John 19

Read John Chapter 19 :: Here

Devotional ::

“Then Pilate turned Jesus over to them to be crucified. So they took Jesus away. Carrying the cross by himself, he went to the place called Place of the Skull (in Hebrew, Golgotha ). There they nailed Him to the cross. Two others were crucified with him, one on either side, with Jesus between them.”

John 19:16-18 NLT

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You will be nailed to what you continuously carry. Jesus' purpose was to not only carry that cross but to be nailed to it in our place. We carry so many needless burdens. Worry, stress, heartache, sin, shame, regret... and the list goes on. Have you ever tried to carry something that was too heavy for you? Here's the end result: we fail. We eventually die under the weight of these burdens. Jesus had to carry the cross because the cross symbolized a debt we could not carry. But it leaves the question…if Jesus carried our burden, what do we carry?

Matthew 16:24-25 says “Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me. If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it.”

This isn't saying that we have to carry our own burdens, although many people interpret it that way and attempt to do so. The first line is "give up your own way", including your burdens. Who's way do we take then? His way. His cross is now our cross. Jesus invites us to be His lifting partner, and He has already done the heavy lifting. My son Shaw looked up at Chelsea one day as I let him help me carry a board across the garage and said, “daddy and I are strong together”. You and I are not strong, but you and I with Jesus, we are strong. Stop carrying the burdens that will eventually destroy you and trade them in for the only cross that leads to life.

Look at what Jesus says in Matthew 11:28-30 NLT: “Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.”’

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Prayer::

Lord, I'm sorry for attempting to carry on my own what you have already carried. Help me to embrace your way and reject my way. Lead me to experience the life that is on the other side of your cross, Amen. 

{Now, in your own words, turn over whatever burdens you are carrying to the Lord. It may be shame, guilt, a habit, a loved one, fear... Turn it all over to Jesus.}

Action::

Every time you encounter a burden today, picture it on the back of Jesus and thank Him for carrying it.