In Matthew 11:28-29 I read, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 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." (NIV)
Learning to be gentle is so important for a follower of Christ. Gentleness defuses conflict. It disarms critics. It’s persuasive. It’s attractive. It communicates love.
Most importantly, gentleness makes me more like Jesus. Matthew 11:28-29 says, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 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” (NIV).
Does this mean that the stress and pressure I’m feeling in life are a cause of not being gentle? Yes. Because the Bible says that the more Christ-like I become, the more gentle I be and the more at rest I will be.
To be at peace and be like Jesus, doesn’t mean I can’t just walk out my door and force myself to be gentle. I can’t manufacture it, because inside I’m still going to be under stress. It’s got to be an “inside” job. It has to be the fruit of God’s Spirit inside me.
So whatever burden I’m carrying, there is an answer to my stress. Jesus wants me to take his yoke. This means he’s going to bear my burdens with me.
And when I let Jesus share my burden, I will walk with him in a close relationship. I will learn how to be gentler and humbler. He will exchange my stress and pressure for his rest and peace.
In summary, Jesus tells me when I’m weary and burdened, to come to him and he will give me rest. I’m to take his yoke and learn from Him. For He is gentle and humble in heart, and I will find rest. Learning to be gentle is so important. Gentleness defuses conflict. It disarms critics. It’s persuasive. It’s attractive. It communicates love. And gentleness makes me more like Jesus. Does this mean that the stress and pressure I’m feeling in life are a cause of not being gentle? Yes. Because the Bible says that the more Christ-like I become, the more gentle and at rest I’ll will be. To be at peace and be like Jesus doesn’t mean I can’t just walk out my door and force myself to be gentle. I can’t manufacture it, because inside I’m still going to be under stress. It’s got to be an “inside” job. It has to be the fruit of God’s Spirit within me. So whatever burden I’m carrying, there is an answer to my stress. Jesus wants me to take his yoke. This means he’s going to bear my burdens with me. And when I let Jesus share my burden, I will walk with him in a close relationship. I will learn how to be gentler and humbler. He will exchange my stress and pressure for his rest and peace.
A yoke helps reduce the load, as the load is shared. Jesus frees me from my burdens. The rest that Jesus promises is love, healing, and peace with God, not the actual end of all labor. A relationship with God changes meaningless, wearisome toil into spiritual productivity and purpose. Jesus doesn't offer a life of luxurious ease. The yoke is still a tool for working hard. But it's a shared yoke, with weight falling on bigger shoulders than mine. Someone with more pulling power is up front helping. Suddenly I am participating in life's responsibilities with a great Partner.
Father, thank you for Your Word and Jesus as my savior and example. You want me and I need you in my life. Please give me Your strength for today and remind me in little ways that I can always believe in, have faith in and can trust you in everything. This includes being the authority for my life, the source of my self-worth and my hope for the future. You have my best interests in mind. So I ask you to help me to embrace the way you’ve made me; my gifting and passions. Help me to serve and fulfill the mission you have in mind for me.
Today, I ask you for wisdom and guidance for my day, my work, my leadership, my interactions with others, doing well and making a difference in others lives (including my job.) I pray all these things through you Son Jesus’ name, Amen.
0 comments:
Post a Comment