing common attitudes, interests, and goals. They share a sense of social values and responsibilities. It is a similarity between members and a common identity.

The root of the word community is “commune”. When used as a noun it reflects a place where folks live together. When used as a verb it denotes sharing one’s intimate thoughts or feelings, especially on a spiritual level. The verb usage denotes ACTION! It is a collective push for a common goal.

Even the idea of taking Holy Communion is based on the concept of communing. When we take communion we are identifying with Christ and remembering what He has done for us. We are remembering His suffering just as He asked us too. We share His thoughts and feelings. The community He started was called “The Way” and was the beginning of the Christian church by early Jewish Christians.

These folks took on a radical new way of living. All possessions were held in common, there were no needy persons among them and they were all of “one heart and mind.” What a wonderful concept! Todays church could learn a lot about serving others if it could join together the way the “FIRST” church did.

There are still great days ahead of us. We need to be about the business of joining together and becoming “one mind and one heart” if we truly want to change the world for the better. We need to tear down denominational barriers, cross cultural lines and rid ourselves of the privilege, favoritism and exclusivity that permeates our culture AND our churches.

In the VERY near future a new “TRIBE” is going to emerge here in East Tennessee. It will be a community of folks who believe that family life and the future of our children are of primary importance. It’s already got a name. It is called KidCrazyFamily! Check out the facebook page of the same name and share your thoughts with the tribe. Great things are on the way! Special events are in the pipeline and you’re NOT going to want to miss it
BE ENCOURAGED TODAY!!!! #dicipleship #eyesonHim

Is there a good reason for prophecy? You betcha! The bible is full of it from beginning to end! Okay, so what is this “good reason?” I hope I can do this question good service.

Prophecy is a prediction of the future or a revelatory utterance. It tells us about something to come. For Christians it is a look ahead in time to what God Himself has said will happen. I don’t know about you but when “God” speaks, I am listening!

“It is the reason for my optimism”

Jesus Christ gave up His seat in heaven, died a gruesome death and rose from the dead to give me a glorious future and I NEED to know and prepare for what lies ahead! The coming events should excite my mind, comfort my heart and inflame my passion for loving others. I need NOT stand in fear! I believe that is exacly the reason God shows us the future. He want to “ENCOURAGE US“ to look forward to the rewards that lie ahead of us!

Prophecy helps us to understand the future and realize just how important it is to spread the gospel that bears His name. Others need to hear it too! It is also important that I allow it to motivate me to personal purity and give me hope in this world that offers me no real hope. Even though many don’t like to talk about prophecy, it is usually out of fear or a lack of faith. Sometimes it just serves to show us that it’s really not us who are in control, but GOD. HE IS SOVERGN!!!

I think that in the end, I will have no excuse for my “wandering in the desert” acting as if I don’t know what whats next. I will NOT have any excuses for my sinful acts nor will I blame my problems on being a victim to someone else! God’s book is FULL of stories of others who have gone through what I have, AND SO MUCH MORE! Prophecy leaves us with NO EXCUSES! We have been warned.

Sometimes prophecy can be “scary stuff!” The picture that some prophecy paints will curl your toes! War, famine, natural disasters and other events are hard to wrap your mind around. The good news for Christians is that they have been offered an escape from many of those awful future events. God has provided for His children better than any man or woman can for theirs. He will snatch us up in the same way we would snatch our children out of the path of a speeding car.

“The best reason for prophecy is how it reveals to us just how good He is to US!”

Prophecy might show us awful things that will come but He is a “Good Good Father” and would never leave us in ignorance or to fend for ourselves. He told us what is coming and has given us His Spirit to guide us through it all! If that doesn’t give you peace about what lies ahead, just ask! He will give you a dose of His supernatural peace to go with that revelation.

My optimism lies in believing that good WILL ultimately prevail over evil and because of what Jesus Christ did, I NEED NOT FEAR the future but embrace it with high hopes AND great expectation!

Even when it’s hard, the Truth is always the answer! I stand amazed!

I have learned something that I needed to know from the parable of the “wicked servant.” This parable will shock you if you can wrap your head around it and understand WHO the unfaithfull servant truly is. It is ME and it is YOU!

It is not the unbeliever that Christ was talking about but those who are referred to as “lazy, wicked SERVANTS.” A servant is one who serves another. This is how it relates in my life. The Master is Christ and I am the servant! My reasonable service to Him is simply to put Him first, love Him, obey His commands, and love others. 

It’s really not a lot to ask of me considering the great exchange that happened when I became His follower. He gave me life for death, abundance for lack, and eternal life! PRETTY GOOD TRADE!!!

I can work daily on becoming more faithful to Him AND without fear of rejection based on the status of MY faithfulness. He is faithful to complete that which He began in me and I can totally TRUST HIM!  I will allow HIM to refine the gifts He has given me and in HIS TIME I will become ALL He has called me to be and to do. I will listen to Him.

All those who would stand in the way of my growth must be placed in God’s hands and I must move onward toward the goal of the calling Christ died to offer me. I will be called on to make some great sacrifices that will be painful. It is so hard to accept someone being removed from your life sometimes but like “excess baggage” they must go for they will weigh you down. Their purpose in your life has been fulfilled. That is another HARD TRUTH!

It continues to amaze me that the more I look at MY weakness’s, the less I see in others. I am learning to “righteously” judge MYSELF even when my insides are just screaming out for justice (or revenge) toward others! I am the weakest in the kingdom but so very grateful for God’s AMAZING grace! I think that by the time the Lord is done with me, I will be perfect!(just as He is perfect) That’s what He said.

BE ENCOURAGED today! Just like me, YOUR STORY is still being written and you have been given the talent and the power to write that story and MAKE IT BEAUTIFUL!