by MeredithNMills | Dec 10, 2014 | abiding in Christ, rest, Uncategorized
“Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, 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 shall find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light” Matthew 11:28-30.
Overworked, weary, exhausted? Pick me, pick me!
Do those verses resonate within you? They strike a chord deep inside my soul. The word “weary” could also be translated “work to exhaustion.” That is me so much of the time. Exhausted. Worn out. Weary of the treadmill of life. Long nights and even longer days. Have you been there?
And “heavy-laden”- that means “to load up” or “overburden.” Do you feel “loaded up” with burdens, with cares, with responsibilities? It’s just the nature of life to carry burdens. Whatever the job description, responsibilities and “burdens” come with the territory.
A while back, I made a list of the “sea of demands” weighing on me…teaching my kids, preparing meals and snacks, laundry, cleaning, errands, activities, friendships. I should be investing in people outside my home. I should be a fun mom (who doesn’t care if they spill sugar on the floor when they want to help cook.) I should have my kids’ friends over and do crafts with them. I should invite people to our home for dinner. I should have a cleaning routine. I should cook healthier food. I should learn to coupon. I should potty train soon so we can stop paying for diapers. And on top of it all, I should be making time for daily prayer and Bible study. But how, oh how, is one person to do it all?
Into this chaos and craziness comes a gentle invitation. “If you’re weary and overworked, come to Me. I will give you rest.”
It’s interesting to note that He doesn’t confine this invitation to a certain scheduled time of day – “If you come meet with Me every morning, you will find rest.” Instead He invites me to get in the “yoke” with Him, to walk with Him every. single. moment. The picture is that of two animals fastened together, working in sync to pull a cart or a plow. When I am connected to Him , He carries the weight of my burdens. The work He calls me to do, He does with me and through me because I’m in the yoke with Him. (John 15 calls this “abiding in Him”.)
In addition to “taking His yoke,” He invites me to learn from Him. The weight of the plow is made lighter as the two oxen walk in step. Similarly, as I learn to become more like Jesus, I am falling into step with Him.
Of all His attributes, He chose to list here His gentleness and humility. Biblical gentleness is not just a personality trait that comes naturally for some and not for others. It is “that attitude of the spirit in which we accept God’s dealings with us as good and do not dispute or resist…It is a condition of mind and heart that demonstrates gentleness not in weakness but in power. It is a virtue born in strength of character.”* It is “the opposite to self-assertiveness and self-interest. It stems from trust in God’s goodness and control over the situation…This is a work of the Holy Spirit, not of human will (Galatians 5:23).”**
Jesus was gentle and humble. His heart was at rest. As we walk with Him and learn from Him, our hearts can rest, too.
Please don’t misunderstand me. Concentrated, set-aside time alone with Him is vital. We learn of Him and become like Him by studying His Word and talking with Him in prayer. How precious and life-giving is His Word (Psalm 119:97)!
But God is not confined to our alone times with Him. He wants to walk with us and show us how to apply His Word in the moment-by-moment grind of life. He wants all of life to be worship, not just set aside times of singing or studying or praying. His yoke is easy and His burden is light because He carries the weight of it for us! He wants us to rest, even in the midst of life’s struggles. His heart toward us is good. His love for us is unfathomable.
Do you need rest? Come to Jesus. Share His yoke. Learn from Him. And find rest.
*Lexical Aids to the New Testament from the Key Word Study Bible
**Blue Letter Bible Lexicon
by MeredithNMills | Nov 26, 2014 | Uncategorized
“Therefore as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, having been firmly rooted and now being built up in Him and established in your faith…and overflowing with gratitude” Colossians 2:6-7.
Is it just me, or does it seem like the one holiday we Americans rush past is Thanksgiving? I mean, we see Valentines Day candies by January 1st and Halloween decorations are out by the end of summer. But we seem to skip straight from Halloween to Christmas, almost forgetting that Thanksgiving is sandwiched in between. Don’t get me wrong; I LOVE Christmas and can hardly wait to decorate and start playing Christmas music. But I’ve just been pondering why we’re so quick to pass over the day set aside to give thanks.
Maybe the stores jump straight to Christmas because there’s not a lot of money to be made off of Thanksgiving (with the exception of grocery stores). But what about the everyday average American? Our culture is definitely dominated by consumerism, and not gratitude. But without a personal walk with Jesus, or an awareness that God is the Giver of all good things (James 1:17), how could it be otherwise? After all, the foundation of gratefulness is a recognition of how good someone else has been to us, especially when we haven’t earned the goodness. But we Americans pride ourselves on being “self-made.” We’ve worked hard for what we have, so why should we be grateful for what we think we’ve earned? Sure, we all can and should appreciate those who love us and have made sacrifices for us…parents, teachers, etc.
But we Jesus followers have so very much more to be thankful for. We’ve been rescued from the self-destructive disease of sin, granted pardon by the One who sets the rules. This pardon was purchased at the enormous price of His own Son’s blood, shed by choice for those who were once His enemies. He is both the Just Judge and the Justifier. What extravagant love is this! What immense value this bestows upon those whom He would rescue at such a cost. We were dead in our sins (Ephesians 2), but now we’re alive in Christ! We were slaves residing in the domain of darkness, but now we’ve been transferred to the kingdom of Jesus (Colossians 1:13). We are loved (2 Thessalonians 2:16), wanted (John 15:16), treasured (Deuteronomy 26:18). In a word, we’ve received mercy.
But our kindly intentioned God (Ephesians 1:5,9) didn’t stop there. He has lavished good gifts upon His beloved adopted ones. We are co-heirs with Christ (Romans 8:17). We are indwelt by the Holy Spirit (Ephesians :13-14, 1 Corinthians 6:19-20). We’ve been given every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places (Ephesians 1:3). We are the recipients of lavish grace (Ephesians 1:6-8). We have an open invitation to the throne room of the Most High God (Hebrews 4:16). We have the mind of Christ (1 Corinthians 2:16). We have Jesus constantly talking to the Father on our behalf (Hebrews 7:25). The God of hope (Romans 15:13), the God of all comfort (2 Corinthians 1:3), the God of grace (1 Peter 5:10), the Father of mercies (2 Corinthians 1:3)…This is OUR GOD! Our Daddy (Romans 8:15)! In a word, we’ve received grace.
Mercy and grace in abundance, and all kinds of physical blessings as well. We have so much, so very much, for which to give thanks! Our “cup of blessings” is certainly overflowing. May we overflow with gratitude in return, on Thanksgiving and every other day of the year.
by MeredithNMills | Nov 7, 2014 | Uncategorized
“The Lord is not slow in keeping His promise, as some understand slowness. Instead He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance” 2 Peter 3:9.
It’s a glorious fall day in the mountains…radiant shades of yellow, red and orange cover the landscape with a blanket of autumn loveliness. The days are warm, the evenings delightfully chilly. It’s the most wonderful time of the year…at least I think so! As I drink in the beauty of this new season, I’m reminded of my own life and of this season in which I find myself. God is doing such a deep work in me. Renewing my mind and teaching me about Himself. Helping me to find my identity in Him. I’m learning about gospel grace and the place it has in my daily life. To see others with eyes of grace, instead of with eyes of judgment. It’s a beautiful change…in a sometimes pleasant, sometimes painful way.
But like the changing of the seasons, transformation takes time. Growing is a process. And sometimes I get impatient with that process. I want to be so much farther down the road to Christlikeness than I am. I want to be a gracious woman, consistent in trusting God, not so easily “knocked off my feet” by shifting emotions. I long to be firmly grounded in truth, to have all the answers to my many questions. I want to be “grown up” – now!
But oh, how patient my God is. And how not impatient He is. Like a daddy watching his child learn to walk, He rejoices with each step I take and gently picks me up every single time I fall. He doesn’t get angry with me for stumbling. He just scoops me up and sets me on my feet again and continues to lovingly teach and train me.
He is, after all, the One doing the work in me. The One bringing about growth and maturity. (“For it is God who is working in you, enabling you both to desire and to work out His good purpose” Philippians 2:13.) As 2 Peter 3:9 (above) proclaims, God is not in a hurry. He is patiently waiting until just the right time to send His Son back to earth. He’s giving more time for sinners to turn to Him. In a similar way, He is patient with His children as He works in us, renewing our minds and transforming us from the inside out (Romans 12:2).
This has been so freeing for me to understand. It’s not up to me (nor am I able) to fix myself – or others! I can rest in the awareness that God is working – at His own pace, and in His own way. My “job” is to abide in Him, to let His Word abide in me (John 15), and to let Him live through me (Galatians 2:20).
by MeredithNMills | Oct 9, 2014 | Uncategorized
”Return to your rest, O my soul, for the Lord has dealt bountifully with you” Psalm 116:7.
Rest…it’s an attractive idea. Something inside me longs to make room for rest. But in our work-oriented, results-driven culture, I think we often confuse rest with laziness. I know I did. When my life fell apart last year and I couldn’t keep pushing, Jesus showed me that I didn’t know how to rest. Not physically. Not emotionally. Not even spiritually. In the physical and emotional realm, a true day off was such a rarity – for me or for my family, as I constantly drove us to “get stuff done.” I often resented them (especially Hubby) taking time for fun and rest.
In the spiritual realm, I was puzzled by Matthew 11:28-30, “Come to Me (Jesus), 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.” How on earth could this be true, I wondered? The Ten Commandments condemn murder, but Jesus added heart motives to the requirements and said hatred was just as bad. Coveting was equivalent to stealing, lust to adultery. So how could Jesus’ burden be light?
But oh, how liberating to realize that the Law was given, not so I could have a standard to try hard to live up to, but to point out my inability to do so. To show me the impossibility of reaching God’s perfection on my own. To lead me to Jesus, who perfectly kept God’s Law on my behalf and then went on to bear my punishment for not keeping it. (See Galatians 3.) Because He did this, a great exchange has occurred. He took my sin, and traded me for His righteousness. Now I can rest, because Jesus has indeed dealt bountifully with me. If that great exchange isn’t bounty, I don’t know what is!
When I see my sin, I can remember that it’s already paid for. I’m free to confess it and move on (1 John 1:9). It no longer defines or controls me. I’m free to rest in God’s full acceptance, to follow Him as He gently leads me beside still waters (Psalm23), to come boldly to His throne of grace (Hebrews 4:16). I need not be driven by fear and duty to keep on “doing” for God, trying to earn His smile or make up for my sin.
And this spills over into all areas of life. The physical work will never be done, but it’s okay (even best) to take time for rest and fun. In the emotional realm, I need to (my family needs me to) make room for the things that refill my soul. And in the spiritual realm, I have to choose to quiet my heart. This looks different for different people, and in different life seasons.
As a single person, my daily “quiet times” looked pretty predictable…a cozy spot to sit, maybe a blanket and candle, my Bible and journal – all at a designated time of the morning. It’s way less prescribed now, but still so essential. Yesterday, my “quiet time” happened at about 5:30am (a rare occurrence!) after being awakened by Little Man. I had lots of time to read my Bible and study. Today, I slept past the alarm and could only pry my eyes open after Hubby brought my cup of coffee to the bedside table. My Bible was in the living room and there was no way I wanted to wake up the troops by walking down the hall with only a few minutes til they got up on their own! But my ever-present iPhone was, of course, next to my cup of coffee, so I opened my John Piper Devotional app and read the verse and thought for the day. And my spirit rested. Rested in the amazing love and care of my precious God, who “acts for those who wait for Him” (Isaiah 64:4). Along with Dr. John, I rejoiced that “God loves to show His God-ness by working for me, and…His working is always before and under and in any working I do for Him.”
Sometimes choosing rest means playing the quiet game in the car so Mama can talk to Jesus since I’ve been running since my feet hit the floor that morning. Or reading from my Bible app when I have three minutes to myself. The point, I’ve learned, is not so much when or how I “do my quiet time.” It’s realizing that Christ IS my life (Philippians 1:21). This Christian life is meant to be lived WITH Him, abiding in Him all day long (John 15) – not just for a set amount of time in the morning.
So today, my friend, if you know Jesus, rest in Him. Spend the day with Him. Wait for Him to act on your behalf. Know that you are infinitely loved and treasured by the God who made you and cares about every tiny detail of your life and every care of your heart. He is that good, that dazzling.
