"Blessed is the man who does not fall away on account of me." Matthew 11:6
Our doubts concerning Jesus sometimes arise from unmet expectations. John the Baptist's expectations of the Messiah did not include himself spending time in prison. Unmet expectations lead to doubt and doubt may lead us to "fall away" from our devotion to Christ. Yet Jesus says we are most blessed when we do not try to force Him into the box of our personal expectations but rather receive and follow Him as He is. We will find that the Jesus of reality far surpasses the Jesus of my our expectations.
Father, how often have I come to Jesus with pre-conceived notions that were shaped by personal desire rather than the revelation of Scripture? Correct my vision of Jesus so that I may see Him not as I think He ought to be but as He is. Lead me to the blessing of Jesus being who He really is in my life.
I'm praying for you.
Pastor Mark
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Hey I got the email for today's reading TODAY! WOW, we might have finally figured this thing out. Praise God!
ReplyDeleteOn a more serious note, I love Christ's invitation for the weary and burdened to come and take his yoke. What a word picture, taking the yoke of Christ. Not a burdensome yoke, but one that is easy and light.
Father I embrace Christ's yoke, and desire to walk in His ways today.
Matthew 11 ~ From his cell, John the Baptist sends his disciples to ask the most important question in history. I find it interesting that the Lord did not reprimand John for having doubts but instead Jesus provided John with the information he needed to strengthen his faith. Is verse 6 just another “Blessed is the man...” or a disguised word of encouragement from Jesus to John? As John’s disciples are leaving, Jesus gives the greatest compliment to John the Baptist. John was simply an obedient Prophet who stayed faithful to the end. His job was to point the way for the Messiah. This suggests to me that God is well pleased when we remain faithful to the task He has called us to do. Was John the Elijah who was to come? The text says so and the words that immediately follow really tell us to pay attention to what was just said. Woes are now pronounced on the cities that did not respond in repentance to all the miracles that were accomplished in them. The last section intrigues me. A prayer of thanksgiving and an invitation to ALL who are weary and burdened...and I will give you rest, Jesus said. Several observations pop out at me in this section. Two invitations, a description and a promise. In the times that I feel weary and burdened, could it be that I have violated one or more of the principles here? “Take My yoke” ~ helps me to examine God’s Divine Purpose for me. The sooner I determine what that is the better for the whole Body of Christ and the less frustration and doubt I will have in what I am doing daily. The question is —Am I carrying things I should not be carrying? “Learn of Me” ~ helps me focus on the character of Jesus as my model. The question here is — Am I pursuing the things I do with gentleness and humility or with competitiveness and pride? I have been a competitive person all my life. At times that drive was not balanced with humility and gentleness and quickly moved to the erosion of character. Although a period will conclude this comment it will not slow the reflection on the lesson here. For me asking questions of the text helps me to apply the truths.
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