"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle 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 NIV)
This is one of my favorite verses, I turn to it in times of weariness, in times when the world seems to overpowering. Today as I investigated these verses, my understanding deepened.
God calls us to not conform to the world but to be transformed by him. He truly does know what is best for us, he knows what will cause us to stumble and what worldly things still have a hold on our hearts. For me this really speaks volumes for my past. Every single time I made a decision outside of what God says is right I have reaped sorrow, hurt, pain, disappointment, and failure. God doesn't tell us that things are off limits to hurt us, quite the opposite, he wants to protect us.
They say hindsight is 20/20 and if I'm being honest with myself there is not a single thing that God has called me to restrict from my life that wasn't in my best interest to stay away from. I try not to waste too much energy on the past because it is gone and cannot be undone, but I do take the time to reflect on it and learn from it.
I desire to take up God's yoke because he is right, his burden is light. In following him obediently I can bypass much of the hurt that comes from being trapped in sin. Sin may feel good for the moment but it is a destroyer over time and allowed to reign over your life leads to complete chaos and destruction. I know, I've been there, I've made those choices, and I've seen the fruit they produce.
Often when we don't take the time to look closely as to why things are restricted we see them for what they are on the outside. They look good, alluring, tempting, but if we look deeper and trust in God the truth will shine when we let it. The world is burdensome, as a believer I am often faced with making choices that are best for me but very contrary to the world or what is socially acceptable. The world seems tipped over lately as more often than not immoral is celebrated and moral rejected. So for me this only makes this scripture more alive. God's yoke is easy because it protects me from the devastation of sin, the world is hard because it is constantly pulling you in to your fleshly desires. If I let the world in too much my heart is in turmoil, but when I step back from it and seek God I find the amazing quiet that comes from his peace, his love, and his guidance.
The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace. The mind governed by the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God's law, nor can it do so. Those who are in the realm of the flesh cannot please God. (Romans 8:6-8 NIV)
This is one of my favorite verses, I turn to it in times of weariness, in times when the world seems to overpowering. Today as I investigated these verses, my understanding deepened.
God calls us to not conform to the world but to be transformed by him. He truly does know what is best for us, he knows what will cause us to stumble and what worldly things still have a hold on our hearts. For me this really speaks volumes for my past. Every single time I made a decision outside of what God says is right I have reaped sorrow, hurt, pain, disappointment, and failure. God doesn't tell us that things are off limits to hurt us, quite the opposite, he wants to protect us.
They say hindsight is 20/20 and if I'm being honest with myself there is not a single thing that God has called me to restrict from my life that wasn't in my best interest to stay away from. I try not to waste too much energy on the past because it is gone and cannot be undone, but I do take the time to reflect on it and learn from it.
I desire to take up God's yoke because he is right, his burden is light. In following him obediently I can bypass much of the hurt that comes from being trapped in sin. Sin may feel good for the moment but it is a destroyer over time and allowed to reign over your life leads to complete chaos and destruction. I know, I've been there, I've made those choices, and I've seen the fruit they produce.
Often when we don't take the time to look closely as to why things are restricted we see them for what they are on the outside. They look good, alluring, tempting, but if we look deeper and trust in God the truth will shine when we let it. The world is burdensome, as a believer I am often faced with making choices that are best for me but very contrary to the world or what is socially acceptable. The world seems tipped over lately as more often than not immoral is celebrated and moral rejected. So for me this only makes this scripture more alive. God's yoke is easy because it protects me from the devastation of sin, the world is hard because it is constantly pulling you in to your fleshly desires. If I let the world in too much my heart is in turmoil, but when I step back from it and seek God I find the amazing quiet that comes from his peace, his love, and his guidance.
The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace. The mind governed by the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God's law, nor can it do so. Those who are in the realm of the flesh cannot please God. (Romans 8:6-8 NIV)
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