I explained to Dad that Jesus wanted to give him the rest from his great burden and to shoulder what he’d been carrying for so long. He began to cry.<\/p>\n
As a child, my grandparents had taken my dad to church, but the philosophies of the military college he attended led him to doubt God\u2019s existence. When I was growing up, my mom was the one who took us to church. Dad rarely joined us.<\/p>\n
But Jesus’ words that opened up the eyes of his heart.<\/p>\n
Come to Me<\/h3>\n
I love these verses as well. They speak deeply to my often-burdened heart. Sometimes because I’ve moved ahead of God, doing my own things, and sometimes because of the ferociousness of all God has entrusted to me, I feel weary and heavy-ladened, just like Dad.<\/p>\n
Eventually, Dad entrusted his life to Christ.<\/p>\n
But Dad still struggled. There was a gap between his reality and the deliverance he longed for.\u00a0 He tried dozens of alcoholics anonymous meetings and was in and out of rehab centers. Nothing worked.<\/p>\n
All along he\u2019d been asking God to help him quit, but it wasn\u2019t working. One day he came to the end of himself and cried, \u201cGod. I\u2019ve tried everything I know. This isn\u2019t working. I can\u2019t do this. You\u2019re going to have to do it.\u201d<\/p>\n
A bit later, after cutting the grass, he opened a beer and took a sip. It tasted horrible. He poured it out and never had another drop to drink the last fifteen years of his life.<\/p>\n
Dad modeled for me a very powerful truth. Christ Himself is our life.<\/p>\n
Jesus said. \u201cI am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.\u201d<\/span>[2]<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n Paul said it this way, \u201cfor it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.\u201d<\/span>[3]<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n We were never designed to live life apart from God. Christ was pierced through for our transgressions[4] in order that He might share His life with us. By God\u2019s doing, we\u2019ve been placed in Christ[5] and seated with Him in heavenly places.[6] We’re indwelt by the Holy Spirit.[7]<\/p>\n As children of God, we’re new creations. [8] We’re united with Christ. God’s purpose is to transform us into the image of His Son. [9] But His way is not for us to try harder to improve ourselves. God never intended to make a better version of us. We died and our lives are now hidden in Christ. Christ now is our life. [10]<\/p>\n Anything which causes us to realize we can’t and God can has the possibility to draw us deeper into our true Life Source. It comes with humility and utter dependence.<\/p>\n Perhaps in our situations we need to say along with my dad,\u00a0 \u201cGod. I\u2019ve tried everything I know. This isn\u2019t working. I can\u2019t do this. You\u2019re going to have to do it.”<\/span><\/p>\n Thanks Dad. I miss you.<\/p>\n Robert Elroy Buck III, whom I am named after, went to be with Jesus on April 30th, 2011.<\/em>\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cCome to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest.<\/span><\/span> Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls<\/span>.<\/span><\/span> For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.\u201d (Matthew 11:28-30 NASB)<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n [1] Matthew 11:28\u00a0<\/p>\n [2] John 15:5<\/p>\n [3] Philippians 2:13<\/p>\n [4] Isaiah 53:5<\/p>\n [5] I Corinthians 1:30<\/p>\n [6] Ephesians 2:6<\/p>\n [7] Ephesians 1:13<\/p>\n [8] II Corinthians 5:17<\/span><\/p>\n [9] Romans 8:29<\/p>\n [10] Colossians 3:3-4<\/span><\/p>\n Unless otherwise noted, verses are from the NASB version of the Bible.<\/p>\n Other Posts on Depending on the Lord<\/strong>:<\/p>\n Raised up with Christ<\/a><\/p>\n Christ in Us<\/a><\/p>\n Hidden with Christ<\/a><\/p>\n Batman or Spiderman<\/a><\/p>\n Waiting on Jesus<\/a><\/p>\n Joy in the Journey is about the gladness of God\u2019s nearness in the midst of life\u2019s adventures.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n Subscribe below to get email notifications of new posts. We post a few times a month. Thank you for reading.\u00a0<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/em>Novels by the Author:<\/span><\/p>\n What happens when a professor figures out how to send messages to his younger self to try and avoid the suicide of his best friend? Did he change more than he bargained for?\u00a0\u00a0Beyond Time<\/a><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/joy-in-the-journey.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/10407876_10205268823978740_56971566099135395_n-1-e1454540429213.jpg\")