Today’s Scripture Passage:
Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.” Matthew 11:28-30 (NLT)
Yes, this is the same Scripture passage we used last week. We’re going to camp here for a while. Why? There’s a lot of meat to chew in these three verses, so let’s slow down, take little bites, and chew each one well before swallowing.
Last week we looked at, “Let me teach you,” and I’ve spent this week asking why I needed Him to point this out to me. He knows I read His word every day.
I’m glad He answered, but I didn’t like the answer. Turns out I’ve allowed myself to develop a bad habit.
Yes, I read my Bible, but somewhere along the way I let reading His word become more about gaining Bible knowledge than being with Jesus.
I let myself forget reading God’s word is only the starting point for spending my day with Him.
Learning from Jesus is not about me reading my Bible. It’s about spending my days allowing Him to show me how to apply and practice what He tells me in His word.
Living the life He’s given me means being with Him and learning from Him. Being aware of Him throughout the entirety of my day, and imitating Him.
I think that’s why Jesus started His invitation with these words, “Come to Me.”
Jesus wants to be our Teacher, but we must come to Him first. It’s about more than Him imparting knowledge. It’s about us wanting to learn from Him. It’s about Him sharing His thoughts and ways with us and us spending our days practicing what He shares.
No one has ever learned to walk because their parents handed them a how-to manual or gave them a lecture on how to walk. In fact, that’s outright silliness!
So why would we think learning to walk with Jesus is only about reading our Bible and listening to others tell us what they learned from Jesus?
We learn to walk by watching others walk. We learn to walk by practicing what we see others doing when they walk. Mastery doesn’t come to us overnight, but with continual practice. We gradually move from being toddlers to walkers.
If we want to learn to live and walk like Jesus, we must spend our days with Jesus. We must practice being aware of Him and His ways and imitating Him. Only then, will we learn to live and walk like Jesus!
We practice our way to mastery.
Practice requires perseverance and patience.
BE AWARE!
Sometimes things happen and the pain creates unintentional compensation and even more pain. For example, my knee was injured several years ago. I went to the doctor and was told it would heal on it’s own. A year later it was not better; it was actually unbearably painful by that time.
Why am I telling you this? I spent months in physical therapy where I was taught how to walk…again! I had compensated for the pain in my right knee until the entire right side of my body was out of alignment. Can anyone say ouch?!
I had practiced walking incorrectly for over a year and my body had to be retrained. This has taught me something important. Even long time Jesus-followers can find themselves needing to learn how to walk…again. A hurt, a loss, anxiety, and disappointment can be a pain which leads to a compensation which leads to us being out of alignment in our walk with our Savior.
Let’s stop there. I’ll see you next week. We’re going to take a closer look at the people Jesus is talking to in these verses. Until then…
1-Take time to notice how aware you are of Jesus throughout the entirety of your day.
2-Honestly assess your walk with Jesus. Are you already a Jesus-follower? If not, He’s calling you to Come to Him. Are you are a Jesus-follower? If so, He’s calling you to Come to Him.
3-Ask Him to show you clearly what it is He wants you to see of Him and begin practicing. Don’t stop when you fall. He’s got you by the hand. Just keep practicing!
LORD, we’re so thankful to be citizens of Your Kingdom. We’re thank You for the privilege of being your representative in the foreign land we live in now. Help us to grow in our relationship with You, so we will represent You well. Give us compassion and courage and teach us to love those around us as You love them. We want to love as citizens of Heavens and not citizens of this world!
Digging Deeper:
Psalm 37:24, Ephesians 5:1
If you have not yet met Jesus, you can meet Him today. He created you. He loves you. He wants you to be a part of His family. I encourage you to step into the life He created you to live. You will still have the troubles of this world, but you will no longer be facing them alone. I’m praying for you! https://peacewithgod.net/mobile/?utm_source=Microsoft&utm_medium=CPC&utm_term=HowToGoToHeaven&utm_campaign=USPWGMobileSearchMic
Kim, I like your idea of asking Him to show you His way for growing closer to Him through time with Him and in His Word. Not a formula, but His personalized way for you to do life together; living and learning and loving well. Thank you for sharing this!
This was very timely. I read through the Bible most years. Sometimes changing versions or plans. I’ve been questioning this. Am I just checking a box or seeking to know the author of the book? As we have learned in DTLH even a “ good thing” may not be the best thing or right thing at the time. Today, I’m asking the Lord to show me how best to spend time growing closer to Him this year, whether it be continuing on my reading plan or maybe He has some other way for me to spend time with Him and in His word this year!
Me too, Sara. Let’s pray for each other to do just that!
Thank you for words I needed to hear. I want to spend my day with Him, not just reading his words. 🥰❤️