Do You Experience the Gentle Voice of Rest and Feel the Easy Yoke of Jesus?
Good Morning Friends,
Today’s devotional and scripture echoes back to Deuteronomy 25:4… “Thou shall not muzzle the ox.” The message here, for us who work, is that if we live in trust and obedience we can be successful in the eyes of God….We can have a voice. Today’s scripture in Matthew takes it one step further presenting an even better way. Here we are freed to come to Jesus, freed from even the heavy burden of the law and religion, freed to be motivated and respond with our full effort when He uses the voice of a friend… the voice of a caring teacher…the voice of His loving Father…Do You Experience the Gentle Voice of Rest and Feel the Easy Yoke of Jesus?
Scripture: He said, ‘Go out and stand on the mountain before the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.’ Now there was a great wind, so strong that it was splitting mountains and breaking rocks in pieces before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake; and after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire a sound of sheer silence. When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. Then there came a voice to him that said, ‘What are you doing here, Elijah?’
1 Kings 19:11-13 (NRSV)
‘Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, 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. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.’
Matthew 11:28-30 (NRSV)
Stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.
1 Corinthians 15:58 (NIV)
Message: We live in a tense, uptight and fast paced world and may also face a heavy burden of work and faith and family as well. Indeed we may feel a heavy burden to produce at all costs. The combined affect can be very unpleasant if priorities are out of order. That the CDC has come out with a report that we are not getting enough sleep and that the effect is unhealthy is relevant to the issue. WE need the silence of sleep. So today we build on that thought as we explore scripture about finding rest in the Lord…rest not found in the church… rest not found in work or family but rest found in relationship with Him who experiences the Father. Instead of working to find rest we can work out of the rest we find in Jesus. We can find in Christ because through Him we are completely forgiven… absolutely accepted and totally loved. So each day we put on the yoke of His friendship…each day we respond to His gentle nudges…each day we grow more mature in the faith and we realize that the real work has already been done… we just need to join Jesus in the joy of His purpose. So you got stress? Do you have too much to do and too little time? Get your priorities in order and there will be time for everything that is needed. Understand that our purpose is to glorify the Lord and part of that is enjoying the creation He has made for us. Jesus made it clear. Our lives and souls matter. When we put our relationship with God first, then our family, then our work, then our time of serving it all can fit like an easy yoke. God never intended for man to carry life’s burdens alone. Jesus gave the weary and stressed out three commands: to come to Him…to take His yoke and to learn from Him. He personally invites us to come and see….to come and drink….to come and eat…to come and work….to come and be changed…to come and be transformed in His blessing. Friends, find rest in the gentle and humble gift of Jesus…become a new creation. Get a good night’s sleep and awake to a new dawn. Then discover how to find spiritual rest a prescription for weariness in the first place. Friends when we come to Jesus, we receive not just the promise of rest, but a yoke to make the load lighter…a relationship of stability and growth. When we are too tired, He gives us rest. When we feel unloved, He loves us.
Pray that our priorities are in order. Pray that our yoke is connected to Jesus. Pray that we work with Jesus for His purpose and glory….that we rest in His Sabbath each day. Pray that we give up our way of self, for His yoke and His way. Pray that we would be connected to Jesus…to follow His lead and complement His power, as we learn to cooperate in His work and find rest when His strength is combined with our obedience. Pray that we find rest in a relationship with Jesus.
Pray that our yoke is a place of purposeful labor. Pray that our yoke is a place of learning. Pray that our yoke is a place of patience, humility, trust and love. Pray that our yoke is a place of rejoicing in discipleship. Pray that when we are tired and weary we open the door to God’s presence.
Pray we realize that some of us are discouraged and weary….tired of caring. Pray that when we face discouragement and the lack of commitment of others we know that some want to be doing more than they feel they are doing. Pray God never grows tired of us. Pray we get a good rest and awake to the Lord.
Blessings,
John Lawson
Daily Devotionals 