Good morning, its been a few days, hasn’t it? Well, we have snow today which is wild considering our temperatures on Saturday were in the 80s. Maybe this is the last snow before spring begins?
I spent my weekend working through the last chapters of Acts and I want to write it down so I do not forget.
It began on Friday when I was reading in one area and Matthew 11 came to mind.
“At that time Jesus said, “I praise You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because You have hidden these things from the wise and learned and revealed them to infants. Yes, Father, because this was Your good pleasure. All things have been entrusted to Me by My Father. No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son desires to reveal Him. “Come to Me, all of you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. All of you, take up My yoke and learn from Me, because I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for yourselves. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.””
Matthew 11:25-30 HCSB
https://bible.com/bible/72/mat.11.25-30.HCSB
Jesus starts this well-known set of verses by praising the Lord. Acknowledging God’s sovereignty. He is Father. He is Lord of heaven and earth. Then acknowledges who He is, Jesus. All is entrusted to Jesus by His Father. It is by revelation that we know Jesus. So, by laying this all out to His followers, Jesus offers comfort and rest.
Come to me, you who are exhausted by all the rituals and steps laid out by the Pharisees (we have them now, change my mind). Come. Jesus offers true rest. Peace of mind. Allowing myself to trust. A yoke is on two oxen, not one and Jesus takes the greater weight. My response, humble myself. Allow Christ to hold my burdens.
Which then led me to Acts on Saturday. I am going through Acts in a Bible study, answering the questions, marking my Bible. And I get to Acts 23. Paul knows his path brings him to Jerusalem and certain suffering and grief. After a particularly dangerous interaction with a crowd, Paul is taken to the barracks forcibly by a commander of Roma army. And then, this happened.
“On the following night the Lord stood near Paul and said, “Be brave; for as you have solemnly and faithfully witnessed about Me at Jerusalem, so you must also testify at Rome.””
Acts 23:11 AMP
https://bible.com/bible/1588/act.23.11.AMP
The Lord stood near. Those four words bless me so much. His presence is Paul’s comfort. His presence is our comfort. The word of God testifies that, “All things work together for good..”, not this world’s good. Not in our timeframe most of the time. He is working all things together for a good that we hardly understand.
But we have been promised His presence through whatever comes our way. He invites us to have courage, not in our circumstances, but in Him. Resting in Him. Setting my mind. There is a plan. There is hope. There is joy.
His name is Jesus. He is near.
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