Author: teachwhatisgood

I grew up in the great state of Iowa, where the corn grows tall and people pull themselves up by their own bootstraps. My parents were hard workers, raised by hard workers. My mother’s parents were world-class farmers. My father’s parents were children of immigrants. My grandfather became an attorney of excellence. Hard work runs strong in my blood.

For years Matthew 11:28-30 has been special to me. I have (no-joke) labored to memorize this passage, treasuring it in my often weary heart. Indeed, I have labored and indeed I am thankful for the rest Jesus promises me.

“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.”

This past week, as I’ve been studying this passage in more depth, I’m finally seeing the context in which Jesus is speaking.

These verses are sandwiched between Jesus denouncing the Jewish cities of Chorazin, Bethsaida and Capernaum, and Jesus telling the Pharisees that they don’t understand what “I desire mercy and not sacrifice” means.

This paragraph begins in Matthew 11:25 with, “At that time Jesus declared, “I thank you, Father, Lord of Heaven and Earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding, and revealed them to little children.”

Jesus is talking to the Jewish religious sect called the Pharisees. Despite being eyewitnesses of Jesus’s miracles and hearing His preaching first-hand, they did not recognize Jesus as the promised Messiah. The Pharisees remained unrepentant. The Pharisees would have been considered the wise and understanding, but they missed the joy, peace and freedom that faith in Jesus could bring.

Like Jesus explains in Matthew 23:4, the Pharisees “tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on people’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to move them with their finger.” (You can read Matthew 23 for more on this)

These heavy burdens are not farmers’ chores, like plowing fields, slopping pigs, and shoveling out horse stalls. They are not housewives’ chores, like cleaning your house until the floors shine, cooking three nutritious gourmet meals every day, and homeschooling a dozen children.

Rather, the Pharisees’ heavy burdens are religious duties designed to earn salvation from God. Religious duties like strictly tithing, offering animal sacrifices and keeping the Sabbath down to the minute detail.

Or in modern American Christian culture, attending church twice a week, serving monthly at a homeless ministry, and knocking on your neighbors’ doors to share the gospel. And, unfortunately, in the modern American Christian homeschool community where I dwell, it may indeed include working your fingers to the bone cleaning your house until the floors shine, cooking three nutritious gourmet meals everyday, and homeschooling a dozen children.

Friends, these are all good things. Please, work heartily as for the Lord and not for men, like Colossians 3:23 instructs. Please, be workers at home, like Titus 2:5 says. Please, put your hand to the plow and don’t look back! (Luke 9:62) Please do!

But, do these works, because you’re following Jesus. Let these deeds flow from a place of rest, a place of joy and blessing. Jesus loves you and He wants to work through you to bring Him glory. Wow! What a privilege, that this little girl from Iowa can bring glory to the Lord of Heaven and Earth!

Jesus, the promised Messiah as foretold by the prophet Isaiah, took my sins upon Himself at his death on the cross. Jesus bore my griefs. Jesus carried my sorrows. I have been healed by His wounds. (Isaiah 53:4-6)

Jesus invites us to give Him our burdens, to come to Him with the trusting faith of little children. In Jesus, we can find rest not only for our bodies, but for our SOULS.

Does your SOUL need rest? Are you tired of working to pay God back? Are you tired of trying to earn salvation? Are you tired of trying to atone for your own sins?

Friend, you can never, ever be good enough. Never. You can never pay God back. You will never deserve being saved.

Jesus paid the price for you. He is inviting you to take His yoke upon you and learn from Him, that you can have soul-rest.

Heart-check:

How are you tying up heavy burdens for yourself to carry? For others?

Have you come to Jesus and taken His yoke? What stands in your way?

How can I help you?

TWIG

“IF you confess with your MOUTH that Jesus is Lord -and- believe in your HEART that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one BELIEVES and is JUSTIFIED, and with the mouth one CONFESSES and is SAVED.”
Romans 10:9?-?10 ESV
https://bible.com/bible/59/rom.10.9-10.ESV

God wants us to BOTH believe with our heart AND confess with our mouth. Too often American Christians have a half-hearted “believe in their heads” which never travels to their heart, or their mouth.

If you truly believe that Jesus is God’s own Son, very GOD in flesh, who walked this lowly earth and died for your sins — it WILL change you! God’s love compels you to tell others that they, too, can be saved from eternal separation from God in hell.

Heart-check: When was the last time you told someone about your faith in Jesus? Where does your faith dwell – in your mind, or in your heart?

I’d love to help you move the gospel to your heart and mouth. Leave me a comment or send me an email.

This is part 2 in a series titled “Follow the Leader.” You can read Part 1 HERE.

In part 1, I shared the story of my giant puppy who insists on pulling himself back to the house – and I just let him go.

Check out this video clip of an exasperated mom who allows her son to have what it is that he THINKS he wants, despite all her warnings.

Do YOU have children, or pets, or employees, that simply refuse to follow your lead? What do YOU do when that happens?

As a parent and pet-owner, when I am not obeyed, I have two choices: (1) I can “let it go” and just allow the person (or animal) to go their own way (like I do with my dog who’s ready to go inside) -or- (2) I can actively give some kind of reward or punishment in an attempt to encourage obedience.

God, our good and faithful Father, also uses both methods to encourage His children to trust, follow and obey.

Sometimes, God lets His children have what it is that they think they want. In Romans 1:14-32, Paul writes three times, “God gave them up.” Each situation grows more dire as the people pursue more and more the lusts of their flesh, and God allows them to fulfill their passions. Finally, “They were FILLED with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice. They are FULL of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness. They are gossips, slanderers, haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless. Though they know God’s righteous decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them.” (Romans 1:29-32 ESV)

Twice in the Proverbs, we’re told, “There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death.” (Proverbs 14:12, Proverbs 16:25) This is not a way that SEEMS deadly. No, it’s a way that SEEMS right — but the end of that path is death. We’re pulling our own leash right to our own destruction.

Last month I read through the book of Numbers. In Numbers 14, the Israelites decided they didn’t want to go into the Promised Land because they were afraid. How did God respond? He let them get what they wanted. It’s as though He said, “Oh, you don’t want to go into this wonderful land that I have prepared for you? Fine, you can stay here in the desert.” (And in the desert they did stay — for 40 years!)

Is this punishment? Yes, I guess it is … But, it’s also God giving His children what they THINK they want.

Shortly thereafter, though, like most naughty children, the Israelites changed their minds. They decided they did want to go to the Promised Land after all … and to the Promised Land they headed, but against God’s commands. And do you know what happened next? Those who headed into the Promised Land against God’s commands all died at the hands of the people living in the land, just like the Israelites had feared would happen. If they had obeyed God, He would have protected them, but they didn’t, and He didn’t. You can read it here: Numbers 14. (Who says the Old Testament isn’t applicable for today?)

God (our good Father) desires His children to pursue Him, to seek Him, to love Him, to trust and obey Him. But when we choose to go our own way, turning our back on Him, refusing to trust and obey, then God oftentimes allows us to go astray. He gives us over to what it is we THINK we want.

Sadly, “the wages of sin is death.” The consequences of a lifetime of disobedience are more severe than a nasty taste in our mouth. Beware of where your path is leading. God loves you so much. He wants to bring you into His Promised Land – the eternal life available to you through faith in Jesus Christ. Choose to follow Him today by faith in His Son, Jesus. As Romans 6:23 reads, “For the wages of sin is death, BUT the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Heart-check: In what ways are you going your own way, instead of following God’s plans? How has God given you what you “wanted” in the past? What lessons did you learn?

TWIG

Have you ever played the game called “Follow the Leader?”

In this game, one person is the leader, and the other participants have to follow the leader wherever he goes.  No matter what that leader does, the followers have to copy them.

Well, I have a dog who refuses to “Follow the Leader.”  Rather than following my lead, he prefers to lead himself.  He’ll follow me when I’m going out, BECAUSE HE WANTS TO GO OUT.  But when he’s ready to go back into the house, he grabs the leash in his big mouth and starts pulling.

And, I must admit, I let him pull me back.  I figure, if he’s ready to go back in, then so am I!  This walk is over.

Jesus repeatedly told His disciples to follow Him.  Jesus’s disciples were expected to leave their homes, their families, their stuff, their livelihoods, whatever they were attached to … and follow Him.  God expects us to choose to follow His plans, rather than our own. “Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.”” (Matthew 16:24)

As modern-day Christians (“Christ-followers”), Jesus is still calling us to Follow Him.  He is supposed to be the leader, and we are supposed to follow Him.

Heart check: Are you following Jesus – or yourself?  In what ways do you need to change the path that you’re on, letting go of pulling your own leash, and choosing instead to faithfully follow your good Leader, Jesus?

TWIG

Please rejoice with me at the miracle that has been happening in my heart. God is developing PATIENCE in me from the inside out.

I have been teaching English online for VIPKID for almost a year now, and the most frequent feedback that I receive from the parents is this: The teacher is patient. What did you say? Patient?  Who? Me?  This is nothing short of a miracle!

Ever since I was young, I have been terribly impatient and critical.  I have always had very high expectations for myself — as well as those around me.  I expected everything to be done perfectly and quickly.

In recent years, though, God has been chipping away at my perfectionist tendencies, teaching me about the incredible beauty of grace.  God has used the wisdom of his Word, mixed with some painful trials, and seasoned with some gracious women in my life, to sand away that impatience bit by bit.

Do any of you also struggle to be patient? I don’t just mean being patient when you’re on a time constraint — not just patient with the slow driver in front of you, not just patient when your kids are taking too long to get in the car — but patient with people who are driving you crazy!  The long-suffering kind of patience.

How can I be patient with the customer service lady when she refuses to give me a well-deserved refund?

How can I be patient with my husband when he just cannot seem to understand (and agree with!) what I’m saying?

How can I be patient with my children when I’ve explained the same math concept to them a hundred different ways?

Let’s look together at a passage of scripture that might help us.  (Matthew 18:23-35)

From my earliest memories, I was a teacher’s pet.  I loved the feeling of answering my teacher’s questions and hearing, “Good job, Kim.  You’re so smart.”  I loved receiving the end-of-year awards, walking with pride across the stage.  I wanted desperately to be admired, to be important, to be valued.

As I grew older, I found my approval in boys.  When I was 13, I had my first boyfriend.  He was just the first in an unending series of boys, one after another, who I thought could fill a void in my life.  Boys made me feel pretty, attractive and valued.

I see now that that void was never meant to be filled by any man or the praises of any man.  I see now that no matter how hard I tried, no matter how good my grades were, or how high my ACT score was – it was never enough.  I could never score high enough to be “enough.”  There was always someone quicker, someone smarter, someone better.  No matter how much of myself I’d give away, no matter how hard I tried to please the guy I was with at any given moment – it was never enough.  There was always someone prettier, someone funnier, someone better.

Till I found Jesus.  Jesus loved me just the way I was, and He loves me now for just who I am.  I don’t have to try harder, do more, or be better.  I don’t have to “make Him like me.”  God has already demonstrated His immense love for me, in that while I was STILL a sinner, He sent His own son, Jesus Christ, to die for me. (Romans 5:8).  Jesus deeply values me, paying the price for my sins by His own death on the cross.

This, friends, is love.  This is love.  This is true love.  This is love without conditions.  This is love that truly is unending, unfailing and forever.  It began before I was born, and it will continue even after I’ve left this earth.

And do you know what’s even more incredible?  This love isn’t just available to me. It’s available to YOU.

You don’t have to be the smartest or the prettiest.  You don’t have to be better at all.  This love isn’t only available to “the few, the proud, the Marines.” It’s available to you.

Jesus doesn’t just love ME, friend.  He loves YOU.  And He longs for you to love Him back.

I’ll leave you with a song by Phil Wickham that has me in tears, “Till I Found You.”

“Count your blessings, name them one by one.  Count your many blessings, see what God has done.”

When my oldest two children were preschoolers, we’d drive around town in our Toyota van singing along with catchy Christian children’s songs, like this one.  This idea of “counting my blessings” has further been encouraged by the current gratitude journal craze, where I’m encouraged to number out the blessings of my day.

So, I begin.  “Thank you, God, for mymany blessings …”

1. Jesus

2. Bill

3. Emily

4. Nick

5. Noelle

6. Daniel

But, wait, there’s something missing from this list … or, rather, someone missing.  In fact, two names are missing from this list.

Where are my two babies who died before they were born?  Where is my “baby #1,” miscarried just months after we were married?  Where is my son, Tommy, born still 20 years ago today?  Why aren’t their names on this list?  Why is it so easy for me to skip over their names when I’m counting my blessings? I know that the scriptures tell me to “rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances.” (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18a). So, what should I do?

I choose to make myself look up with eyes open wide for God’s hand carrying me through each day. I choose to look ahead, looking forward to the coming rewards like Moses who “considered the reproach of Christ greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking to the reward.” (Hebrews 11:26).  Like Hebrews 11:6, “without faith it is impossible to please [God], for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.”

These coming rewards may take the form of earthly blessings, like Job being blessed with more cattle and more children after he’d lost them all.  Or they may take the form of heavenly rewards, like those referred to in 1 Corinthians 3:14.  Or they may take the form of greater faith and confidence in God, like James 1:2-3, “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.”  We may not “count it all joy” for the trials, so much as finding joy for the result of them.

I, for one, know that my faith has grown deeper and stronger because of Tommy’s untimely death. That baby’s short life — and painful death — began a new trajectory in my life.  I wanted Heaven to be real more desperately than ever before.  I watched for God’s hand in my daily life more than ever before.  I searched the scriptures because they were bread for my soul, like never before.

Look up, look forward and look back.  God is with you.  Look for him.  Keep your eyes wide open and see Him work!  God is keeping count of your tears in a bottle. (Psalm 56:8 ESV).  He has not forgotten you.  “Can a woman forget her nursing child, that she should have no compassion on the son of her womb? Even these may forget, yet I will not forget you. Behold, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands.” (Isaiah 49:15-16a ESV)

Let me leave you with two songs.  “Counting Every Blessing” by Rend Collective; and “Blessings” by Laura Story

For more, check out my website at www.AChildofPromise.org

I’ve been working through Kelly Hall’s excellent study guide, “Courageous Faith.” Today I’m pondering this question: “Is my faith FOUNDATIONAL or CONDITIONAL?” Kelly writes, “Foundational faith believes God’s character remains unchanged regardless of our changing circumstances.”

Today I choose to put my faith in God even when it’s hard, when the days are long and my prayers are not answered immediately. I believe that God is real, that He exists and that He knows me. I believe that He will never leave me or forsake me. I believe that He is able to do more than I can ask or imagine.

How about you? How can I pray for you? Are you struggling today to believe that God sees you, hears you and knows your every innermost need? How can you choose today to make your faith foundational, rather than conditional?
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#foundationalfaith #courageousfaith #faith #evangelicalatheisttoevangelicalchristian