Liz’s Morning Devotional: Scripture selected from Upper Room
May 22, 2023
Matthew 11:28-30
28 “Come to me, all you who are struggling hard and carrying heavy loads, and I will give you rest. 29 Put on my yoke, and learn from me. I’m gentle and humble. And you will find rest for yourselves. 30 My yoke is easy to bear, and my burden is light.”
Good Morning; Christ invites us to find rest in him!
God created us and continues to bless us. In James 1:17, we read, Everything good comes from God. Every perfect gift is from him. These good gifts come down from the Father, who made all the lights in the sky. But God never changes like the shadows from those lights. He is always the same.
Do you remember playing with shadows? When children discover shadows, they can entertain themselves for hours as they find ways to change their shadows. God gives us good and perfect gifts. We accept and receive these gifts, but like kids playing with shadows, we sometimes manipulate those perfect gifts into other things. We take the gift of humble leadership and infuse the earthly values of pride and status. Even when we accept our gifts graciously, we secretly envy the gifts of others.
Jesus came to teach us new ways. 29 Put on my yoke, and learn from me. I’m gentle and humble. And you will find rest for yourselves.
How often do we find ourselves exhausted and stressed out from everyday life? Several times over the last couple of weeks, our scripture passages have included the words gentle or gentleness. When we feel stress and anxiety building, perhaps this is a good time to actively practice being gentle. Focus on your shoulders as we try this exercise.
You are about to enter a room; prepare yourself to enter forcefully to take control of an out-of-control situation. How do your shoulders feel? Tense, tight, weighed down?
Now reset and prepare to enter that same room with a mindset of gentleness and humbleness. How do your shoulders feel now? Is there stress?
We fight a bit of a battle in this understanding because, by earthly standards, gentleness is viewed as a weakness. How can I possibly take charge of the chaos without being loud and overbearing? Let me share one of those teacher “tricks” that I learned over the years. One of the most effective ways to get the attention of a noisy crowd is to start speaking quietly (gently). It might take a little time, but gradually the noise subsides as people start to listen.
We can charge through our lives like a bull in a china shop and fight stress and anxiety, or we can gently but purposefully stroll and allow goodness and gentleness to slowly permeate our spaces and our being.
28 “Come to me, all you who are struggling hard and carrying heavy loads, and I will give you rest. 29 Put on my yoke, and learn from me. I’m gentle and humble. And you will find rest for yourselves. 30 My yoke is easy to bear, and my burden is light.”
Gracious God, We thank you for Your blessings. We manage to mess up the gifts You graciously share with us. Help us to see and accept the ways of Jesus! We want the peace that comes through Christ. Thank You! In the name of Christ, we pray. Amen
Thought for the day: Jesus came to teach us a new way. Embrace his teachings and find peace!
Christ is always by our side! Pastor Liz
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