Matthew 11:28-30

Matthew 11:28-30 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." NLT

Jesus, You are my Personal Trainer. Thank You for inviting me to come work out with You. I'm exhausted and bulging with burdens. I admit that I've lazily neglected my spiritual needs and put off coming, afraid of repeat failure. Loveless and loaded with lies, I'm tired of living like this. My heart and mind have been fed empty calories by false teachers preaching shallow theology. My soul is suffering from the stress and stain of tragedy and trouble. Constant problems and pressure have packed on the pounds and I'm absolutely miserable. I've been weighed down with worries and full of fear for too long. Lord, I'm sick and tired of carrying around this excess baggage! Because I don't want to spend the rest of my life feeling this lousy I resolve to lose weight this year. In Your precise training program, You'll gently teach me a lifestyle that totally reflects who You are. Determined to get rid of this heavy load, I'm dedicated to Your demanding daily discipline. I'll eagerly get up and access the godly equipment in Your gymnasium every day. Actively using my Bible, I'll consume reasonable portions of strength enhancing nutrients. Vigorously working through Your Words will stimulate my messed up mind to perform perfectly. Coupled with the power of persistent prayer and praise, my bulging burdens will slowly shrink as I transfer the weight of them to You. Completely trusting You with my problems will give me more energy and freedom to effectively serve and love others. Under Your gentle control my heart and mind will miraculously heal. Resting on Your powerful promises will inspire me to continue working hard toward my life long goal of being shaped into Your remarkable image. In my life, Lord, be magnified so that I can be more productive for You. Amen.

The holi-daze have taken a toll on my healthy eating habits. Having a packed on pounds from too many Christmas cookies and carb fests, I now need to lose weight. Have you resolved to lose weight this year too? Consider giving the weight of your worries to Jesus. He's inviting you to "Come," work out with Him. He's offering to take your load and teach you to live differently. As you trust Him completely with your heart problems, the physical pounds may dissipate too. Give your burdens to the Lord and he will take care of you. Psalm 55:22 NLT