Fellowship In Christ                              
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                         'As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord´

                                    "Igniting soul's through the proclamation of Jesus Christ".

  

What an interesting term "stiff-necked" is!  The Hebrew word actually is like a farming term, a term used when a farmer attempts to put a yoke on an animal and he won't turn his head in compliance, he holds his head stiff and resists the yoke.  It's easy to see why the Lord called the children of Israel "stiff-necked".  It's also easy to see how we could be called the same thing?

 

Focus in the Word: "Go up to the land flowing with milk and honey.  But I will not go with you, because you are a stiff-necked people and I might destroy you on the way." (Exodus 33:3)

 

Ouch!  That appears to be a very harsh word from God as we read this Scripture alone.  The Lord is talking to Moses here, the people are stubborn and rebellious and God said He would not go with them because of His anger toward them.  If anything, this passage shows the emotion of God when His people rebel against Him, don't you think?  Thank the Lord for His mercy and grace, thank the Lord for the blood of Jesus!  An interesting verse ties in with this reference to a "stiff-necked" people found in Matthew 11:28-30, "Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.  Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  For My yoke is easy and My burden is light."  But yet this verse is referring to rest and associating it with the yoke.  The children of Israel resisted the yoke of God's authority, Jesus tells us in Matthew 11 that if we will take His yoke upon us that we will find rest, that His yoke is easy and burden light.  In other words, if we accept the yoke of God's authority, we will find rest.  Amen?

 

Have you ever noticed that when you are struggling with frustration and disappointments and disillusionment in life that the very fact that you are struggling is a sign that the yoke of God's authority is being resisted?  Yet, when God is in His rightful place in your life, the yoke of His authority brings peace and things seem to flow much easier, have you ever noticed this?

 

Let us Pray: "Father in heaven, thank you for sending Jesus to fulfill the Law and to bless us with Your grace.  May we never take that grace for granted.  Father, as we think about the areas of our life with which we struggle so much, we are beginning to see that the struggle exists because of our disobedience to Your authority in that area.  Lord, forgive us, change our heart and show us how we can submit to Your authority.  Father, we long for the rest, the light burden, the easy yoke Jesus spoke of in Matthew, help each one of us to apply Your authority in our life every place and in every area that we have appeared to have a stiff neck.  Help us, through obedience and humility, become compliant and submissive to Your will in order that Your peace that passes all understanding will be produced in us.  Dear Father, empower us to serve You with joy and gladness that come from the burdens of our sinfulness and failure lifted by Your grace.  Show us Your ways, teach us Your will, and help us to obey with a grateful and joyful heart.  In Jesus' Name we pray.  Amen."

 

True rest comes from knowing God.  King David reminds us of this in Psalm 23.  Jesus makes it clear again.  Only Jesus can fully reveal God to us.  Only Jesus can take away the burden of seeking to please God without an understanding of grace.  Only He can remove the burden of our past sins and enable us to stand holy, blameless, and free from accusation before God Almighty.

 

Jesus invites us to take on His yoke, to allow Him to place it on us without a struggle and without being "stiff-necked", and we will find that we have rest for our souls and that His yoke is easy and His burden is light.  Obedience is the remedy for a stiff neck and when mingled with humility, the stiff neck soon becomes compliant and easily submits to the yoke of God's authority.  God's authority, the authority of His Word is the yoke which brings ease and rest to your life!  Lay your burden down, stop struggling with life's problems, and let your obedience to God's authority produce in you the peace that passes all understanding.

 

"The Lord replied, "My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest." (Exodus 33:14) 

 

Love in the Lord
Paul/Hayman
http://ca.groups.yahoo.com/group/FellowshipInChrist
http://christianprayerministry.com
"Igniting passion in the people of God through the proclamation of truth."


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