Sera is a theatre production student from LaSalle, she never fails to inspire others around her with her deep convictions and carefree expression of God's love. She's blessed with a beautiful singing voice too!
When a person is born anew and experiences repentance, his attitude about Jesus changes. Jesus himself becomes the central focus and the ultimate value of life. Before the new birth happens and repentance occurs, a hundred other things seem more important and more attractive: health, family, job, friends, sports, music, food, hobbies, retirement. But when God gives the radical change of new birth and repentance, Jesus himself becomes our ultimate treature. =)
Therefore, His demand that we come to him is not burdensome. It means coming to the one who has become everything to us. Jesus did not come into the world mainly to bring a new religion or a new law. He came to offer himself for our eternal enjoyment and to do whatever he had to do, including death, to remove every obstacle to this everlasting joy in him.
"These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full."
John 15:11
When Jesus demands that we do things, like "Come to me", the essence of these demands is that we experience the life that most fully savors and spreads his supreme worth.
As Jesus looks out over the religions of the world, including the Judaism of his day, he sees people who are labouring under heavy loads to earn the favour of whatever deity they belive in. He did not come to replace that God-appeasing load with another one. He came to carry that load and call us to himself for rest.
"Come to me all who labour 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 soul. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."
Matthew 11:28-30
Make no mistake, there is a yoke and a burden when we come to Jesus, but the yoke is easy and the burden is light. =)
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I really want to pray and also dedicate this message to those who aren't doing so well spiritually. I pray that you will understand the plans of God, to prosper us and not to harm us. Jesus called us into the kingdom because He knows how tough the world is out there. And he's given us a yoke that is light because he carries it with us, walking right beside us.
Some of us may think its so tough to follow Jesus and be a disciple and find that we have no strength to go on. Let me encourage you with this.
It says in Matthew 7:14 that the gate is narrow and the way to life is hard. The reason it is hard is not because Jesus is a hard task master. It's hard because the world is a hard place to enjoy Jesus above all. We have a suicidal tendency to enjoy other things more.
Jesus is not the burden. He is the burden lifter, the soul satisfier, and the life giver.
"Jesus stood up and cried out, 'If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink."
John 7:37
I pray that we can overcome what we naturally decide for our lives which is to follow our own desires. Let's know that God's desires for us outweighs any other... Amen.. =)
Love you all dearly...
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