SERVING CHRIST

“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” (Matt. 11:29 NKJV).

In our verse we have an inspiring call to serve the Lord Jesus Christ. Thus we want to note a few things that are involved in service - the load of service, the learning in service, the lowliness in service, and the leisure in service.

Load of service - “Take My yoke upon you.” The yoke is a harness that allows farm animals to pull some farm equipment. So not only is the yoke a load, but it will attach the laborer to another load. Taking the yoke not only involves a load but it also involves a commitment. We will not serve the Lord much if we are unwilling to carry a load or if we are unwilling to be tied down to a task. Most folks think that this yoke is too heavy and burdensome. However, if we are not under the yoke of the Savior we will be under the yoke of sin. And the load of sin is the most burdensome load of all.

Learning in service - “And learn from Me.” One of the compensations for serving the Lord it to learn spiritually. Serving as a Sunday school teacher will help a person learn more of the Bible as they prepare their lessons. On the other hand, spiritual ignorance is the lot of those who refuse to serve.

Lowliness in service - “I am gentle and lowly in heart.” If we would serve the Lord Jesus Christ, we must be like Him - meek and lowly in heart. This not only means humility but it also means submission to God. One cannot serve unless he can humbly take orders. Many do not serve because they are too proud to take orders. Others will not serve unless the position of service is one of prestige or is in the spotlight.

Leisure in service - “You will find rest for your souls.” The Lord Jesus Christ is a good Master; He is no slave driver. The yoke of the Lord Jesus Christ, unlike the yoke of sin, does not leave out rest. Those under the yoke of sin cannot rest (Isa. 57:20). Rest for the soul is the best rest of all. And serving the Lord Jesus Christ is the best place to serve.

(Adapted from Butler’s Daily Bible Reading 2)

Soli Deo Gloria (To God Alone Be The Glory)

Quotation of the Week

“How utterly terrible is the current idea that Christians can serve God at their own convenience!”

Aiden Wilson (A.W.) Tozer (1897 – 1963)

American Pastor, Theologian and Author

Word Study

Evident

In Gal. 3:11 we read, “But that no one is justified by the law in the sight of God is evident, for “the just shall live by faith” (NKJV).

Evident is the Geek word dēlos (δῆλος =day'-los). The word means clearly visible and hence clear, plain, clear to the understanding or mind. In classical Greek dēlos means clear or plain. In the Septuagint, dēlos means to make clear, and also carried the idea of completeness. In the New Testament, dēlos carries the idea of manifest, certain. Dēlos pertains to that which can be clearly and easily able to be known.

“Fear Nots” Found in the Bible

“And Isaiah said unto them, Thus shall ye say unto your master, Thus saith the Lord, Be not afraid of the words that thou hast heard, wherewith the servants of the king of Assyria have blasphemed me” (Isa. 37:6 KJV).

Did You Know…

The third person to be raised from the dead in the Bible was the man whose body touched the bones of Elisha (2 Kings 13:20–21). His body was thrown into Elisha’s grave after the grave diggers saw a band of Moabite raiders approaching.

Bible Quiz

Although Satan was permitted to attack Job, what did God prohibited him from doing?

**Answer to last week’s Bible Quiz: According to Proverbs 15, where are the eyes of God? “In every place” i.e., everywhere (15:3).

Names For the Lord Jesus in the Bible

“HIGHEST”

"And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Highest; For you will go before the face of the Lord to prepare His ways!” (Luke 1:76 NKJV).

1. Meaning – HIGHEST speaks of the Lord Jesus as being one with God the Father.

2. Insights – “Highest” or “Most High” is a commonly used title of God in both the Old Testament and the New Testament. In Luke 1:.35, the angel Gabriel told Mary that her son would be called the “Son of God.” This pointed to His equality with Yahweh. Thus, the Lord Jesus was not simply thought to be the Son of God, He is the Son of God. He is over all, “the eternally blessed God” (Rom 9:5).

Did You Know – Christian History

Joseph Mukasa was born in 1860 in Uganda, Africa. He was a Ugandan Catholic martyr and the senior advisor at the court of Mwanga II of Buganda.

Mukasa was a member of the royal family and a Catholic convert. Because he was a man of peaceful disposition, King Mutesa nicknamed him “Balikuddembe” (they will have peace).

When Anglican and Catholic missionaries came to Uganda late in the 19th century, they were well-received by King Mutesa. However, he did not become a Christian, and died unexpectedly at a young age. His son Mwanga assumed the throne. After Mwanga came to the throne, Mukasa served as head of the new king’s two hundred group page boys.

Unlike his father, Mwanga was cruel and wicked with little political sense. One of his early acts (January 1885) was to martyr three Protestant converts. Later that same year, his troops massacred Anglican bishop James Hannington and the Africans traveling with him. As Mwanga’s senior adviser, Mukasa spoke against the killing of bishop Hannington. He rebuked the king for killing Hannington without giving him a hearing. Mwanga viewed this as disrespectful. In a land where a king's authority was absolute, Mukasa took his stand with King Jesus, demonstration his bravery.

Mukasa also hid page boys when he saw that the king was attracted to them. Mwanga was furious at having his lusts thwarted. When the pagan Prime Minister Katikiro suggested that Mukasa should be killed because he was leader of the young Christian community, Mwanga agreed. After a night-long interview the king condemned Mukasa to death.

On November 15, 1885, guards led Mukasa to Nakivubo for execution. Just before his head was cut off, he said, “Katikiro is having me killed unjustly.” He forgave him, but called on him to “change his way of life.” After he was beheaded, his body was thrown onto a pile of burning firewood.

If the king expected Christianity to fade following this harsh example, he quickly learned that it would not be so. Inspired by Mukasa’s heroism, the church grew rapidly. Another convert, Charles Lwanga, took Mukasa’s place in the palace and acted with the same integrity. The king roasted him over a slow fire. Many other converts were murdered in the next two years, but Mukasa was the first of the Catholic martyrs in Uganda.

A Little Humor

Sitting on a bus just days after undergoing surgery at New England Baptist Hospital in Boston, Fred noticed a passenger coming down the aisle with a standard-issue hospital cane just like his. Pointing to it, Fred asked the man, “New England Baptist?” “No way,” the man angrily replied. “Irish Catholic!”

Thought Provoking Church Sign

“God’s grace is the best antidote for a weary soul!”