Focus on Doing God's Will - June 17, 2013

Matthew 11:27-30
27 “All things have been committed to me by my Father. No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.
28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.
29 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.
30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

Some of you are carrying a yoke -- a heavy burden -- of the expectations that were put on you by your parents, or your husband, or your wife, or your children. Some of you are burdened down with a yoke put on you by your boss or by your teacher.

But most of us carry a yoke of burden that we've put on ourselves because of unresolved guilt and unrealistic expectations. We're trying to prove that we matter.

We take on a heavy yoke that God never intended in order to prove that we're important when God says we're already important.

God's yoke is that we follow his purpose for our lives, and when we do that, things work out a whole lot better. When we go our own way in life, we hit one brick wall after another. In a sense, God says, "Put on my purpose, my plan for your life."

How heavy is God's yoke? Jesus says, "The yoke I will give you is light and easy." You say, "But my Christian life isn't easy. My Christian life is heavy; it's like a duty that I have to fulfill."

Then it may be you are out of God's will. You may be doing something that God never intended for you to do. Jesus did not come to give you a burden but a blessing.

Sorry for not having these up  

Today's devo helps to keep me on track, living a life of Christ. On friday, one of the questions mentioned if our everyday lives were reflecting the nearness of God.
And Dan made it very clear that this must be a FIRM yes. That day, I guess all of us were reminded that we have to live consistently. There are no 180 degree turns with faith, always a work in progress. 
29 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. 
Finding rest in our souls obviously mean that we're born with sinful nature, and already turned away from God. He would soothe us as we take on the cross and follow his word.
We have to remember that God doesn't give us a will that we can't fulfill.