MAXIMUM LOAD

When I was a young boy, my brother Sonny and I, used to spend a lot of time sitting by the train tracks that came out of the Sonoco Paper Mill in our home town.  We would count the different types of trains, cabooses, and freight cars.  I remember in particular, one time where we counted 36 freight cars on one train that was filled to capacity.  You say, “Well Joe, how do you know it was filled to capacity?”  I thought you’d never ask.  On the side of that train was a sign that said Maximum Load – DUH!

Now, I have to admit that didn’t mean a lot to me as a 10 year old boy, but now that I am a little older and been down the road a little further, I understand it more.  You see, in order for someone to put a sign on that train saying “Maximum Load,” it meant that someone was responsible to know exactly how much that train could carry and ensure that it was not overloaded, or carrying more than it was designed to carry.

How about us?  I wonder what kind of loads you and I are carrying.  What kind of past hurts, past failures, past problems, past disappointments are grinding our trains to a halt.  Sometimes, those loads seem so heavy we feel like we are going to jump track and dump our loads.

But, for just a few minutes, let me give you some good news.  Whether you are redeemed or not, troubles are going to come your way.  However, if you are redeemed, when those troubles come, we have the assurance in God’s word that they will not overwhelm us.  I Corinthians 10:13 says, “There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.”

TROUBLE IS COMING

“There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man:”   Maybe you are reading this and you have never lost a job, or missed a meal, never been late paying a bill or had bad health.  Maybe you have never had a loved one fight a horrible disease or worse yet, had to stand by the graveside of someone you love.  But I assure you of this, if you live long enough – you will.  Troubles are “common to man.”  So, why even bother?

BECAUSE, ALTHOUGH TROUBLES ARE COMING – GOD IS FAITHFUL

“There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful,”  God is trustworthy, He is dependable, He is reliable.  He will never leave you nor forsake you.  He loves you and I with an everlasting love.  When the world turns their back on you, when problems seem to mount up, when church folk are quitting on you – GOD WILL BE FAITHFUL.

NOT ONLY WILL GOD BE FAITHFUL, HE IS IN CONTROL

He Controls the Thermostat

“Who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able;”  God is omniscient (all-knowing).  He knows everything about us.  Nothing in our lives catches God by surprise.  Psalm 103:14 says, “For He knoweth our frame:  He remembereth that we are dust.”  (and I’m glad He doesn’t expect much more out of me than He expects out of dust).  Since God knows us, and He created us – He knows how much we can take.  Maybe that is why Job was able to say “But He knoweth the way that I take: when He hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold.”

He Controls the Way Out

“But will with the temptation also make a way to escape,”  Not only is God omniscient, He is all omnipotent (all-powerful).  Peter said, “The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptation.”  And He does!  I do not care how big your problems are – our God is bigger.  I don’t care how big that mountain seems to be – our God is bigger!  And my God is faithful.

His Grace is Sufficient

“That ye may be able to bear it.”  Over and over again, we find in the Bible where God did not lighten the load of His people:

• He did not keep the 3 Hebrew boys out of the fiery furnace;
• He did not keep Daniel out of the Lion’s Den;
• He did not remove Paul’s “throne in the flesh.”

Though He didn’t lighten their loads, He did give them the strength they needed to carry the loads, “that they might be able yo bear it.”  I think that is why Paul was able to say, “God’s grace is sufficient!”  And we can rejoice that Paul’s God is OUR God!

God doesn’t promise us an easy road to Heaven, but He promises that He will be faithful.