Oh how much He cares for you...

Sometimes it’s just a word or a phrase that catches your eye or your ear, and then grabs your heart…a reminder of times gone by. It was I Peter 5:7 that caught my eye and my ear recently, reminding me of a mentor training workshop I had attended. The instructor gave us I Peter 5:7 as a scripture to memorize using a neat technique. You read aloud the scripture several times, putting the emphasis on the first word the first time through, then the second word the second time through, the third word the third time through, and so on…like this…

Casting all your cares on Him for He cares for you.
  Casting all your cares on Him for He cares for you.
    Casting all your cares on Him for He cares for you.
      Casting all your cares on Him for He cares for you.
        Casting all your cares on Him for He cares for you.
          Casting all your cares on Him for He cares for you.
            Casting all your cares on Him for He cares for you.
              Casting all your cares on Him for He cares for you.
                Casting all your cares on Him for He cares for you.
                  Casting all your cares on Him for He cares for you.
                    Casting all your cares on Him for He cares for you.

Not only have you memorized the scripture when you’re done, it also helps you to focus and meditate on the individual meanings of each word in the verse. It is so interesting how the word “cares” is repeated with its two different meanings in the same verse…powerful. The word “care” and all it means…to be cared for…like this paraphrase…

Whatever produces a care in your heart produces God's care for you.

Suddenly, the word “care” takes me back to 1962...I’m a little girl, nine years old, my parents have moved us from our home in Lakeland to Sebring, Florida. No friends or relatives there. Then one Sunday we go to church, we open the hymnal, and the song we sing is, No One Ever Cared for Me Like Jesus by Charles Frederick Weigle. This old hymn written in 1932 has a small footnote at the bottom of the page which says, “This hymn was written on the shores of Lake Jackson in Sebring, Florida.” WOW! That was where we lived, on the shores of Lake Jackson in Sebring, Florida! Now my eyes were riveted on the words as I sang along with the congregation…and to this day, this hymn is still one of my favorites, because it was so personal, so comforting, so heaven-sent to me that day as the new kid in Sebring.

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How can we avoid becoming discouraged when we deal with overwhelming tasks and challenges in the world around us? We can successfully keep running our race with endurance and not burn out only by fixing our eyes on Jesus—by casting all our cares on Him because He cares for us. Our faith, our ability to be a blessing to our brothers and sisters, or to accomplish anything at all of lasting value depends on Christ from start to finish. When we lift our eyes to the all-powerful, all-loving God, we can commit our way to him and receive his assurance that in God’s time we will reap what he has richly prepared for us—a harvest of blessing—as we daily draw fresh strength from his inexhaustible supply.

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Lord Jesus, thank you for teaching me that I can do nothing apart from You. You are my life, my strength, my salvation. As I cast my cares on You, as I give myself to You anew each day, I ask that Your resurrection power restore my joy and renew my vision for the needs of those around me daily. In Your precious name I pray, amen.

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Look Up—meditate on I Peter 5:7 ... pray to see what it reveals about the character of God.

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Look In—as you meditate on I Peter 5:7... pray to see how you might apply it to your life. Be propelled to ask galvanizing questions about your discoveries: "Because God is_________, I will_____________."

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Look Out—as you meditate on I Peter 5:7 ... pray to see how you might apply it to your relationships with others. Let the nature of God impact on every relationship, for your good, and for His glory.

May your hearts be encouraged by this heart-warming video of Signature Sound singing, No One Ever Cared for Me Like Jesus

No one ever cared for me like Jesus,
There's no other friend so kind as He;
No one else could take the sin and darkness from me,
Oh how much He cares for me.

Was this encouraging to you? Please feel free to leave a comment in the box below, I'd love to hear from you!

Day 15 of 31 days of encouragement... Linking up with Holley Gerth