Living in the Spirit
July 9, 2017
Scripture Reading: Matthew 11:16-19, 25-30
At that time Jesus said, ‘I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and the intelligent and have revealed them to infants; yes, Father, for such was your gracious will. All things have been handed over to me by my Father; and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.
‘Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, 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 11:25-30
Matthew 11:30 makes my top ten list of scriptures. I am just as guilty as anyone of making things harder, processing stuff too much, not understanding, if I start with God’s way, my labor will be more fruitful and ultimately my journey joy-filled. We still have a job to do; there will still be hazards on the road, and we still have the challenge of learning to work as one when we are each as unique as snowflakes.
God created us with what Paul calls gifts differing for a reason. I do not do money, have two left feet, and am 5”2” tall. So, I greatly appreciate the gifts of accountants and bookkeepers, enjoy watching ballet dancers and athletes, and am particularly grateful for people who can reach the top shelves in grocery stores.
I probably drive accountants and bookkeepers crazy because not having enough funds to do something in my mind is just a roadblock to be overcome in some way. God created discourse for such events. I learn from them; they learn from me, and ultimately we answer God’s call to build a kingdom ruled by love.
The vision of oxen yoked together is beautiful. While the walk side-by-side one leads, the other follows. Christ is our leader and promises us when we pull with him our work is easy. When we pull against Christ, our labors are fruitless. When we pull against each other, we lessen our productivity.
Prayer: Lord, forgive us when we pull away from you, stubbornly planting our feet unwilling to move forward, or trailing off in a wrong direction. Forgive us when we invest more time in fight each other than finding areas of agreement to tackle. Guide us in your ways. Amen.