Matthew 11 - 8.7.24
Scripture
Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” (Matthew 11:28-30, NKJV).
Observation
We hear Jesus’s comforting invitation “come to me, you who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest”. When we come to Him, we receive rest. Jesus further invites us to partner with Him, and to take his yoke upon us. I remember seeing farmers in India use oxen to plough rice fields, when I was very young. A yoke is a piece of wood designed to put over the neck of two animals, so that they go in the same direction pulling the plough and accomplish what they are supposed to do. The yoke keeps the two animals together, distributing the weight of the plough equally between them and making them go in the same direction to till the field. Without the yoke, the animals will go in different directions and the field does not get tilled. Nowadays you no longer see the ox and the yoke, as they have been replaced by tractors.
Jesus is inviting us to give Him our burdens and in exchange take his yoke on our shoulders. He assures us that his yoke is easy and his burden is light. Jesus is always with us, and he cares for us. His word asks us to cast our worries and burdens on Him because he cares for us (1 Peter 5:7). He has promised to be with us at every step. He has promised to hold our hand always and help us (Isaiah:41:13). He has promised to direct our steps. When we take His yoke on us, one side of the yoke is on our shoulders, but the other side of the yoke is on His shoulders. When we take his yoke on our shoulders and follow His lead, we learn from Him. He is gentle and humble in heart. (Matt:11:29). His yoke is not like the world’s yoke which crushes. His yoke is easy and His burden is light.
Application
All of us labor in the fields that God has planted us, and at times life gets overwhelming. When I feel overwhelmed, I remember this verse, “come to me you who labor and are heavy-laden, I will give you rest”. Instead of going to the world’s avenues of entertainment for rest, let's go to the feet of Jesus for rest. Only in His presence is true rest. When worry hits, let's take all the anxiety and worries to Him in prayer. Once you give it to Him, leave it with Him and receive his rest in exchange, knowing that He will take care of it. He has created each one of us with a unique purpose and calling. We can accomplish His purpose in our life, only by partnering with Him, by taking His yoke on us. Let us give our desires and plans to Him in prayer, and ask Him to direct our steps. He will direct our steps and show us where to turn at every step, and every crossroad, and in the million decisions we need to take in a day. He has promised to direct our steps when we trust in the Lord with all our heart, lean not on our own understanding and acknowledge Him in all our ways (Prov 3:5-6).
Prayer
Father, I thank you for loving me. I thank you God for daily bearing my burdens (Psalms 68:19-20). Thank you Jesus for calling me to you, so that I find rest for my soul. I want to take your yoke upon me and follow your lead and learn from you as I go through life. Show me how to do that everyday. Help me to bring all my anxieties to you and cast it at your feet, and receive your peace in exchange. Help me to prioritize my time with you everyday above everything else in life. Help me to love you with all my heart, all my soul, and all my strength (Deut: 6:5). Make my life a living sacrifice holy and acceptable to you (Romans 12:1). In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.
- Asha Chacko George
Matthew 10 - 8.6.24
SCRIPTURE: Matthew 10:1 "Jesus called His twelve disciples to Him and gave them authority to drive out impure spirits and to heal every disease and sickness."
OBSERVATION: From the hundreds of people who followed Jesus, He called twelve to be His apostles. Apostle means messenger or authorized representative. Jesus didn't choose them because of their faith, talents or abilities, and they didn't have any more leadership potential than those who weren't chosen. The one characteristic they all shared was their willingness to follow and obey Jesus.
After Jesus' rose from the dead and ascended to heaven, they were all filled with the Holy Spirit Who empowered them to carry out special roles in the growth of the early church. (Footnotes from Mark 3:14 NIV).
APPLICATION: God calls us to faith in Jesus. To those who say yes to following Jesus, God gives us authority in Jesus' name to serve and minister in His power and His love. Being called by God is the highest calling anyone can receive, and the rewards and blessings are endless! But... there is a cost for following Jesus. Just like the disciples experienced hardships and opposition from the government and their family and friends, we will too! As our society gets further and further away from God, we have the responsibility as Christ followers to pray that the Word of the Lord spreads rapidly and will be held in honor, and be glorified. We are the body of Christ, and when Jesus rose from the dead, He transferred His authority on earth to His body, the Church. We are His heir, and everything that is His, including His authority belongs to us. When adversity arises, we are able to use our authority in Jesus' name by speaking out His Word, and God's Word is backed by all the power in heaven! And His Word NEVER returns void! "...So is My Word that goes out from My mouth: It will not return to Me empty, but it will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it." (Isaiah 55:11).
PRAYER: Lord, just like You called and gave authority to Your disciples, You have called and given us the same authority in Jesus' name. We are living in a very dark time in history, but thank You that we don't have to fear because You are with us, and You have given us power over the enemy that is backed by all Your power! Help us always to remember to use the power, the strength, and the authority that You have given us in Jesus' name.
- Robin Orefice
Psalm 18 - 8.5.24
Scripture
Psalms 18:20-21 NLT
“The Lord rewarded me for doing right; he restored me because of my innocence. For I have kept the ways of the Lord; I have not turned from my God to follow evil.”
Observation
This is a psalm of David. He sang this song to the LORD on the day the LORD rescued him from Saul, and all of his enemies. It’s a testament of God’s faithfulness to David, and David’s faithfulness to God. Even during life’s struggles, David didn’t blame God. Instead he remained faithful to keep God’s ways, and God blessed him and rescued him from his enemies.
Application
What kind of person will I be when times get tough? 🤔
It’s a great question to ask ourselves. Are we the type to fold under pressure? Or is that the time we dig deep, stand firm on our beliefs, and fight on!
We’ve all been through tough times in life. We’ve all felt the pressure, the stress, and may have even felt like the world was going to cave in on us. Now if you haven’t experienced these things yet, I’m happy for you. But trust me, it will eventually happen at some point in all our lives. But the question is, how will we handle those situations when they arise? Will we go off the deep end and “go postal” on the world? I sure hope not! Will we unleash our tongues and speak words of vulgarity and slander? Will we turn to substances to try to forget about our problems? 🤔 Or will we be like David, turning to God, and crying out for His Help? You see, there is a reason why David has the reputation, and is known as the man after God’s own heart. Because David, even though he was going through tough times in life, was faithful to the LORD, trusting in God’s goodness and faithfulness. David loved God with all his heart. He did his best to keep God’s ways. And even when David did mess up, (which he did later in life), he was repentant from his sinful ways, and turned back to God. And it was this type of relationship David had with God…complete trust, and complete submission, that pleased God. God in return blessed David, and rescued him from all his enemies.-(Read Psalms 23)
So knowing life won’t always be “peachy clean” for me, and knowing troubles will sometimes find my way, I want to remember David here. How he didn’t shake his fist at God and blame him for the troubles he was experiencing. Instead, David chose to seek and trust God. He asked God for help. He made sure to continue to honor God by keeping God’s ways. When God delivered him from his troubles, he chose to give God all the glory and honor by singing songs of praise and worship!
Prayer
Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for Your goodness and faithfulness. Please forgive me whenever I go off the “deep end” in life whenever troubles come my way. Forgive me whenever I let my frustration and anger turn into sinful behavior. Forgive me for those words that may slip from my mouth or even run through my mind. Help me to remember to turn to You first, for Your guidance, help, and strength. Help me to fight the good fight so that I may always keep Your ways. In Jesus name I pray, Amen. 🙏🏽
-Moses Gaddi