Abide Christian Meditation - Cast Your Cares: A 40-Day Journey to Find Rest for Your Soul

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Cast Your Cares

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ISBN 978-0-310-36339-2 (audio)

Epub Edition December 2021 9780310363385

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Reeves, Stephanie, author. | Abide Christian Meditation (San Mateo, California)

Title: Cast your cares : a 40-day journey to find rest for your soul / devotions from Abide Christian Meditation. ; [Stephanie Reeves, Abide writer and content editor]

Description: Grand Rapids : Zondervan, 2021. | Includes bibliographical references. | Summary: For those seeking peace and comfort amid the worries and stress of everyday life, Cast Your Cares by Abide Christian Meditation offers forty daily reflections that invite readers to give their concerns to God and receive Jesuss promise of peace of mind and heart with each biblical story, journal prompt, and prayerProvided by publisher.

Identifiers: LCCN 2021037018 (print) | LCCN 2021037019 (ebook) | ISBN 9780310363378 (hardcover) | ISBN 9780310363385 (ebook)

Subjects: LCSH: Peace of mindReligious aspectsChristianity. | FearReligious aspectsChristianity. | AnxietyReligious aspectsChristianity. | WorryReligious aspectsChristianity.

Classification: LCC BV4908.5 .R44 2021 (print) | LCC BV4908.5 (ebook) | DDC 248.4dc23/ eng/20211006

LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2021037018

LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2021037019

All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from The Holy Bible, New International Version, NIV. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.Zondervan.com. The NIV and New International Version are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc. Scripture quotations marked AMP are taken from the Amplified Bible. Copyright 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987, 2015 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. (www.Lockman.org). Scripture quotations marked CSB are taken from the Christian Standard Bible, Copyright 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible, and CSB, are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers. Scripture quotations marked ESV are taken from the ESV Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version). Copyright 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Scripture quotations marked NLT are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation. Copyright 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved. Scripture quotations marked WE are taken from The Jesus BookThe Bible in Worldwide English. Copyright SOON Education Publications, Derby DE65 6BN, UK. Used by permission.

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Cover design: Studio Gearbox

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Interior design: Sara Colley

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To those who help me when the burdens are heavy:

David, my husband of more than thirty years: Thanks for

always having my back and sharing my burdens (even if you

think youre one of the main ones!). I love you!

My kids, Justin, Nathan, and Morgan: God knew what he

was doing when he gave me you guys. Were better together.

My grandson, Zayne: We didnt expect you so soon, but

you came into our lives right on time. Thanks for keeping

me laughing and giving me your warm, fuzzy heart.

Wonder Women: Youre the best friends ever.

Thanks for your enthusiastic support!

Neil (CEO of Abide) and Russ (executive producer): Thank

you for believing in me and trusting me with this book.

Abide Nation: I dont know your faces and only know a few

of your names, but youre the reason we do what we do at

Abide. And this book was written with you in mind. May

God add his blessing to each and every word you read.

And it should not go without saying that God is

my very present help in times of both trouble and

joy. This book is for him and because of him.

Stephanie Reeves

ABIDE WRITER AND CONTENT EDITOR

W hats causing you to not be able to rest today? Your finances? A loved ones health? Fear, anxiety, shame, loneliness? Each care can feel like a boulder set in a backpack heaped upon your shoulders, causing you to lie awake at night, unable to find rest for your body or your spirit. You may wonder if youll ever find a way out.

Maybe the lyrics to the famous Frozen song performed by Idina Menzel come readily to mind: Let it go!

Or maybe youve seen this pithy statement: Let go and let God.

So easy, right? Just let it go.

Unfortunately, its not so easy. Some of whats weighing us down and causing chaos digs barbs into our souls and refuses to release us, like those sticky little burrs that often cling to our pants when we walk through weeds.

Hebrews 12:1 encourages us, Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.

Throw off everything that hinders.

But doesnt it feel sometimes like youre wearing a straitjacket that you cant just take off? No matter how hard you try, your cares entrap you.

The good news is that God is not asking you to do any of this on your own.

Philippians 1:6 says, Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

And Jesus said in Matthew 11:29, 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.

Everything youve ever dealt with, every emotion youve ever felt, is covered in the Bible. Anger? Check. Loneliness? Check. Shame? Check. The list goes on and on. Jesus knows exactly how you feel. Thats why he wants you to spend time with him. And thats why we created the Abide app and wrote this book. We want to help you spend time with Jesus, learn from his gentleness and humbleness, and find rest for your soul.