Meet my office assistant, Sir Bassy!! He really loves helping out in the office, and he has a keen interest in the equipment.
For instance, when he hears the printer start up, he’s out to the office in a shot. He needs to check that the paper feeds through okay!!
Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not ALL his benefits!! (Psalm 103:2, NKJ)
Blessed be the Lord, Who daily loads us with benefits, the God of our salvation! (Psalm 68:19, NKJ)
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with EVERY spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ. (Ephesians 1:3, NKJ)
The real children of Abraham, then, are those who put their faith in God.
What’s more, the Scriptures looked forward to this time when God would declare the Gentiles to be righteous because of their faith. God proclaimed this good news to Abraham long ago when he said, “All nations will be blessed through you.” So all who put their faith in Christ share the same blessing Abraham received because of his faith.” (Galatians 3:7-9, NLT)
O, how we can take things for granted.
This is the pair of Rainbow Lorikeets that have claimed our place. It was two years ago this week, that the first one, Lulu, came. We thought she must have been someone’s pet, because she seemed fairly tame, but not tame enough to touch.
So we gave her some bread and honey. She came back a couple more times, and then one day, she brought her friend. And then a few weeks later there were MORE friends!! The most I’ve counted at one time is 24.
Anyhow, none of the other lorikeets have become as tame as our two. And Lorri and Lulu visit us everyday lately. If we don’t come in a hurry, they will sit on the front door and look inside.
But, as beautiful as they are, they have become such commonplace around here, that I can tend to take them for granted, and forget what a blessing they are!!
O, how we need to so often remind ourselves, not to forget all God’s blessings to us, especially if we belong to Christ!! But how could we ever count them all??
Here’s some thoughts I shared, a few months ago, in a forum called “Do you believe?” Many of the members are professing athiests.
I just love how Jesus had a way with words!! You know, He was on earth for a short 33 years and His earthly ministry was only 3. How could someone so young have so much wisdom?
Yet lately, I’ve been reading my Bible, Matthew’s Gospel in particular. One thing that strikes me is how He answered all His religious critics. They were constantly trying to trap Him and catch Him up in what He said. But His answers to them were BRILLIANT!! He knew exactly how to answer them and stop them in their tracks.
If you don’t have a Bible handy, you can read Matthew’s gospel here.
These religious dudes were out to get Jesus, because He was cramping their style. He exposed their hypocrisy. On the outside, these guys looked very sanctimonious and holy, but inside they were rotten to the core. Check what Jesus said about them… Matthew 23..
“The teachers of the law and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat. So you must obey them and do everything they tell you. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach. They tie up heavy loads and put them on men’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them….
“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside also will be clean.
“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of dead men’s bones and everything unclean. In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness.” (Mat 25, NIV)
Boy, this is a lot different to the meek and mild picture we normally get of Jesus. But He hated hypocrisy… and He was not into religious experiences. He was into REAL LIFE!!
And here’s something else He said in Matthew’s gospel…(Chapter 11:25-30)
“I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for this was your good pleasure.
“All things have been committed to me by my Father. No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
And that is the spiritual experience I have found. I’ve been in love with this Jesus for 30+ years!! And I’d never turn back!! Compared to Jesus, what could the world or religion offer?
At our Tuesday night Bible study, we’ve been studying Hebrews. We started before Christmas, and we’re now up to chapter 10.
Anyhow, rewind five chapters back, and five months ago!! We were looking at chapter 5 and talking about the priesthood.
When I think of a priest, I’d think of someone dressed in nice clothes, and very sanctimonious, and clean.
But when you look at what a priest had to do… he had to be a butcher!! He had to slaughter animals!! People would bring their animals to the priest to be sacrificed to pay for their sins. Can you imagine the stench that must have been in the temple? Heaps of animal poo and stuff!!
And then, when the animal was killed… all the blood and guts!! Eewww!!
And then, when it was burned, this would have been the good bit… roast lamb, beef or poultry!! … enough to make the mouth water.
But was struck me, was all the work that was involved to appease man’s sin… to turn away God’s wrath.
That, to me, was the heavy burden and yoke that Jesus was talking about. Just imagine having to do all that today?
I am SO grateful, and feel so blessed, that Jesus has done all that. He paid the price… the sacrifices are all done away with.
All we have to do is BELIEVE!!! His yoke is grace and His burden is righteousness through faith… our right standing with God!! It was a matter of receiving His love and mercy… realizing that we are accepted and forgiven because of what Jesus has done.
For them, the burden was being righteous by keeping the Law, and the yoke was the works and rituals one had to go through to try and please God. They served God out of fear, and hoped to appease His anger.
And the difference is the same as what we find in Romans 7 and 8.
I reckon that’s what Jesus was talking about in Matthew 11.
“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.” (v. 28-30, ESV)
