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The first prize of exercise is soreness and aching muscles

By SANDRA SHERIDAN
Verses from Mama 

Isaiah 35:3-4 "Encourage the exhausted, and strengthen the feeble. Say to those with anxious heart, ‘Take courage, fear not …’"

Have you ever been so tired that your legs ache? In my recent attempts to get back into physical shape, the reward has been aching muscles. This kind of soreness can be good because it tells you your body is growing stronger. But there is another kind of ache. It comes from an anxious heart.

Someday you will experience the anguish that sin creates. It may be from consequences of your own bad decisions, or it may be the result of someone else’s choices. No matter the reason, the burden can be very heavy. Our response can affect the way we work for God or how we follow His leading.

Thankfully, God does not leave us to carry these burdens alone. He has provided a solution for sin’s effects through the death and resurrection of His Son, Jesus Christ. Though sin will continue to create heartaches on this earth, we can be assured that God will make everything right.

The prophet Isaiah had a devastating message for God’s people. He warned that enemy nations would capture and take them from their homes to foreign lands as punishment for their rejection of God. Isaiah foresaw the heartbreak that would come to the nation and he must have felt the weight in his own heart as well.

But Isaiah’s message wasn’t all doom and gloom. Along with the themes of God’s holiness and His hatred of sin, he also proclaimed God’s mercy, love, and blessings for obedience. Isaiah was able to look past the suffering that would come to the time when God would save the nation from its enemies. His encouraging words to the exhausted and anxious of heart can also encourage us today.

When you sin, confess to God. He is faithful and just to forgive and cleanse you from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9). If you are suffering from the results of another’s sins then don’t give up. "Take courage, fear not."

When the time comes that the ache and exhaustion you are feeling are from more than overused muscles, remember the words of Isaiah. Do not stop working for God or following His leading. Let the emotions you feel drive you to the One Who will soon come and make all things right. He will save you – because He is faithful.

 

Sandra Sheridan is a Midwest wife and mother of five. She shares her messages to her children with Farm World. Visit her at www.VersesFromMama.blogspot.com

11/18/2015