Thursday, April 1, 2021

Matthew 11 Devotional Thoughts by Stephen Taylor

Matthew 11:4,5

Jesus replied, “Go back and report to John what you hear and see: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is proclaimed to the poor.”

 

The Holy Spirit pointed out to me that Jesus gives us a list full of miracles, then concludes it with preaching to the poor. I don’t think He is just talking about those people who are poor financially but those who are truly poor in things that matter most both in this life and the next. Poor in spirit, poor in hope, poor in love, poor in freedom, poor in grace and mercy.

 

But the Gospel of Jesus Christ delivers abundantly in each of these areas and so many more! The good news doesn’t make us rich in this life but in the next! So, I see Jesus here talking more about the poor spiritually than the poor financially.

 

What a beautiful picture this is that He equates His miracles with this sharing of the good news! How beautiful His heart is! And if we put into practice His principle that the first will be last and the last will be first, then we can see here that the proclaiming of the good news is above all the other signs and miracles!

 

His heart is for us to be redeemed and set free in Him and to live a life of closest relationship with Him, His Father, and the Holy Spirit! It always has been! Even when He went to the cross, it wasn’t to punish us but to take the punishment for us and set us free! Thank you, King Jesus, for saving a sinner like me!

 

2 Corinthians 5:20,21 - So we are Christ’s ambassadors; God is making His appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, “Come back to God!” For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin so that we could be made right with God through Christ.

 

God bless! I love you all, but He loves you more! Glory, honor, and praise now and forever to Papa God, Jesus Christ our King, and the Holy Spirit!

 
 
 

Matthew 11:28 

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”

Those are Jesus’ words, not mine, and they still hold the same promise today that they did 2000 years ago!! He longs for us to go to Him in times of trouble and hardship!

There is so much in this verse, but what spoke to me today were two words “all” and “will”!! That is a guarantee straight from Jesus that all who come to Him will get rest!! Not some, not most, but ALL!! And it says He WILL give us rest. It doesn’t say, “If you follow all My commands,” or, “If you do this for Me.” It simply says, “If you come to Me, it will be yours!!” Thank You, Jesus!!

Many times, I lay down at night and give what I’m thinking about over to Him, but before I get out of bed the next day, I take it back! I need to leave it with Him and receive His rest!! I often pray, “Give me strength, give me strength, give me strength,” but Jesus is saying, “Give it to Me, give it to Me, give it to Me!!!” Sometimes, the strength is found in the surrender!!! 


I love you all, and God bless you!! Let’s leave it at the foot of the cross!! Glory to God and the risen Lamb of God!!

 

Matthew 11:28

“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” 

 

As I was praying this morning, God brought to mind a guy swimming in a pool with a backpack full of rocks and how impossible that would be. I felt like He was telling me this is us when we try to carry things around with us instead of laying them at His feet. The weight of guilt, shame, unforgiveness, anger, pride, and selfishness weigh me down, and eventually, I’m gonna drown. It’s not good enough just to let go, I have to give it to God. See, the guy I saw didn’t have anything in his hands; they were free, but he was still carrying around the things from his past. They were still hanging on to him and were slowly taking him under.

 

I love our God so much and how He makes it so simple for people like me. The answer is simple, and it’s always the same. It’s Jesus!!! You can’t forgive? Ask Jesus to show you how! You get angry? Ask Jesus for His peace. You’re prideful? Ask Jesus to help you get humble! God didn’t give us some extremely difficult process or a million hoops to jump through. In fact, He made it super simple. Accept, believe, and confess who Jesus is, and you’re in!!! My freedom isn’t that I get to go to Heaven but that I get to spend every day with Christ until I get there!!!

 

What a blessing it is to know He knows our pasts and that He still loves and accepts us!!! If you’re carrying things around from your past, He wants ‘em. He wants you to tell Him about them, and then let Him have them. Don’t keep trying to swim in the deep end with all that weight on your shoulders, but rather leave them at His feet and enjoy swimming in true freedom!!!

 


Galatians 5:1 - For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.

 

Be encouraged and be encouraging!!! I love you all, God bless!!! Glory to God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit!!!

 

 

 

 

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