THE SURVEY...
by Ronnie Mutina
As I sit here, this morning, I’ve had time to ponder on some things. I asked some questions, which I came up with, off of a survey, and gave them to my class this past Sunday morning. I told them there were no right or wrong answers, but I wanted to see what they believed. I found that they were in the low percentage of what unchurched people believed. I found that they stood firm on what they believed concerning Christ. I told them not to search for the right ‘church answer,’ but instead to answer them the way they believed. I was surprisingly pleased. They did, however, find weaknesses in their lives through answering these questions. This was the main purpose of the test, and I told them they needed to use these questions to help strengthen their lives in their service to the Lord.
Many saved people struggle in their relationship with Christ. I have been guilty of struggling in this area also. I have learned that staying in God’s Word is the key to having good days, which usually develop into good weeks, provided that I don’t allow Satan’s attacks to bring me down. I must confess, he has really been busy on me, and he has kept me from doing my daily Bible studies that I have shared with many people. He is using my job to keep me occupied now. However, I’m praying that God will intervene and help me to overcome my weaknesses. That leads me to my daily Bible study found in Matthew 11:28 – 30.
Jesus was talking to His disciples, and had given them insight upon John the Baptist. He was also encouraging them to seek Him when they burdened. Jesus said, "Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light."
As I looked at these scriptures this morning, I decided to see exactly what God was trying to tell me. I realize that we struggle in our day-to-day lives, and Jesus doesn’t really desire us to struggle. He allows things to happen in our lives, so we can grow spiritually. Right now, I am struggling, because of job related issues, and I’ve asked God to help me with it. I see 4 things that Jesus is teaching that can help us, not only in our spiritual lives, but in our daily lives too.
COME UNTO ME. Do you notice the directive? He said, "Come unto ME." He directed unto the people laboring in the fields and the ones who are heavy burdened. Most of the time, we depend on self to get through problems, and are not willing to seek God’s directions. First of all, I am reminded of the scripture in Matthew 6:24 and 33. These two scriptures are explained in the verse in between. "No man can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and Mammon." In verse 33, He tells us how to overcome this problem; "But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you." How do you overcome it? Seek HIM first.
TAKE MY YOKE UPON YOU. Wow! What a statement. If you look at oxen, there were two used to plow in a field, on most occasions. If this yoke wasn’t used, the two oxen would not always be willing to go in the same direction. If we take Jesus’ yoke and put in on ourselves, we would only be able to follow His direction. Therefore, since Jesus cannot lead us in the wrong direction, we would always be going straight in our lives.
LEARN OF ME. This would seem to be the easiest thing in the world to do, wouldn’t it? We are in a generation of people who think they know everything they think they need to know about Jesus. I have found that no matter how much I study my Bible, go to church, and pray, I never know more than I need to when it comes to concerning Him. If we truly seek Him first, then we will start learning. Solomon told us that wisdom is the beginning of knowledge. It is wise to seek Christ in our lives. You may be saved, but we have problems of neglecting Christ and allowing Him to direct our lives. The Psalmist wrote, "Thy Word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against Thee" (Psalms 119:11). He also wrote, "Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path" (Psalms 119:5). Solomon said, "In all thy ways acknowledge HIM, and HE shall direct thy paths" Proverbs 3:6. Learning of Him starts by us getting into the Word and allowing Him to teach us. To learn something though, means that we must be willing to change our mind through His Word. We can’t have our opinions, and not allow God to change those opinions, through His Word. Going to church is a must also. We must be willing to be taught God’s Word. If we just depend upon these two things though, we are doomed to fail. We must also pray hard. Paul wrote, "Pray without ceasing." We are instructed, "The prayer of a righteous man, availeth much." Communication with God is the ultimate tool in having a stronger life. Your days and weeks will even go better.
FIND REST. These tools, which Jesus gave, are ways to find rest, not only for our lives, but also for our souls. We need this kind of rest to be where we should be in our lives. These tools are keys to living a peaceful life, and it also helps us fight off Satan in our lives. Granted, Satan is always seeking ways to bring us down, but Jesus Christ has given us tools to uplift us in our lives. Through HIM we can find peace that passeth all understanding. We find rest.
This is something that I saw for my life today. These tools will help me overcome any adversary I may face, including self. I am my worst enemy at times, simply because of self. I have to remind myself that "My ways are not HIS ways, and my thoughts are not HIS thoughts." I have to allow HIM to use me, because HE will anyway. It’s just easier when I give in and allow it. How do I do that? I go to HIM, take His yoke upon me, and learn of Him. When I do these things, I find rest, because He really is the Prince of Peace.
