| Good morning everyone, Our theme for this month: “How to inhabit time” Our Bible verse for today: “Come to me, all of you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take up my yoke and learn from me, because I am lowly and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30 (CSB) Our thought for today: “This is how you do it.” I wonder if that noise I’m hearing is a loud collective groan from all of you who have been reading my devotionals or listening to my sermons for any length of time. If you have, then you know that the passage from Matthew 11:28-30, and the explanation of it that I am about to give, is one that I return to frequently. Some of you have heard this from me a couple of dozen times (or more) over the years, to the point that you can now recite it backwards in your sleep. You’re welcome. The reason I bring us back to this lesson from Jesus so often is because it’s so critical to living the Christian life well. In yesterday’s devotional we thought about how God can and will renew and restore us, even if we’ve made terrible mistakes and are suffering the consequences. The fact is that there is nothing we cannot overcome with the help of the Lord, and Matthew 11:28-30 explains how that’s accomplished. In that parable Jesus pictured a team of oxen yoked together plowing a field. In every team of oxen there’s a lead ox and a follower ox. The lead ox is bigger, stronger, and more experienced, and he carries most of the load and provides all of the direction. The follower ox just has to stay yoked to the lead ox, walking closely with him, sharing in the load, and following directions. In this parable Jesus was essentially saying, “Let me be your lead ox. Yoke yourself to me; stay close to me; I will carry most of the load and I will provide all of the direction; you just stay close to me and we will walk through life together.” This is how you do it. This is how you rely on Jesus to help you through whatever it is you are facing. This is the key to living the Christian life well. Day-by-day, moment-by-moment, stay close to Jesus. With respect to our theme of “How to inhabit time”, this is how we move beyond our past, live in the present, and move forward into the future. We stay close to Jesus. He will hold you up when you are weary, and He will keep you moving forward into the glorious future He has planned for you. God bless, Pastor Jim |
| Copyright © 2023 Oak Hill Baptist Church, All rights reserved. |
-
Follow
Following
Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
Oak Hill Baptist Church 