Isaiah 42:3 A bruised reed He will not break, And smoking flax He will not quench; He will bring forth justice for truth.
Dear Suzanne, Rebecca, Anna and Mikayla,
Before I came to Jesus I never really thought too much about what He was like. If I thought of Him at all, I would picture the very large cross that was in front of the church at the Catholic church where I grew up. As I draw closer to Him, however, I see all of my life through Him. He is my starting point for everything I see and hear.
I can remember reading this verse 10 or 15 years ago and really not knowing quite what to make of it. But over the years as I abided in Him...as I beheld Him...I began to catch glimpses of who He is and as I did what I saw made me fall down (metaphorically speaking) in worship. Truly there is none like Him. His love is amazing, His mercies never fail, His ways past finding out, and His faithfulness reaches to the heavens.
"A bruised reed He will not break." Reeds are pretty fragile...they are hollow tubes and bend, break and crush pretty easily. This is how we are before we come to Christ...beaten down and crushed by the world and our sins. Hollow inside...empty. Jesus longs for you to come to Him when the burdens of the world become crushing, when the hollowness and emptiness of our lives scream for something to fill it. Jesus is the only remedy for that emptiness. He will not break you or destroy you...He wants to heal you. He wants to make your crooked places straight and lift the burden from your shoulders. As a non believer you really can't understand this, because faith is the access to the grace and mercy that is in Christ. When we do cry out, however, we begin to understand that the only life living is one lived in Him and for Him.
"And smoking flax He will not quench." This is a reference to the last piece of wick in an oil lamp. It is the piece you just want to throw out and replace. The one that you don't want to bother with. It is still smoking a bit...kinda just making things stink rather than giving any light. In fact the smoke gets in the way of your vision. The oil is gone as is the light. The natural reaction to that would be to snuff it out and put it out of its misery...just like the natural thing to do with a bent reed is to throw it into a fire to be burned. When you come to Jesus with your "smoking flax" He does not snuff it out...He blows on it...fans the flame and pours oil into your lamp and makes your flame bright again. He does this for me every morning as I study His word. He is not a threat to those who come to Him...He wants to help and heal.
The Lord is near to those who have a broken heart, and saves such as have a contrite spirit. Matthew 11 gives us the the only autobiographical statement Jesus ever made.
Matthew 11:28-30 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."
Come to Him now if you never have before...bring Him your burden. If you know Him, draw near to Him now...draw near to Him daily...immerse yourself in His word. Jesus came to heal the broken hearted and set the captives free.
Love
Mom
Showing posts with label Matt 11:28-30. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Matt 11:28-30. Show all posts
Sunday, February 6, 2011
Friday, December 10, 2010
Yokes - Jeremiah 27 - 28
Dear Suzanne, Rebecca, Anna and Mikayla,
God once again is asking Jeremiah to do something that is definitely going to make him stand out among the people of Judah. I am pretty sure that everyone in the surrounding area and nations are getting to know this "strange man of God."
This time God told him to put a yoke around his neck to convey the message that Judah and the other nations around her needed to submit and surrender to the "yoke" of Babylon. Jeremiah delivers this same message to the ambassadors from other nations who had come to form an alliance, to King Zedekiah and also to the priests and the people. He told them that the Lord had given all the nations into the hand of his servant, King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon and would serve him. If they refused to submit to the king of Babylon's yoke they would die. If they accepted the yoke, they would live. The false prophets were giving Israel hope, but Jeremiah told the truth.
Jeremiah was telling the people to surrender and live. Surrender and live! Take His yoke and live...because make no mistake we are all in bondage in many ways. Be in bondage to the One who can bring blessing from bondage. Be yoked with the One who does not want us to bear it alone. Be yoked with the One who gives sufficient grace for every time of need. All other kinds of yokes and bondage bring death. Life is full of grief, sadness, depression, discouragement, betrayal, illness and death. It is wearying. Jesus said this In Matthew 11:28-30.
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
Go to Him, Jesus, and find rest. Take His offer and find rest. Take his yoke...walk with Him daily and learn from Him. Behold Him. Put aside your own ways for His. Allow Him to show you how to live...His commandments are not burdensome...they are for our good and His glory. We can trust Him. He loved us so much that He gave His life for us. He gives us life abundantly here and in eternity.
Girls, what is most taxing...most wearying in my life is me, myself and I. What Pastor Lloyd calls the "trinity of stupidity." It is what causes the majority of my problems. God wants to take that burden from us...He wants us to take off the yoke of self and put on His Son, Jesus. Know that the Lord wants to take from you only those things that cause you unrest and weariness or keep you from drawing close to Him. Remember that when you find yourself in a battle with God. I love what J.H. Jowett says:
"The fatal mistake for the believer is to seek to bear life's load in a single collar. God never intended a man to carry his burden alone. Christ therefore deals only in yokes! A yoke is a neck harness for two, and the Lord himself pleads to be One of the two. He wants to share the labor of any galling task. The secret of peace and victory in the Christian life is found in putting off the taxing collar of “self” and accepting the Master's relaxing “yoke.” "
Love
Mom
God once again is asking Jeremiah to do something that is definitely going to make him stand out among the people of Judah. I am pretty sure that everyone in the surrounding area and nations are getting to know this "strange man of God."
This time God told him to put a yoke around his neck to convey the message that Judah and the other nations around her needed to submit and surrender to the "yoke" of Babylon. Jeremiah delivers this same message to the ambassadors from other nations who had come to form an alliance, to King Zedekiah and also to the priests and the people. He told them that the Lord had given all the nations into the hand of his servant, King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon and would serve him. If they refused to submit to the king of Babylon's yoke they would die. If they accepted the yoke, they would live. The false prophets were giving Israel hope, but Jeremiah told the truth.
Jeremiah was telling the people to surrender and live. Surrender and live! Take His yoke and live...because make no mistake we are all in bondage in many ways. Be in bondage to the One who can bring blessing from bondage. Be yoked with the One who does not want us to bear it alone. Be yoked with the One who gives sufficient grace for every time of need. All other kinds of yokes and bondage bring death. Life is full of grief, sadness, depression, discouragement, betrayal, illness and death. It is wearying. Jesus said this In Matthew 11:28-30.
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
Go to Him, Jesus, and find rest. Take His offer and find rest. Take his yoke...walk with Him daily and learn from Him. Behold Him. Put aside your own ways for His. Allow Him to show you how to live...His commandments are not burdensome...they are for our good and His glory. We can trust Him. He loved us so much that He gave His life for us. He gives us life abundantly here and in eternity.
Girls, what is most taxing...most wearying in my life is me, myself and I. What Pastor Lloyd calls the "trinity of stupidity." It is what causes the majority of my problems. God wants to take that burden from us...He wants us to take off the yoke of self and put on His Son, Jesus. Know that the Lord wants to take from you only those things that cause you unrest and weariness or keep you from drawing close to Him. Remember that when you find yourself in a battle with God. I love what J.H. Jowett says:
"The fatal mistake for the believer is to seek to bear life's load in a single collar. God never intended a man to carry his burden alone. Christ therefore deals only in yokes! A yoke is a neck harness for two, and the Lord himself pleads to be One of the two. He wants to share the labor of any galling task. The secret of peace and victory in the Christian life is found in putting off the taxing collar of “self” and accepting the Master's relaxing “yoke.” "
Love
Mom
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Legacies and Epitaphs...John 17
John 17:4 "...I have finished the work which You have given Me to do."
Dear Suzanne, Rebecca, Anna and Mikayla:
I am going through John 17 for the bible study Mary is doing at church and am being so blessed. I started reading the chapter this morning and got only to verse 4. "I have finished the work which You have given Me to do"...I want you to ask yourself two questions. The first is whose work are you doing? The second is a bit morbid but always something to consider. If you only had a short time left to live, would you be able to say I have finished the work...would you hear well done good and faithful servant? Would you be okay with the legacy you would leave behind...with the epitaph that might be appropriate for your headstone? I know i threw some extra questions in there at the end but they were just to clarify the original thought. : D
Let's look at the first one...whose work are you doing. Jesus never did or said anything outside of the Father's will. (John 8:28-29) He did not follow the clamor of the crowd but followed in the direction the Father pointed. He spent time with the Father and knew His heart. I see so many people running around doing "stuff" from morning til night never really stopping to consider...is it necessary and most importantly is it what the Lord wants for me or for my family. Girls, spend your time doing the work that He has prepared beforehand for you to walk in. (Ephesians 2:10) That is so important for us to remember. People will pile on heavy burdens...their expectations are high. Worrying about what they think will give you ulcers, headaches and all kinds of physical and emotional ailments. You might also pile heavy burdens on yourself. Don't do this. Instead, make a practice of evaluating all you do in the light of eternity. Let Him direct you morning by morning...He is the One to please...for "you died and your life is hidden with Christ in God." Keep your eyes on the prize...the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Set your mind on things above. As always, Jesus is not trying to make your life difficult. He is showing you the right way...as a mother would show a child the correct way to do something....He wants to ease your burdens not add to them...He knows you are but dust...Matt 11:28-30 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.
The next question...have you finished the work? Do you have anything left undone? Any sin that has got the best of you that you have not been ruthless with...any unforgiveness...any thing that the Lord has told you to do that you have left undone...thinking you will get to it another time. I think it was Amy Carmichael who said that the moment is the window to eternity. I have always loved that quote. It never fails to make me stop short and remember that yesterday is gone and tomorrow is not yet here and life does not come with a guarantee...glorify Him then moment by moment!
Girls, there is really only one thing necessary and that is to sit at His feet and learn from Him...and when you do that you will be seeking first the kingdom of heaven and all else will be added to you...you will be clinging to the vine and fruit will be borne over time. He will do the work...your job is really just to cling and learn from Him. One of you is already a Mom and as a Mom you will all hopefully ask yourself things like, what legacy am I leaving behind for my husband, my children? Am I/Did I point them to Jesus? Did I "manifest" or illustrate Him in my life? It is the only legacy you need leave...if you have pointed them...your precious gifts from God...to Him...if the Lord is their Shepherd they truly have everything they need.
Love
Mom
Numbers 6:24-26 “The LORD bless you and keep you; The LORD make His face shine upon you, And be gracious to you; The LORD lift up His countenance upon you, And give you peace.”’
Dear Suzanne, Rebecca, Anna and Mikayla:
I am going through John 17 for the bible study Mary is doing at church and am being so blessed. I started reading the chapter this morning and got only to verse 4. "I have finished the work which You have given Me to do"...I want you to ask yourself two questions. The first is whose work are you doing? The second is a bit morbid but always something to consider. If you only had a short time left to live, would you be able to say I have finished the work...would you hear well done good and faithful servant? Would you be okay with the legacy you would leave behind...with the epitaph that might be appropriate for your headstone? I know i threw some extra questions in there at the end but they were just to clarify the original thought. : D
Let's look at the first one...whose work are you doing. Jesus never did or said anything outside of the Father's will. (John 8:28-29) He did not follow the clamor of the crowd but followed in the direction the Father pointed. He spent time with the Father and knew His heart. I see so many people running around doing "stuff" from morning til night never really stopping to consider...is it necessary and most importantly is it what the Lord wants for me or for my family. Girls, spend your time doing the work that He has prepared beforehand for you to walk in. (Ephesians 2:10) That is so important for us to remember. People will pile on heavy burdens...their expectations are high. Worrying about what they think will give you ulcers, headaches and all kinds of physical and emotional ailments. You might also pile heavy burdens on yourself. Don't do this. Instead, make a practice of evaluating all you do in the light of eternity. Let Him direct you morning by morning...He is the One to please...for "you died and your life is hidden with Christ in God." Keep your eyes on the prize...the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Set your mind on things above. As always, Jesus is not trying to make your life difficult. He is showing you the right way...as a mother would show a child the correct way to do something....He wants to ease your burdens not add to them...He knows you are but dust...Matt 11:28-30 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.
The next question...have you finished the work? Do you have anything left undone? Any sin that has got the best of you that you have not been ruthless with...any unforgiveness...any thing that the Lord has told you to do that you have left undone...thinking you will get to it another time. I think it was Amy Carmichael who said that the moment is the window to eternity. I have always loved that quote. It never fails to make me stop short and remember that yesterday is gone and tomorrow is not yet here and life does not come with a guarantee...glorify Him then moment by moment!
Girls, there is really only one thing necessary and that is to sit at His feet and learn from Him...and when you do that you will be seeking first the kingdom of heaven and all else will be added to you...you will be clinging to the vine and fruit will be borne over time. He will do the work...your job is really just to cling and learn from Him. One of you is already a Mom and as a Mom you will all hopefully ask yourself things like, what legacy am I leaving behind for my husband, my children? Am I/Did I point them to Jesus? Did I "manifest" or illustrate Him in my life? It is the only legacy you need leave...if you have pointed them...your precious gifts from God...to Him...if the Lord is their Shepherd they truly have everything they need.
Love
Mom
Numbers 6:24-26 “The LORD bless you and keep you; The LORD make His face shine upon you, And be gracious to you; The LORD lift up His countenance upon you, And give you peace.”’
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