Vicki's Wednesday Word

  Matthew 11:28-29 New Living Translation 28 Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. Do you wonder what Jesus meant when he says to “take my yoke upon you” in this passage? We know that a yoke was a contraption that hooked an animal up to a plow or some kind of cart, often in tandem. In one sentence he says come to him to get a break from exhaustion and in the very next to take on his yoke, a whole different kind of burden. I think the next verse helps to clarify. “ 30 For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.” Jesus wants us to “hook” up to him and relieve us of all the worries and fears of this life. Instead, he wants to give us purpose and hope for a better way to live. We are all faced with the stresses of everyday life. Some are as a result of the natural world (i.e

  Hebrews 4:8-13 NLT 8 Now if Joshua had succeeded in giving them this rest, God would not have spoken about another day of rest still to come. 9 So there is a special rest still waiting for the people of God. 10 For all who have entered into God’s rest have rested from their labors, just as God did after creating the world. 11 So let us do our best to enter that rest. But if we disobey God, as the people of Israel did, we will fall. 12 For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires. 13 Nothing in all creation is hidden from God. Everything is naked and exposed before his eyes, and he is the one to whom we are accountable. It may appear that I spend my contemplative time dwelling on the loving, merciful nature of God the Father. Rest assured, the aspects of God described in this passage are never far from my thoughts. The all-powerful

  Ephesians 2:4-10 NLT 4 But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much, 5 that even though we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God’s grace that you have been saved!) 6 For he raised us from the dead along with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ Jesus. 7 So God can point to us in all future ages as examples of the incredible wealth of his grace and kindness toward us, as shown in all he has done for us who are united with Christ Jesus. 8 God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. 9 Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. 10 For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago. It really is simple. The love and the mercy God has for his creation is so great. It is a grace so much