Daily devotional, June 20, 2024 The treadmill
"And when I saw Him, I fell at His feet as dead. But He laid His right hand on me, saying to me, “Do not be afraid; I am the First and the Last. I am He who lives, and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore."
Revelation 1:17-18
One of the best cardiovascular exercise machines in any gym is the treadmill. Spend at least 30 minutes on it and you already helped yourself become healthier in both body and mind. Unlike jogging or brisk walking though, treadmills just make you run and run without getting anywhere.
Such is the fate of someone who keeps on running away from life’s troubles. He keeps on exerting effort to escape his circumstances, and yet, he remains stuck. He uses up all his energy but he cannot stop running. If only he knows that he can ask for help, or just safely stop, step down, and go where he could experience true rest.
"Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls."
Matthew 11:28-29
As followers of Jesus, we are encouraged by our Lord and Savior to run to His feet when we feel weary and troubled. While He never promised a struggle-free existence, He assures us that He will help us endure the challenges that we face by giving us His peace.
"I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world."
John 16:33
So how do we, present-day followers of Jesus, lay our troubles by His feet? What does it mean when we say “surrender our troubles” to God?
The first step is to accept that He is our Lord and Savior. If you haven’t accepted that fully, then it will help pray that phrase aloud — JESUS, I accept you as my Lord and Personal Savior.
By doing this, you are allowing the Messiah to redeem you from your sins, and make you brand new. It means you will ask Him to forgive all your sins, tell HIm that you regret that you’ve done these things, and then step away from sinning, and try to make things right in your life.
"That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved."
Romans 10:9
Once you have accepted Jesus as your Savior, you can put Him at the center of your life. Make him your number one priority and surrender to His will. Now what does surrendering to His will mean? It means following ALL of HIs commands and teachings in the Bible and trying your very best to uphold them even if you will end up hurt, or disadvantaged. Even if you will lose time, treasure, relationships, friendships, and even long-standing dreams. It also means seeking His presence in your life through His words and worship.
And when we surrender our life to Him, we are in effect accepting that the Lord is sovereign over our life. We can then hold on to His promises. We can ask for His help anytime.
"And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us."
1 John 5:14
When we come to our Lord and Savior, we are assured that He knows completely how we feel. Matthew 6:8 says, “Your father knows what you need even before you ask Him.” He even knows whenever we cry ourselves to sleep.
"You have kept count of my tossings; put my tears in your bottle. Are they not in your book?"
Psalm 56:8
More importantly He knows how best to address our issues, and when is the best time to help us out because He has the best plans for us.
"For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope."
Jeremiah 29:11
And so when we feel like we are running out of breath trying to escape from our troubles, we must calm ourselves and think that we can just stop and fall into the feet of Jesus. There is no more need to run, because our ONE, TRUE God is so loving and merciful, His goodness is running after us.
"Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me all the days of my life, and I will live in the house of the LORD forever."
Psalm 23:6
Thank you for reading through our devotional today. I invite you to ponder on Romans 10:9-11 and Jeremiah 29:10-14 to dig deeper on today’s topic.
Reflection Question: What are you trying to run away from?
Conversation with the Lord: Heavenly Father, thank you for being my refuge and source of love, mercy, kindness and protection. Help me endure all the trials that I face, as I surrender myself to your will. Give me the confidence to fully trust in you and your loving kindness. Amen.
