APRIL 25.

REST FOR THE SOUL.

[Jesus said,] "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. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light."

MATTHEW 11:29-30.

SOME OF US ARE SO BURDENED by life's pressures that our concept of rest is complete escape from all responsibilities. Although that's not a bad idea for some of us, pa.s.sivity and escape aren't what Jesus had in mind when He was speaking to His followers.

To ill.u.s.trate his concept of rest, Jesus, in Matthew 11, paints a word picture of a pair of oxen pulling a wagon. Typically, a pair consists of a mature, experienced ox and a young one just learning how to work. The mature ox does far more of the actual work to pull the load. The young animal's task is to figure out how to walk in tandem with the older ox so that they don't pull against each other. The more it learns to cooperate, the easier the task is.

In the same way, Christ invites us to get in the yoke with Him and learn to pull alongside Him. When we have difficulties figuring out how to pull our weight and how to walk along with Him, He doesn't scold us. He's gentle and humble, patiently reminding us of who's pulling most of the load. Many of us are so tired because we've been pulling our own wagons, or we haven't yet learned to walk in tandem with Christ as we pull together. Learning this lesson brings peace, relief, rest, and a heart full of thankfulness for G.o.d's leading and strength.

How are you doing in the yoke as you learn to pull with Jesus?

What changes do you need to make? How will these affect your life?

"I have a great need for Christ; I have a great Christ for my need."-CHARLES HADDON SPURGEON

APRIL 26.

G.o.d OF DELIVERANCE.

Because he has set his love upon Me, therefore I will deliver him; I will set him on high, because he has known My name.

PSALM 91:14.

G.o.d ALWAYS DELIVERS. That's His nature. But G.o.d doesn't always deliver us in the way we expect or when we hope the answer will come. When we ask Him to deliver us from sickness, a conflict, or any other difficulty in our lives, we need to avoid demanding that He answer the way we want Him to. If we demand a certain answer, we set ourselves up for disappointment, and if disappointment isn't arrested, it will soon lead to discouragement.

The mark of true faith is steadfast trust in G.o.d when we don't see what He's doing or how He's doing it. In spite of what we see with our physical eyes, we cling to the truth that G.o.d's purposes, ways, and timing are higher than our ways, as "the heavens are higher than the earth" (Isaiah 55:9). With that kind of faith, G.o.d sets us "on high" even in the middle of our trouble. No, we aren't oblivious to our problems, but we hang on tightly to G.o.d through thick and thin with the confidence that sooner or later, in one way or another, He will deliver us.

We learn some of life's lessons only by taking the path through life's valleys. It would be great if we could learn all the important lessons on the mountaintops, but we don't. Valleys are part of the path for every believer. When we're there, we can be sure that we have a Guide we can trust and that the path will eventually lead us to higher ground.

When we experience difficulties, what are some differences between demanding answers from G.o.d and trusting that He will deliver us in His way and in His time?

What are some of the lessons we learn in life's valleys?

"Faith for my deliverance is not faith in G.o.d. Faith means, whether I am visibly delivered or not, I will stick to my belief that G.o.d is love."-OSWALD CHAMBERS

APRIL 27.

COURSE CORRECTION.

There are many plans in a man's heart, nevertheless the LORD's counsel-that will stand.

PROVERBS 19:21.

WHEN WE'RE YOUNG, we plan to take the world by storm. When we're in our middle years, we wonder how we got where we are, and we plan to take it easy one day. When we're older, we plan to leave a legacy. Many of us spend our lives making great and glorious plans, but only a few focus on what's really important. To do that, we need a consultant; we need "the LORD's counsel."

One of the marks of maturity at any age is the ability to see through the urgent to discern what's really important. In our younger years, it seems that everything is urgent. We rush from one goal to another, seldom enjoying life along the way. Sooner or later, we learn that we shouldn't trust ourselves or some of our friends. We need a higher authority, and we turn to G.o.d for direction. We search the Scriptures and find that some of the things that seemed so important aren't, and some that seemed trivial are vital in G.o.d's view. Money, prestige, power, and possessions are measuring sticks of our culture, but G.o.d shakes His head at our compulsive pursuit of these things. They aren't wrong; they just aren't central.

First things first. If we discover G.o.d's purposes and pursue them with our whole hearts, our plans will follow His leading. And in the end, our plans-and the positive impact of a life lived for Him-will stand.

What are some things most people think are really important today?

What does G.o.d say is really important? How do your pursuits match up with G.o.d's purposes?

"Never be afraid to trust an unknown future to a known G.o.d."-CORRIE TEN BOOM

APRIL 28.

IGNORANCE IS NO EXCUSE.

If you say, "Surely we did not know this," does not He who weighs the hearts consider it? He who keeps your soul, does He not know it? And will He not render to each man according to his deeds?

PROVERBS 24:12.

HUMAN BEINGS MAY NOT DO a lot of things well, but we excel at making excuses. One man observed accurately, "The prisons are full of people who insist they are innocent!" And whenever we do anything wrong, we quickly point to someone else to blame, or we describe a circ.u.mstance so we can say, "See, I couldn't help it."

G.o.d is incredibly gracious and forgiving, but He's not blind. He's not like a kindly old grandfather who lets his grandchildren run wild with impunity. G.o.d knows how much we know, and He considers our grasp of situations when He evaluates culpability for our failures. Each of us will give an account of our choices and actions. Each of us will stand before a just and gracious G.o.d while He evaluates our behavior, and we'll be rewarded (or not) based on truth and justice. In many cases, pleas to be excused because of ignorance will be discarded because G.o.d will say, "I gave you a conscience, but you disregarded it. I gave you the Scriptures, but you didn't read them. I gave you Christian friends, but you spent time with other people instead. I gave you My Spirit, but you didn't listen."

The day of reckoning for Christians will be an evaluation of our deeds and motives as believers, not the judgment of heaven and h.e.l.l. On the day of reckoning, each of us will give an account, and no excuse will work. All of us want to hear Him say, "Well done, good and faithful servant. Enter into the joy of your Master" (see Matthew 25:21, 23).

Why is it so easy to make excuses instead of taking responsibility?

What needs to change so that standing before Christ will be a joy for you?

"What you get by reaching your destination is not nearly as important as what you will become by reaching your destination."-ZIG ZIGLAR

APRIL 29.

THE RIGHT WORD AT THE RIGHT TIME.

A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver.

PROVERBS 25:11.

THE WISEST, MOST MATURE, and most effective people are those who capture a moment by saying the right thing in the right way. Quite often, their statements seem to come from out of the blue because the tone of voice and the actual words speak a very different message from what most people expect. Instead of returning anger for anger and backing people into a corner, they calmly speak truth and give options. Instead of being annoyed by a boring person and walking away, they engage in deeper conversation. Instead of using a person's fears to control him or her, they soothe fear by speaking words of hope.

Researchers tell us that communication is largely nonverbal. Only 7 percent of the impact is in actual words. Facial expressions, gestures, and the tone of voice make up the rest. Words can be "fitly spoken" only if we say them with authenticity, really meaning what we say, and letting our faces, hands, and tone of voice carry the message too.

Messages have incredible power. They can build or destroy, instill hope or take it away. Think about the people you will see today. Some of them are hurting, some are angry, and some have lost hope. What would it mean for you to communicate powerful, life-giving messages of faith, hope, and love to those dear people?

Who are the people who have most often and most powerfully affirmed you and given you hope when you felt hopeless?

What are some messages you can give to particular people today?

"Colors fade, temples crumble, empires fall, but wise words endure."-EDWARD L. THORNDIKE

APRIL 30.

TIME IS RUNNING OUT.

Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.

PSALM 90:12.

BY THE TIME MOSES WROTE THIS PSALM, he was growing old. As he reflected on his life, he realized that life pa.s.ses really quickly. When we're young, life seems to crawl, but in old age, it flies by! To an eternal G.o.d, however, time is meaningless. A thousand years, Moses knew, is like a day to G.o.d.

The rapid pace and brevity of life, though, isn't a cause for despair but for wisdom. Moses asked G.o.d for insight: "Teach us to number our days." He didn't mean to count them one after another, but to value each one individually so we don't waste a single one.

With a sense of urgency, some people feel compelled to fill up each moment of each day with as much activity as possible, but this isn't the model of life Jesus gave us. He lived each moment with the certainty that His life counted, and He made choices to speak, work, rest, and engage others because His heart was focused on the Father's will, not some arbitrary standard of achievement.

Life is short, but it's full of meaning, love, and hope if we "number" our days and live them for Christ instead of wasting them on empty pursuits. With Him in the center of our lives, we can rest, laugh, work hard, serve, and engage people in conversations that matter. That's what Jesus did. We can too.

What does it mean to "number our days"?

What does (or would) the fruit of a "heart of wisdom" look like in your life?

"Time stands still for no man."-LEONARD REISS "You can earn more money, but when time is spent it is gone."-ZIG ZIGLAR

May.