| Good morning everyone, Our theme for this month: “Christian community” 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: “Shine, make ‘em wonder whatcha got” In yesterday’s devotional I said that the reason the Christian faith has stood the test of time is because Jesus is irresistible and if we Christians will just help unbelievers to see that, then they will want Him too. The problem is that we Christians often are not so good at helping others to see Jesus as He really is. We are His disciples, which means we’re supposed to be like Him. We are to say the things that He said, and do the things that He did. Sadly, we often don’t. This reminds me of the comment once made by the famous Hindu leader Mohandas Gandhi in India. This was during the days when the British were the colonial rulers of that land and they were pretty brutal about it. They professed to be Christians, but they didn’t act like it. At one point a British leader asked Gandhi why more Indians weren’t open to hearing about the Christian faith and Gandhi famously replied, “We like your Jesus, we just don’t like you Christians.” He meant that while Jesus was kind, compassionate, winsome, and likeable, the British Christians were loud, obnoxious, demanding, even mean and cruel. The Christians were nothing like the Christ they professed to be following. Sadly, all too often some Christians do act like that, and it damages the testimony of the entire Christian community. In Matthew 11:28-30 Jesus described a practice we are all supposed to adopt that will help us to be more like Him (and less like us). He pictured a team of oxen yoked together. In every team of oxen there is a lead ox and a follower ox. The lead ox is bigger, stronger, and more experienced. He carries most of the load and provides all of the direction. The follower ox is to stay yoked to the lead ox, walk side-by-side with him, and learn from him. That’s what the Christian life is to be like. Jesus is our lead ox. We are to stay yoked to Him, walk side-by-side with Him, learn from Him, and become more and more like Him. If we will do that, the practice of our faith will begin to look more and more like the Christ we profess to follow. The contemporary Christian music group, The Newsboys, once recorded a song called “Shine”. Here’s the chorus: “Shine. Make ‘em wonder whatcha got. Make ‘em wish that they were not On the outside looking bored. Shine. Let it shine before all men Let ‘em see good works and then Let ‘em glorify the Lord. So, there’s your assignment for today. “Shine. Make ‘em wonder whatcha got”. God bless, Pastor Jim (Join us at Oak Hill Baptist Church on Sunday mornings at 10:00, in-person if you are close-by, or if you are geographically distant or a shut-in, then online at http://www.YouTube.com/oakhillbaptistcrossville) |
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Newsboys are one of my favorite groups. We saw them in concert. It was so cool. The drummer was in a platform, and he went up in the air. Then the platform started spinning, and if that wasn’t enough, the whole thing flipped sideways. So he was flipped and spinning and still drumming! It was a fin night. Imagine if we Christians would get out of our comfort zones and start flipping and spinning for God! That sounds like a blog title, lol. Have a great day!
Sounds like a fun concert. The Newsboys are one of my favorites too.