Month: June 2019

“Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy-laden and overburdened, and I will cause you to rest.  Take My yoke upon you and learn of Me, for I am gentle (meek) and humble (lowly) in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  For My yoke is wholesome (useful, good—not harsh, hard, sharp, or pressing, but comfortable, gracious, and pleasant), and My burden is light and easy to be borne.” Matthew 11:28-30 ->me: Today I come to the end of chapter 11.  I spent all of my time this morning on these 3 verses, trying to get all the likely meanings of heavy-laden and overburdened.  Most of the commentaries I read pointed to the weight of legalism that was upon the Jews by the Pharisees.  The constant changes in case law meant that there was always some new religious law you needed to heed to.  Jesus spends three verses to communicate the following – 1) Come to Jesus, being with Him will allow you to rest.  2) Share Jesus’ load.  A yoke is meant not only to bear weight but to apply the weight across more bearers.  Jesus is saying ‘wear my yoke with Me; pulling the weight with My help is easy’.  3) Bearing the yoke with Jesus means learning about Him; learning that He is gentle and humble.  4) When you wear Jesus’ yoke, bearing the weight produces goodness and useful outcomes.  Putting on a yoke also locks you into ‘doing’; any direction you move, your actions produce effort against the work to be done.  When you wear Jesus’ yoke you are guaranteed to be inline with the work He is doing.  What does it mean to take on His yoke?? -> According to the verses above it is to LEARN (find or receive instruction) OF/FROM HIM.  Kinda goes with my previous QTs huh?  🙂

“All things have been entrusted and delivered to Me by My Father; and no one fully knows and accurately understands the Son except the Father, and no one fully knows and accurately understands the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son deliberately wills to make Him known.” Matthew 11:27 – From verse 15 through 24, Jesus reproofs the Pharisees and the cities that He had been in an done wondrous works.  Even though they saw him heal the sick, mend the lame, and made the blind to see; they still had a mind set against Him.  Jesus even talks about how Sodom will have a better chance at the judgement than them because the Pharisees and Galilean cities have not excuse.  They have so much more information regarding the power of God and will be held to account.  In today’s verse above I am reminded to seek to be like Jesus and follow Him. He says here that ‘no one fully knows the Father except the Son….or anyone the Son deliberately wills to make Him known’….Whoa!  Jesus can will that I might know and understand the Father fully?!  Jesus is the way to know Him and the Father more.  Quiet Time after Quiet Time this last week, God’s Living Word is reminding me to continually seek to know and be like His Son.  Jesus is the One who can reveal, He is the Word, I must KNOW the Word.

“And if you are willing to receive and accept it, John himself is Elijah who was to come [before the kingdom].  He who has ears to hear, let him be listening and let him consider and perceive and comprehend by hearing.” Matthew 11:14-15  ->me: Today I have been reading Matthew 11:7-11.  This is the point at which Jesus is talking to the crowds as John the Baptist’s disciples are returning to let him know that there is no one after Jesus; that Jesus is the one spoken of in Isaiah.  Jesus is explaining the role that John the Baptist was given by God to prepare the way for the coming of Himself.  John was baptizing those who were accepting the God of Abraham, Issac, and Jacob as the One True God, or recommitting their lives to this fact…why is this?  It was so that the voice of God and His Spirit would be loud in their hearts letting them know that Jesus was the Messiah; the same Messiah spoken of in the revelation of the prophets of old.  This goes to re-affirm that NO ONE comes to Jesus unless the Father calls them!!  Epiphany!!!  John the Baptist was sent to preach repentance and baptism so that sinners could hear the voice of God in their hearts calling them to His Son!!  This is why you must seek God to find Him…more importantly, His Son!  Wow, just wow!!  Now that Jesus has come, died, and rose again to live at the right-hand of the Father in heaven, we have direct access to the Father through Him!  This is why John the Baptist is no longer needed.  We can fall at the foot of the cross, releasing our pride before Him to accept the Grace and mercy the Father offers through the Blood Jesus bore on the cross for us.  Seeking God today mean crucifying our ego everyday so that we might receive grace and blessing through humility; being strong only by His strength alone.  You, God, will give me perfect peace when my mind is steadfast on You, because I trust in You! (Isaiah 26:3)

“Now when John (the Baptist) in prison heard about the activities of Christ, he sent a message by his disciples, and they asked Him, Are You the One Who was to come, or should we keep on expecting a different one?  And Jesus replied to them, Go and report to John what you hear and see: The blind receive their sight and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed (by healing) and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up and the poor have good news (the Gospel) preached to them.  And blessed is he who takes no offense at Me and finds no cause for stumbling in or through Me and is not hindered from seeing the Truth.” Matthew 11:2-6  ->me: I love how Jesus consistently points back to the scriptures to answer questions.  Most Jews, and now we see John the Baptist as well, were confused that this Messiah was not coming to do what they expected -> be their King and rescue them from the Roman empire, for starters.  So here we have John sending his own people to get confirmation.  Then Jesus says, “Go back to John and report what you hear and see…”.  The next verse is essentially Jesus quoting Isaiah 35:5-6.  Jesus affirms that blessed will be the ones who see Jesus for Who He is and do not get stumbled by preconceived ideas.  This again is a reminder to stay in the Word; Jesus references it all the time.  It is God’s truth.  Don’t be satisfied with someone else’s take on what Jesus or God thought or did…read for your self; praying that God would excite the Holy Spirit to reveal the Living Word in your heart. Ben, stay in the Word!  Memorize the Word!  Spread the Word!

“He who receives and welcomes and accepts you [Disciples] receives and welcomes and accepts Me, and he who receives and welcomes and accepts Me receives and welcomes and accepts Him Who sent Me and whoever gives to one of these little ones [in rank or influence] even a cup of cold water because he is My disciple, surely I declare to you, he shall not lose his reward.” Matthew 10:40&42 ->me: Oh it is so good to be back in God’s word. It has been a set of super crazy days but…that is no excuse, I simply chose sleep and time at work over my time with the Lord. Let me tell you – the trade off, for me, is not worth it. It seems ok and justifiable in the moment but when I finally sit back in front the word of God, I am reminded 1) of God’s grace and acceptance of me in His Son 2) His strength and comfort delivered in truth through His Holy Spirit. These verses today seem like a nice buttoned up ending to Matthew 10 but this impression that when I welcome disciples/followers Jesus and their teaching, I am welcoming Jesus, and through Jesus, the Father! Taking care of God’s own is a big deal! The reception afforded to Jesus’ disciples becomes the test of a person’s relationship to God. This is spelled out more fully in Matthew 25:31–46. We had the blessing of having a dear brother in Christ, visiting from out of town, (a Pastor of an inner city church in Orlando) over to our home for dinner this week. What a wonderful evening to get some of his time and I am so glad my wife and girls got to meet this wonderful man! Maybe, just maybe, we had the opportunity to welcome Jesus and One Who sent Him as well. 🙂

“And he who does not take up his cross and follow Me [cleave steadfastly to Me, conforming wholly to My example in living and, if need be, in dying also] is not worthy of Me. Whoever finds his [lower] life will lose it [the higher life], and whoever loses his [lower] life on My account will find it [the higher life].” Matthew 10:38-39 [AMPL] ->me: The content of these 2 verses is repeated in the New Testament 6 times. You have to remember that Jesus has not yet shared His coming death with the disciples. ‘Cross-bearing’ was a common site in Roman controlled Palestine so the disciples would have gotten the picture Jesus was trying to draw but little did they know how true it would become for them. Can I call myself a true disciple and follower of Jesus? Have I internalized the message in these 2 verses for myself? I believe that ‘cross-bearing’ and saying no to the flesh are the invitation one needs to Jesus. It will be how people respond to this that will separate them out when Jesus says those scary words at the judgement “away from Me, I never knew you”. When I look at how I live my life today, I have the full intention to pick up the cross and bear it; I believe in the hope that it leads to -> Life Eternal…but, I always seem to get distracted by work, life, family, and things. I wake up hours later only to realize I haven’t thought about the Lord at all since that morning. So, this week I spent time in the prayer closet asking (inviting) the Lord to fill my whole heart, to consume my whole mind. The Lord is answering that request by showing me that I need Him in this way. I could swear that not 15 minutes goes by that I am reminded of how broken I am; how little control I am able to muster on my own to live in a consistent upright way. Prayer is the key <-> the key is prayer.

“Are not two little sparrows sold for a penny? And yet not one of them will fall to the ground without your Father’s leave (consent) and notice. But even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not, then; you are of more value than many sparrows. Therefore, everyone who acknowledges Me before men and confesses Me [out of a state of oneness with Me], I will also acknowledge him before My Father Who is in heaven and confess [that I am abiding in] him.” Matthew 10:29-32 ->me: Today was my first day back in my prayer closet in over a week. I have been praying but not in that wonderful place that is void of light and there is so little sound. I cannot stress how impactful this type of prayer is in front of the God of the universe; where He has all of your attention and there is no one there but you and Him. This brings me to my verses this afternoon – EVERYTHING that is allowed to happen is a deliberate action by God and these verses tell us that God has an order of importance to the things He touches. He created the sparrows and not one of them falls to the ground without God allowing it and noticing. FEAR NOT! I am more valuable to Him than MANY sparrows. Praying before God in His presence with no one else to hear is the precursor to acknowledging and confessing Jesus before men. This prayer life is the gasoline that lights the influence of Jesus IN us and we IN Him. Therefore, as I listen to the Holy Spirit within me and react obediently in my witness, THEN Jesus will acknowledge and confess before God the Father that HE (JESUS) IS (LIVING) IN ME! This LIVING IN me is what gives me the strength to manage temptation, turn away from sin, turn toward God and not pursue the fleeting pleasures of this world. This LIVING IN HIM is what helps me to stay on the path of His will and purposes.

Ben’s QTVOTD – “What I say to you in the dark, tell in the light; and what you hear whispered in the ear, proclaim upon the housetops.” Matthew 10:27 ->me: This verse is why I think it is good for us to share what God is teaching us. Notice Jesus does not say “proclaim on the house tops…and ensure everyone who hears changes their ways”. The instruction here is to pass on the goodness God is sharing with us. Let Him do the work in the hearts of others if it is His will. This verse is one of the reasons I share these with you and post them on www.bourlandweb.com everyday (everyday that I do my QT). It is also why I have given each of you the caveat that these are convictions and learnings God has given me in my reading and time with Him. What He may have for you might be different and applicable to your situation or position on the course to heaven He has set before you. Additionally, I think Jesus told His disciples this because He knew that recounting what they had been taught by Him would be reinforced in their hearts and minds through proclaiming what they had learned. I have so far to go and even this morning as I prayed before my time here before the Word of God, I found myself inadequate for His presence and undeserving of His grace and mercy…but that is the beauty of our God. God requires nothing from me but belief, to receive an inheritance in the Kingdom – it cannot be earned. In grace is the power to fight against temptation and the strength to persevere in this foreign place called earth until He comes; seeking Him and His will for my life.

“You will be brought before governors and kings for My sake, as a witness to bear testimony before them and to the Gentiles (the nations), but when they deliver you up, do not be anxious about how or what you are to speak; for what you are to say will be given you in that very hour and moment, For it is not you who are speaking, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.” Matthew 10:18-20->me: As Bella and I prepare to go to Mexico at the end of the month to join Yugo Ministries to build a home for a young family and help with Vacation Bible School for the surrounding Ensenada community, I am reminded that neither I or Bella are our own…we belong to the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. What a frightening and awesome feeling the Disciples must have had when they heard these words from Jesus. I need to ask myself, “Am I prepared to go evangelize and spread the gospel knowing that I might come into situations where I might need to rely on the Lord for exactly what He is saying here?” “Do I have a faith and trust in Him that gives me the confidence to boldly exalt and proclaim that Jesus is the Son of God and gave Himself for us that we might be reconciled to the Father?” What I takeaway from this passage is that I must be ready to not only give everything but to also wait on God for His instruction and word; to not take hold of the reins myself. Loving God means allowing the Spirit of God to flow through me and keeping my body, mind, and heart focused on His glory so that He is unencumbered when it comes time to use me as a vessel of His strength and wisdom.

“Behold, I am sending you out like sheep in the midst of wolves; be wary and wise as serpents, and be innocent (harmless, guileless, and without falsity) as doves. Be on guard against men [whose way or nature is to act in opposition to God]; for they will deliver you up to councils and flog you in their synagogues” Matthew 10:16-17 ->me: This message from Jesus to His disciples is just as relevant today. Jesus knows what we will come up against in our walks and witness before men. The world is like a sea of wolves and we are like sheep rummaging through it. I must walk out into my garden (which I am positioned to tend) ready to be pounced on…to expect it. In fact, if I am living a safe uncontentious life, then I am not doing enough (very much goes with yesterday’s QT). Interesting that Jesus uses wise (Greek -> Phronimos: prudent, shrewd, or sensible) as serpents and innocent (Greek -> Akeraios: pure, transparent, or unmixed) as doves. So, I am not to be a gullible simpleton, but neither am I to be rogue; it demands not naivety, but an irreproachable honesty of who I live my life to glorify. The balance of prudence and purity will enable me both to survive and to fulfil my mission, through Jesus, to the world.