Resting in Christ with a Meek and Lowly Heart (1)

Matt 11:28  Come to Me all who toil and are burdened, and I will give you rest.  (29)  Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am meek and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  (30)  For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.

(Part 1 of 2)
“Come to Me all who toil and are burdened, and I will give you rest.” Brothers and sisters, do you feel a heavy burden on you? Are you struggling day and night? Do you feel unhappy in your heart? The Lord is speaking to you, “Come. Come to Me, and I will give you rest.” Do you have many worries? Do you have many burdens which you cannot bear? Are you grieving over your many failures? The Lord says to come to Him, and He will give us rest.

How does the Lord give us rest? He places Himself in front of us so that we can see His pattern. He says, “I am meek and lowly in heart.” What is being meek? A brother once illustrated meekness this way: “Meekness is like the flax bumper on the side of the steamer boats. When a steamer comes close to the pier, if there is nothing between the hard boards of the boat and the hard poles of the pier, one of the two will break. But if flax bumpers are placed in between them, both will hit the bumpers only, and nothing will break.” Brothers and sisters, this is meekness. If both sides are hard, neither side should touch the other. But if something soft is put between them, both sides will be preserved. Others may be hard, but if you are soft, you can withstand any bumping; they can bump as much as they like.
The Lord said that He is meek. This means that He can withstand any bumping. Brothers and sisters, are you meek? You often want to have something, and you will not give up until you have it. You insist on having what you want, and no power can change you. Even God cannot change you. This is not being meek. What is being meek? Being meek is being changeable; it means taking what God wants you to take. It means being satisfied when you have something and being equally satisfied when you do not have something. When you have it, you can sing hallelujah and praise the Lord. When you do not have it, you can also sing hallelujah and praise the Lord. Being meek is being pliable enough to allow God to change your decision according to His will. A meek person changes when God changes and turns when God turns. Whatever God wants to do, he agrees. Whoever is like this will find rest.
(Continued tomorrow)