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Go ahead and look first at Matthew 11 . See how God speaks to you individually. Then come back, if you wish, and see what God has put in my mind/heart.

Key Verse(s): Matthew 11:28-30

"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. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."

Title: Rest for the Wicked, Refreshment for the Weary

Observation: This chapter talks a lot about how out of step the culture Jesus lived in was from God’s plans and purposes. They did not understand who Jesus was, and they missed understanding the great truths that Jesus was teaching.

Tonight we have one of his teachings that I would love to take as simple and at face value, but it runs squarely against the reality in which I live. My experience in serving God has been more frantic the refreshing, more about difficult than easy. This pacific image, the quiet stillness I hear hidden in these lines, is far from truth of most of my days.

And yet, the truth is that I bring the element of panic to my relationship with Jesus, not Him. I do not think I remember a time when Jesus told me to hurry, yet I am constantly hurrying. Far more often, I have heard Jesus telling me about his love for me and the centrality of that love relationship when I am off to complete another project for him. The Mary heart in the Martha world is the shorthand, and yet it often feels like the Martha’s have the weight of experiential success on their side.

Still, if God’s words says one thing and my experience says another, I know enough about the Word of God being God’s truth that I must accommodate myself to the truth of scripture rather than try to make it say what I want it to. IF the equation between me and God is not turning out correctly, experience has taught me that the fault lies in my actions or understanding of God’s word, not the fallibility of God’s infallible words.

Application: I need to adjust my reality to the ultimate reality of Christ. I think that God is calling me to understand Him as savior, and not try to be God and save others. I need to understand my limitations as a human being and accept that I’m never “gonna be as big as Jesus”. I think part of the truth is that I’d like to be people’s savior, but intellectually I know that I am far too limited, that Jesus is God’s unique son. I need to seek to be content to be God’s child rather than be a poor, damaged imitation of a hero. God’s strength is perfect in my weakness. T.O. (my antihero) much of me brings in too much impurity.

Prayer: Jesus, help me to trust you to do the work that you promised to do. Show me when I try to manage the Holy Spirit rather than being a joyful cheerleader of God’s power and goodness. Help me to teach others of you goodness, faith, and love.

In Jesus Name,
Amen.

# posted by Matt Real @ 10:21 PM