Tag: turn to me

32.o. “For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light”

 

Matthew 11:28  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.”

 Isaiah 45:22-25  “Turn to me and be saved, all the ends of the earth! For I am God, and there is no other. By myself I have sworn; from my mouth has gone out in righteousness a word that shall not return: ‘To me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear allegiance.’  “Only in the LORD, it shall be said of me, are righteousness and strength; to him shall come and be ashamed all who were incensed against him.

 Isaiah 55:1-3  “Come, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and he who has no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.  Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which does not satisfy? Listen diligently to me, and eat what is good, and delight yourselves in rich food.  Incline your ear, and come to me; hear, that your soul may live; and I will make with you an everlasting covenant, my steadfast, sure love for David.

 Micah 6:6-8   “With what shall I come before the LORD, and bow myself before God on high? Shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves a year old?  Will the LORD be pleased with thousands of rams, with ten thousands of rivers of oil? Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?”  He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?

 Isaiah 66:2     All these things my hand has made, and so all these things came to be, declares the LORD. But this is the one to whom I will look: he who is humble and contrite in spirit and trembles at my word.

 Isaiah 1:4  Ah, sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, offspring of evildoers, children who deal corruptly! They have forsaken the LORD, they have despised the Holy One of Israel, they are utterly estranged.

 Isaiah 28:12     to whom he has said, “This is rest; give rest to the weary; and this is repose”; yet they would not hear.

What would you pay to have everlasting rest for your soul? What would you do to have it? Where would you go to find it? 

We get many invitations in life to “come” go to something, a new job, sporting event, family gathering, preacher, politician, professor, teacher, etc….. many of these invitations are for a few who have been selected or by some other means been identified as worthy of the invitation.  We get invited to some events but there is a cost associated with the invite. There are barriers at the event that prohibit people who try to coming in but do not have proof that they paid the cost of admission. Sometimes we get invitations to “free events” but there is pleading, intimidation, pressure, arm-twisting, and coercion that certainly indicate this is not a free event. Sometimes we get invited to an event that promises something big and spectacular but falls way short of delivering it and we feel cheated because what we expected was not obtained. 

Here is an invitation to all, which if it did not come from God would seem foolish. Who could ever invite “all”?  “Come to me”, does not indicate any barrier on who can come. It is an open invitation to come. 

Some look at this invitation and say it is foolish, there is no God and this is just some attempt to get followers to follow a meaningless promise. Others reject it because there is no way they want someone else paying their way into heaven or they want to pay part of it themselves. They want to earn it on their own. Others reject it because they see no need for it. Others reject it because they have taken the invitation by someone else and followed after its promises. Whatever the reason people reject or do not yoke up with Christ there is no rest for their souls now or for eternity. 

In the invitation from Jesus, there is a yoke (bond, attachment) that unites the invitee with the inviter. “Take this yoke upon you and learn from me” the yoke and its burden (faith, believing, trusting, relying, following, obeying) is not burdensome but is light and gives rest to your soul. This yoking and learning from and about Jesus gives us discernment between worldly and heavenly. Through this yoking and learning and discernment, we find rest for our soul. The invitation and the promise of rest for your soul are without any cost. Jesus paid all the costs and has invited all people to join Him in eternal life – heaven. 

For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish but will have everlasting life. Find rest for your soul in and through Jesus Christ. He invites you without cost.

The entrance and unfolding of His word

“Leave your simple ways, and live, and walk in the way of insight.”

“Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.”

Psalms 119:129   Your testimonies are wonderful; therefore my soul keeps them.  The unfolding of your words gives light; it imparts understanding to the simple.  I open my mouth and pant, because I long for your commandments.  Turn to me and be gracious to me, as is your way with those who love your name.  Keep steady my steps according to your promise, and let no iniquity get dominion over me.  Redeem me from man’s oppression, that I may keep your precepts.  Make your face shine upon your servant, and teach me your statutes.  My eyes shed streams of tears, because people do not keep your law.

Proverbs 6:23     For the commandment is a lamp and the teaching a light, and the reproofs of discipline are the way of life,

Luke 1:77-79   to give knowledge of salvation to his people in the forgiveness of their sins,  because of the tender mercy of our God, whereby the sunrise shall visit us from on high, to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.”

Acts 26:18     to open their eyes, so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.’

2 Corinthians 4:4    In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.

Ephesians 5:13-14     But when anything is exposed by the light, it becomes visible,  for anything that becomes visible is light. Therefore it says, “Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.”

2 Peter 1:19    And we have the prophetic word more fully confirmed, to which you will do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts,

Proverbs 1:22-23    “How long, O simple ones, will you love being simple? How long will scoffers delight in their scoffing and fools hate knowledge?  If you turn at my reproof, behold, I will pour out my spirit to you; I will make my words known to you.

2 Timothy 3:16-17     All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness,  that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.

“Let us not enter into the testimonies, as a dry task, or an ordinary study; but let us concentrate our minds, our faith, humility, and prayer, in a more devoted contemplation of them.” (Bridges)

“obedience in more than outward action; it was obedience in soul.”

“It is painful to remember how much light may be shining around us on every side, without finding an entrance into the heart.” (Bridges)

“The word finds no entrance into some minds because they are blocked up with self-conceit, or prejudice, or indifference; but where due attention is given, divine illumination must surely follow upon knowledge of the mind of God.” (Spurgeon)

Turn to Me and be saved

“I will make you as a light for the nations, that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth.”

“they shall come and proclaim his righteousness to a people yet unborn, that he has done it.

Psalms 98:2  The LORD has made known his salvation; he has revealed his righteousness in the sight of the nations.

Isaiah 45:21-23     Declare and present your case; let them take counsel together! Who told this long ago? Who declared it of old? Was it not I, the LORD? And there is no other god besides me, a righteous God and a Savior; there is none besides me.  “Turn to me and be saved, all the ends of the earth! For I am God, and there is no other.  By myself I have sworn; from my mouth has gone out in righteousness a word that shall not return: ‘To me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear allegiance.’

Isaiah 52:10    The LORD has bared his holy arm before the eyes of all the nations, and all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God.

Luke 2:30-32    for my eyes have seen your salvation  that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples,  a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to your people Israel.”

Romans 10:18    But I ask, have they not heard? Indeed they have, for “Their voice has gone out to all the earth, and their words to the ends of the world.”

Romans 1:17   For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith.”

I wonder if we forget that it is the Lord who has made known salvation.  First through prophecy of a coming savior and then through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.  It is a light to eternal life.  It is a light to a place of refuge, hope, peace, and courage.  This life brings fulfilling purpose to our everyday lives.  Having a light in the darkness is what gives us hope, builds our faith, and gives us courage to face tomorrow.  Share this light to those lost and living in darkness. It is our calling.

Kicking and Screaming

“The LORD is my strength and my shield; in him my heart trusts, and I am helped; my heart exults, and with my song I give thanks to him. The LORD is the strength of his people; he is the saving refuge of his anointed.”

Psalms 86:16  Turn to me and be gracious to me; give your strength to your servant, and save the son of your maidservant. Show me a sign of your favor, that those who hate me may see and be put to shame because you, LORD, have helped me and comforted me.

Psalms 69:16     Answer me, O LORD, for your steadfast love is good; according to your abundant mercy, turn to me.

Psalms 90:13     Return, O LORD! How long? Have pity on your servants!

Psalms 119:132    Turn to me and be gracious to me, as is your way with those who love your name.

Psalms 84:5     Blessed are those whose strength is in you, in whose heart are the highways to Zion.

Psalms 138:3     On the day I called, you answered me; my strength of soul you increased.

Isaiah 40:29     He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength.  Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted;  but they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.

Zechariah 10:12     I will make them strong in the LORD, and they shall walk in his name,” declares the LORD.

Ephesians 3:16     that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being,

Philippians 4:13     I can do all things through him who strengthens me.

Why is it important to have the right source for inner strength?  Where does true inner strength come from? How does it appear in our life?  Living this side of eternity will have it’s battles.  Walking into these battles there are times we walk with God, times God carries us through them, and times when He drags us kicking and screaming through them.  In Him alone will there be strength to face whatever comes our way.  In Him we have no fear of tomorrow.  In Him there is peace that passes all understanding.  The times we walk with God to face head that which is before us are during times when His Holy Spirit fills us, we are listening and in tune with His leading, we walk fully trusting and relying on His power.  The times He is carrying us are during those times when life hits us with a punch so hard it takes the wind from our sail and we can’t seem to move or find out way through it.  He picks us up and carries us in His power, strength, might, and love.  His arms wrap around us and we find comfort, refuge, and hope.  The times He drags us is when we don’t listen, we shut Him from our life, we walk apart from Him and try to go our own way.  We think we are in control and have no need for Him or His word of truth.  It seems as though God drags us into a battle so big with so much uncertainty, where we truly can’t seem to find our way through it.  Our own strength is drained to a point we quit kicking and screaming and seek Him for we have tried to handle it on our own.  We find peace, hope, joy, and comfort.  I don’t know where you are but the best place to be is humbly serving, honoring, following, and obeying God.  Spend time in His word and build your faith in Him who can do all things. In Hi who can do more than we ask and much more than we can imagine.