The longer I go in my walk with Christ, the more I find that my faith is as much a mental challenge as it is a matter of my heart. Faith is about how we look at our world around us. It is about how we interpret the things that life throws at each one of us on a daily basis. Faith is about knowing something to be true, not believing that something is most likely true.
"Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light." Matthew 11:28-30 ESV
I have read this passage many times over the years and I have heard it preached probably as many times too. But one day it struck me what Jesus was saying to me, He wants me to "learn" from Him. Something so obvious and I had missed it over and over again. So I had to ask myself the question, what was I supposed to learn? And then I asked myself a more obvious question, where is the connection between learning and resting?
As I have prayed and studied this, I have learned that the closer a man gets to the heart of the God who created him, the more he learns what it means to walk by faith and not by his own sight. Learning about God and reading His Word has to be a life long progression and goal. A man must learn that God is faithful, and we learn this by watching as God comes through over and over again in our lives. Personally, I learn based on my experiences in life, that He has been more than able, even when I turned away from Him, He has still found ways to bless my life and eventually turn my eyes back towards Him.
I firmly believe in my heart that what Jesus meant by "learn from Me" is that He wants me to learn that He is perfectly faithful. That I must trust in His complete honesty, He cannot lie, that He cannot make a mistake, and that He cannot lead me in a wrong direction. All these things are necessary for Him to be who He is and I have to believe them.
It is only when I completely place my trust in Him and learn that He is truly sovereign in every single aspect of my life, that I can find the "rest" that has seemed to evade me most of my life. Then I will have learned that in every single thing, He is who He said He is....Faithful.
"Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light." Matthew 11:28-30 ESV
I have read this passage many times over the years and I have heard it preached probably as many times too. But one day it struck me what Jesus was saying to me, He wants me to "learn" from Him. Something so obvious and I had missed it over and over again. So I had to ask myself the question, what was I supposed to learn? And then I asked myself a more obvious question, where is the connection between learning and resting?
As I have prayed and studied this, I have learned that the closer a man gets to the heart of the God who created him, the more he learns what it means to walk by faith and not by his own sight. Learning about God and reading His Word has to be a life long progression and goal. A man must learn that God is faithful, and we learn this by watching as God comes through over and over again in our lives. Personally, I learn based on my experiences in life, that He has been more than able, even when I turned away from Him, He has still found ways to bless my life and eventually turn my eyes back towards Him.
I firmly believe in my heart that what Jesus meant by "learn from Me" is that He wants me to learn that He is perfectly faithful. That I must trust in His complete honesty, He cannot lie, that He cannot make a mistake, and that He cannot lead me in a wrong direction. All these things are necessary for Him to be who He is and I have to believe them.
It is only when I completely place my trust in Him and learn that He is truly sovereign in every single aspect of my life, that I can find the "rest" that has seemed to evade me most of my life. Then I will have learned that in every single thing, He is who He said He is....Faithful.
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