SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 1/2/2022 7:55 AM
My Worship Time Focus:
PT-1 “Submission”
Bible Reading & Meditation Reference:
Matt 11:29-30
Message of the verses: “29 “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. 30 “For My
yoke is easy and My burden is light’” (NKJV).
When a person becomes a believer in Jesus Christ for
salvation there has to be submission involved, submission in order to obey the
Lord, to make Him Lord of your life. I
know that there are many times that we fail the Lord, but that means that when
that happens we need to confess that to the Lord. Remember that the successful Christian life
is a series of new beginnings, and I suppose that on this 2nd day of
the New Year is a good time to ask the Lord to search your hearts in order to
being the New Year with a clear conscience.
That is not just something for the 2nd day of the year, but
every morning should be a time to ask God to search your heart to begin each
day off with a clear conscience so you are able to serve the Lord.
MacArthur
writes about the yoke: “A yoke was made
of wood, hand-hewn to fit the neck and shoulders of the particular animal that
was to wear it in order to prevent chafing.
For obvious reasons, the term was widely used in the ancient world as a
metaphor for submission. The yoke was
part of the harness used to pull a cart, plow, or mill beam and was the means
by which the animal’s master kept it under control and guided it in useful
work. A student was often spoken of as
being under the yoke of his teacher, and an ancient Jewish writing contains the
advice: “Put your neck under the yoke
and let your soul receive instruction.”
Now
that we know what the yoke is all about then that means that we can better
understand how submission applies to the term yoke. This seems to be the particular meaning Jesus
has had in mind, because He then adds “and learn from Me.” MacArthur adds “Mahthano (to learn) is closely related to mathetes (disciple, or learner) and reinforces the truth that
Christ’s disciples are His submissive learners.
They submit to Christ’s lordship for many reasons, among the most
important of which is to be taught by Him through His Word. A yoke symbolizes obedience, and Christian obedience
includes learning from Christ.”
I
think that I have mentioned that I am reading a book that I got for Christmas
entitled “Present and Powerful” which was written by a lady that I know who is
now a retired missionary doctor. It is
pretty much a biography of her life from the time that she accepted the Lord,
knowing that the Lord was going to use her for His glory after she submitted
her life to Him. Submitting her life,
and the life of her family is seen throughout the very powerful book that she
has written. Being a doctor in Africa
and then in Southeast Asia is much different than being a doctor in our country
or even Western Europe. Taking care of
hippo bites, snake bites, monkey bites, and sleeping on the floor with a thin mattress
is not what happens to doctors in our country, but it did for her and her
family. She writes about raising a pet
Mongoose to help keep the snakes away from their house. He husband and children were all in this with
her, even having her daughters when they were old enough to help in the
operating room with her. I am thankful
to know this family, at least three of them as they have stayed with my wife
and I on a couple of occasions, and it was and is a joy to get to know them
especially through this book. Submission
to the Lord was their way of life.
1/2/2022 8:22 AM
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