Back To School

Scripture
Matthew 11:28-30

²⁸"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. ²⁹Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. ³⁰For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."

Observation
A very familiar piece of scripture. I have heard it preached and taught on about casting my burdens on the Lord, that I will find rest and that following Christ will not be like a huge yoke around my neck, like that on an oxen. But there is something else that Jesus says right in the middle that I have never seen or heard talked about........"LEARN FROM ME".

Application
So I have to ask the question straight up! What have I learned from Christ? Have I learned how to love more compassionately, how to forgive quicker, how to pray for people, how to give Glory to the Father, or have I not been the type of student I need to be to Learn from the Creator of the Universe? Am I too busy to study( what types of grades do students who don't study get?), do I think that I am doing pretty well myself....don't need much help-been doing this for a while so no need for me to learn anything new?

Where am I in Learning From Christ? Where are you? Upon examination I know this, I want to stay in the classroom and Learn From Christ every day of my life and if I do that, Christ tells me that "I will find rest for my soul".

Prayer
Father, Thank you that you are constantly looking out for me. You don't want me to be burdened by that cares of this world, you want my life to be full and abundant. But you have not just given that to me on a silver platter. Christ told me to learn from Him. Help me Father to be the student who is attentive, talkative, asking questions and a Big, Big listener as I learn all things from You. Amen.

The Christian Attitude..Be Shrewd Like a Snake

Scripture

Matthew 10:16 Therefore be as shrewd as snakes, and as innocent as doves.
Matthew 10:34 Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword.
Matthew 10:19 Do not worry.......

Observation
Christians. We are supposed to be nice and forgiving, passionate, loving, sincere, etc. I am reminded by Christ that there would be times where I will need to be shrewd like a snake, because I am living among wolves. The World and the Kingdom of God are in a battle. God is the Victor, but there is a battle raging. In Peter, he is inspired to write that as Christ came to this earth, it was an "invasion" into this world. Jesus came to fight for us, to invade enemy territory and Jesus tells me that in verse 34. He did not come to bring peace, but he came to fight for my life.

Application
Where does that leave me, What am I supposed to do today....be rude to people and treat them with a sharp, piercing attitude? No. The Bible is alerting me that the World is not peaches and cream. There are going to be battles and tussles along the way. How do I over come those? From what Christ is saying I can apply this:

1. Jesus came with a sword and God has armed me with His armor, you don't need armor is you are not going into battle.
2. Be shrewd in the battle, but act in love (as innocent as doves)
3. Don't worry about "what is going to happen", Christ commanded me not to worry...WHY..Because The Holy Spirit will speak through me.

So I can battle my way through life and "probably" be perceived as rude, angry, unloving because I am just fighting things my way, or I can walk today knowing there is a fight but that God has given me the armor( Ephesians 6) and the attitude(Matthew 10:16) to take on whatever is coming. I'm ready.

Prayer
Father, You have not left me unprepared. You have instructed me that there was going to be a fight, how you want me to approach the fight and given me all the tools needed to take the fight. Thank You for giving me all I need. Amen.

What Am or Was I Thinking?

Scripture

Matthew 9:1-4 Jesus stepped into a boat, crossed over and came to his own town. ²Some men brought to him a paralytic, lying on a mat. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, "Take heart, son; your sins are forgiven."

³At this, some of the teachers of the law said to themselves, "This fellow is blaspheming!"

⁴Knowing their thoughts, Jesus said, "Why do you entertain evil thoughts in your hearts?

Observation
Jesus has been healing people on both sides of the lake. The Religious men of the day did not like what Jesus said to the paralytic....that his sins were forgiven. Jesus did not hear them say this, but he knew their thoughts. Then he asked some rather direct questions of "these religious men". Why their hearts are evil, but on the outside they are "very religious, maybe what we would call today "Do Gooders".

Application
The question today is am I the same as the religious men? Do I look good on the outside but think evil thoughts in my heart? Evil seems like a strong word so what does that word mean. A few definitions are anger, irritability, immoral, harmful, mischief, misfortune, bad. Yep, I've thought that way. Angry about something that seems unfair to me, thinking about how I could speed up and cut that person off like they just did to me, irritable because of.....life and stuff. That is NOT the way Jesus wants me to live. Romans 12:1-2 tells me to offer my body as a living sacrifice to God, to have mind renewed by transforming the way I think and act. How is that going to happen? Exactly the way it says. I have to offer myself up to the the Father and His ways and live a pleasing life to God. Doing that will transform the way I think. Is this being a "Do-Gooder"? No, far from it. A Do-Gooder is doing things because he thinks he is supposed to be good, ie.."I just want to be a good person". But rather if I transform my mind so I think more in line with God and His Ways, then I will "do things" (whatever they are) so there is Glory given to the Father. Jesus healed to give glory to His Father, not to heap praise on himself, that is why he told people not to go around telling everyone what had just happened, BUT rather to go to the temple and give praise to God for the miracle.

So what will I be thinking about today? Because Jesus knows my thoughts, so will my thoughts bring glory to his name and kingdom, or will they be evil in nature?

Prayer
Father, You have told me that if I offer myself to you as a walking, working, living sacrifice to you wanting to please you, that that would transform and renew my mind. You know my thoughts, and I want them to display your good, pleasing and perfect will through me, instead of any evil, worthless thoughts which only shows my sin. Thank you that you care enough for me to walk with me and change me. Amen.

What Do I Believe In Today?

Scripture
Matthew 8:13 Then Jesus said to the centurion, "Go! It will be done just as you believed it would". And his servant was healed at that very hour.

Observation
Jesus has just been approached by a centurion leader who had a sick servant, and Jesus said he would "go and heal him". But the centurion told Jesus that he knew the power of Jesus's words as he was a man of authority and that his men HAD to do what he said, and that he believed that if Jesus would just say the healing word, that the servant would be healed. Jesus recognized he strong belief, agreed with him and it was done. Jesus also used this moment as a teaching moment to demonstrate that many people will come to the table of Abraham, Issac and Jacob but in the end be thrown out into darkness because they did not really believe.

Application
So what does this mean for me? It means that through the FAITH that GOD gave me, I am capable of believing for things and Jesus honoring that belief. God is the same yesterday, today and forever so the things demonstrated in the Bible are for me today. So what should I believe for today, like the centurion? Should it be a bigger this or that, will it be something that helps me, or do I follow what the Bible says and NOT be BUILD more barns to hold "my own stuff". So today the application is for me to believe for God to work in me, through me to display HIS Glory to a hard-hearted, stuff necked generation. So today I believe that God is watching out for me, for my good, to walk in his plan so there will be glory given to him. How will that work out? It's going to be GREAT! ( As Tony the Tiger would say about Frosted Flakes)

Prayer
Father, You have given me the faith to believe for things. Thank you for such a wonderful gift. I pray that my belief's would display your ways. That the things I believe in and for, would not bring any recognition to me, but to show how greatly you care for me. Amen.