jeff lucas

trave ling

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It probably looked comical, but I wasn’t laughing.I staggered across the airport, clutching a leaden suitcase in one hand and with a camera strapped around my neck and bobbing on my chest as I hurried. I dragged a rollalong (with one sticking wheel) behind me, and had a plastic carrier bag suspended from a little finger, cutting deep. I looked like a burden-laden sherpa. I was sweating – and panicking.

Mine was the cardinal sin of having overweight luggage. a glowering check-in person gave me a stern telling off: repack or pay a hefty fee. I was already late for the flight, and the queue to get through the security checks looked jammed.

ThIs was serIous.

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finding a corner and frantically unzipping my luggage,

I gave myself a familiar lecture.

why didn’t I travel a little more lightly? I’d never use most of

what I’d packed anyway ...

and To MakeThIngs worse, I had nobody else to blame if I missed

my flight. I’d chosen each and every item to pack – if packing is the right

word to describe hurling items into a bag at high speed.

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sometimes we’re burdened by our own choices, and cart the consequences of poor decisions around, often lugging them for years. and then ordinaryeveryday life can deliver heavyweight stress. we worry about work: will the job still be there? Illness strikes, and we anxiously await test results. The bills mount up, perhaps some printed in scary red.

life can weigh heavy. others dump demands on us. our schedules get stacked. Mobiles ring. Texts beep. email boxes fill. People let us down. relationships can hurt.and it’s not just today’s ‘stuff’. we drag yesterday’s disappointments or broken dreams around, and then peer anxiously at tomorrow.

and it’s not just about us.we look around, and see a world laden with pain. Poverty threatens many people; millions will go to bed hungry tonight. human greed plunders the planet, relentlessly trashing the environment. war and terrorism threatens; humans are trafficked daily.

and then there are nagging questions: what’s the point of all this – where am I going anyway? do I have a clear destination, a purpose? Is the heavyweight life the way it’s supposed to be?

according to one Person, there are answers.

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Two thousand years ago, jesus was born into a working family.They lived with more pressures than most; shoved around by form-waving officialdom, they were even chased by authorities who wanted to see their newborn child dead. for a while they were fugitives, a family on the run. jesus was

raised, a boy living in occupied territory, a tradesman’s son. no

silver spoon for him. he knew all about the weight of life.

when he began teaching and doing miracles, heads turned. he shocked and

surprised. his message wasn’t ‘obey the rules, and do your best’. he didn’t offer do-gooder religion as the way to find peace, but exposed it as potential excess baggage, describing some of the religious leaders of his day like this:

‘… they package … bundles of rules, loading you down like pack animals. They seem to take pleasure in watching you stagger under these loads, and wouldn’t think of lifting a finger to help’

Matthew chapter 23, verse 4 (The Message)

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he came to show us what god looks like. That he loves us all, and wants us to know him. he is the creator, and he designed us to walk through life with him. The Bible begins with humans knowing god, up close and personal. It was very, very good.

But, given the choice, humanity decided to walk away from god and live independently. now we’re adrift, lost, needing rescue. we’ve failed, gone our own way.

jesus taught that we don’t just need to improve, do better or make progress.

We need a total turnaround, and a rethink.and then he gave a stunning invitation. he invited us all to a reunion.

Matthew chapter 11, verse 28 (nIV)

come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.’

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decisions, decisions … Back in the airport, I repacked my bags … and managed to repack my passport too – at the bottom of the wonky rollalong. at long last, passport in hand – I passed through security and boarded the flight.

relieved to be in my seat, I realised that journeys take a lot of thought and preparation.

Ticket.Passport.Brochures to scan.Packing to plan.

and the journey that jesus now invites you to take with him takes some careful consideration too. he invites you to make a thoughtful choice, in response to his invitation: ‘come to me.’

when he walked this earth, people made dramatic choices about jesus. some chose to be his followers and friends, and it cost them everything – even their lives. and others hated him with an irrational passion.

The saMe Is True Today.

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PrayerJesus, I come to You.With all that weighs me down, I come.I choose to put my faith and trust in You.Forgive me for all that is wrong in my life.Thank You for dying for me, so that I might experience a new life through You.Thank You that You are alive, and that I can know You always.Show me how to live for You from this day on – be my Lord.Show me how to live with You – be my friend.Strengthen me, direct me, and touch the broken world through me.I make you my priority, my purpose, my confidence, my defender, my guide, my Lord and my God.Thank You for hearing my prayer.

Amen.

The InvITaTIon Is sTIll good. jesus still says ‘come’.Perhaps this is something you’d like to ponder.If you feel ready to respond to his invitation, you may like to use this prayer:

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PrayerJesus, I come to You.With all that weighs me down, I come.I choose to put my faith and trust in You.Forgive me for all that is wrong in my life.Thank You for dying for me, so that I might experience a new life through You.Thank You that You are alive, and that I can know You always.Show me how to live for You from this day on – be my Lord.Show me how to live with You – be my friend.Strengthen me, direct me, and touch the broken world through me.I make you my priority, my purpose, my confidence, my defender, my guide, my Lord and my God.Thank You for hearing my prayer.

Amen.

Copyright © CWr, 2011.

Published 2011 by CWr, Waverley abbey House, Waverley lane, Farnham, Surrey gU9 8eP, UK. registered Charity no.

294387. registered limited Company no. 1990308.

the right of Jeff lucas to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by him in accordance with the

Copyright, Designs and Patents act 1988. all rights reserved. no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any

means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission in writing of CWr.

For a list of CWr’s national Distributors, visit www.cwr.org.uk/distributors

Bible quotations: niv: the Holy Bible: new international version, copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by the

international Bible Society.

the Message: Scripture taken from the Message. Copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002.

Used by permission of navPress Publishing group.

Concept development, editing, design and production by CWr.

Printed in Croatia by Zrinski

iSBn: 978-1-85345-599-5

If you have prayed this prayer it will be important for you to:• Tellsomeone• Findalocalchurchyoucanjoin• GetholdofacopyoftheBible(forexample

the nIV or The Message translation)• Findawaytoreadandunderstandit

that suits you – the gospel of Mark is a good starting point – or you may like to read Travelling Through life every day for new Christians written by jeff lucas

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I S B N 978-1-85345-599-5

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Applying God’s Word to everyday life and relationships

There’s a lot in this world that can weigh us down: the baggage of the past, the pressures of everyday life, concerns about society and global issues.

But there’s relief, freedom and hope to be found.

International author, speaker and broadcaster jeff lucas introduces jesus, the one who offers real help and hope, to set us free from the past and give meaning and purpose to our lives.

find the key to living lightly

Website: www.cwr.org.ukEmail: mail@cwr.org.uk

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