Dr. Dan Coflin
Pastor, River of Life Church
Everybody is carrying something around with him or her. Some people are burdened with cares, worries, fears, troubles, and all kinds of unpleasant weights that get in the way of enjoying life.
They stumble under the load that has been put on their shoulders. They may even complain that God is the one who burdened them with these things. But the Bible tells us what to do with these burdens and cares – cast all your cares upon the Lord for he cares for us (1 Pet. 5:7).
I like the way the Amplified Bible puts it: “Casting the whole of your care – all your anxieties, all your worries, all your concerns, once and for all – on Him; for He cares for you affectionately, and cares about you watchfully.”
God is not the author of cares, fears, worries and troubles. Instead, he tells us what to do with them. He says things like, “Let not your heart be troubled, nether let it be afraid,” (Jn. 14:1) and “Be anxious for nothing,” (Phil.4:6). We are the ones who decide if we will let our hearts become filled with fear and anxiety or if we will, by faith, cast them away and trust the Lord instead.
Some people carry with them things that can be deadly to others. In the early 1900’s there was a young Irish woman who worked in New York as a cook for a wealthy family. Not long after they employed her they all became ill with typhoid fever.
She left their employment and went to work for a restaurant and soon many of the patrons became ill with typhoid fever. The cook’s name was Mary Mallon and she did not know it, but she carried in her body the disease without ever being sick herself. Typhoid Mary, as she became known, had infected many people, some who died.
This deadly disease was transferred from her body into the foods she prepared. As these people ate the contaminated food, they became infected and carried this disease with them.
You and I may not be carrying an infectious disease, but we can carry things that are just as deadly. Judgments, criticisms, and complaining are highly infectious. Sin is a contagion we have all been subjected to. But, as believers, we have been commissioned to carry the Gospel to the world.
The word gospel means “good news”. The good news of the Kingdom of God is that your sins, that are a heavy burden, have been forgiven. Jesus took our place in judgment and bore our sin when he hung on the cross. Taking the required punishment for our sins he died, but he rose again having defeated death and hell for us.
Now you and I are to be carriers of the Kingdom of God, infecting others with the good news that in Christ Jesus everyone can be unburdened by sin and all its affects.
They can eat of the Tree of Life instead of death and walk in the joy God intended for us all. So what will you carry with you today? Who will you infect? And what will you choose? God said, “I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore, choose life,” (Deut. 30:19).
Dr. Dan Coflin and his wife Dianne co-pastor River of Life Church at 410 E. Chapman Rd. in Lutz, FL. 33549, (813) 949-9931, www.roltampa.org
We would love to invite you to visit River of Life Church. Our lively worship begins at 10:30am on Sunday. We are a non-denominational, spirit-filled ministry. Please honor us with your visit. We would love to have you!