Today’s text is friendly, comforting and inviting, even when the Lord asks us to take His yoke upon us and to come to Him with a readiness to learn.

The Master does not order us to report for duty but invites us. How do we react to invitations? To which invitation do we give priority? Under what circumstances did Jesus give the invitation? Jesus had rebuked the unrepentant cities of Chorazin and Bethsaida and condemned Capernaum. Even after having taught in these cities and having revealed His Godly powers, especially in Capernaum (Matt. 8:5, 9:1, 9:18). He still found no faith in them. In fact Jesus had made Capernaum His own city (Matt. 4:13, to which He always returned. Because God had especially revealed Himself in these cities they had a special responsibility (Matt. 11:21-24). Two things are made clear: Firstly: even the mightiest revelations cannot convince overbearing people. The humble comprise God’s kingdom. Secondly, for those who do not acknowledge His revelations it can become their condemnation. ‘A prophet is never less recognized than in his home town.’ Does that give us something to reflect on?

Jesus did not let this rejection deter Him from His task. He did not lose courage and give up! He praised God the Father, King of Heaven, for having revealed the secrets of His Kingdom to babes. Secrets are not revealed to the proud or worldly wise (1 Cor. 1:18). God’s plan of salvation is not put out of action by the world’s rejection. In spite of our unfaithfulness God remains faithful. In spite of our disbelief God still believes. He cannot deny Himself. God can overlook unworthiness and carry out His plan with the deserving and repentant. Let us reflect on unworthiness in ourselves and the congregation.

The Son, the Mediator, has been given complete power by the Father, Jesus’ words make clear who is invited. He addresses the burdened and the labourers. Jesus wants to refresh all and give rest and peace. Those willing to learn and who are not stubborn become meek and humble by Him.

The more we realize our need and the more open we are to God, the more will God be able to help us through His Son. God does not ask for what He has not already given us. Those who have been generous with God will know that this is true.

His yoke is not a new burden which we cannot carry and will be crushed beneath but the means to a new life. The yoke lightens the load. Christ’s yoke. His Spirit and His being -enables us to come to terms with the demands of life according to God’s will. His yoke gives our aims meaning and strength to live according to God’s laws. Without this yoke the cords would cut into our flesh and the circumstances in which we live would wear us down, hurting us and make us give up. Under the yoke we get help to deal with the problems of life. Last, but not least, Christ’s yoke is a work contract.

Let us not be yoked together with unbelievers nor be bound by false yokes. Being Christian is not an aim in itself, but a call to the service of God and man. Without Christ’s yoke we will not be able to accomplish anything.

One of the most important aspects of Christian life is thanksgiving. In fact Christian life is
incomplete without it. It was also ordained in the Old Testament as our text states. In Malachi 3: 10
we read “Bring ye all the tithes into the store house, that there may be meat in mine house, and
prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and
pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.”
Thanksgiving is symbolic of God’s love. Our hearts are filled with thankfulness when we read in
Gospel of John 3: 16 “God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever
believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
Jesus Christ is the living example of God’s love. Therefore He was always thankful to the
Heavenly Father, and said “Thy will be done.”
Thanksgiving inculcates the value of obedience to all the commandments of God. It is because
every little thing that we have in our life is not our own. In 1 Timothy 6: 7 we read “For we have
brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out.”

We should be thankful to God’s Grace for the gift of life. How life is important for a person on the
death bed. When his relatives and friends keep on running after doctors, medicines and blood, so
that he may remain alive. We should be thankful for the Blessing of every moment of our life.
The blessings of our life are countless like happiness, peace, prosperity, wealth, health, wisdom
and above all is the love of God. All these are wonderful gifts of God and they all flow from
obedience to the commandments of God. As we draw near to God, He himself draws nearer and
enriches us with manifold Blessings.
In the end we should not make comparison that God has given so much to others but not to us. We
should always remember that God gives His blessings according to every ones needs.

Therefore we should always be thankful to God for everything that He has given us, for which we
do not deserve. In every aspect of our life we enjoy His blessings through the grace of our Lord
Jesus Christ under the guidance of the Holy Spirit who is our comforter and companion until the
end of life, when our Lord shall return. Therefore let us always offer our thanks in every act of our
life.

When Christ gave teaching and commandments on earth, he always made it clear that they were from his Father. He also never gave any instruction that he himself was not prepared to fulfil, not as an obligation but from the heart as an inward desire. This was shown in that great sacrifice of our Lord on the cross where we know he had the power to call on legions of angels to come down to his aid. But he knew that the reconciliation of man with God was at stake, and in this desire to share the great blessing of this unity with God, that he already had, he gave up his life so that all mankind could also partake of this blessing We see He gave up his life so that this peace and love of the union with God could be shared by all. Christ laid down his life for his friends. We too, as the mystical body of Christ on earth, the Church, have to be prepared as individuals and a group, to obey this commandment as an inward desire, spontaneously.

A Brother recently related to me of a story he had read of a group of children in a refugee camp, which really highlighted our text. These children had suffered through war and famine and most now only had one parent left their only relation known to them. They found it difficult to understand the English language and the children were being shifted to a safer place when, as a result of an accident, one of them suffered a large loss of blood. It became apparent, that unless a blood transfusion could be given, the child’s life would be lost. The medical staff had no such equipment, and agreed the only way to save the life would be the direct transfer of blood from one child to the other. This was explained to the other children and volunteer was asked for. None came forward at first, but then a little girl came forward. The needle and line was placed in her to the injured child and the transfusion began. After a little while she began to sob and was asked if the needle was hurting, to which she replied No! As her sobbing became worse, it was apparent she was distressed, and a nurse spoke quietly to her to find what was wrong. She found that the little girl was sad because she had not been given the opportunity to say goodbye to her Mother. It became apparent that the children thought that they were being asked to give their life over to their injured friend and that their life would end. What wonderful love was shown by that little girl for her friend.

Now in our daily life, there are many occasions where we can give up many things in our life, by overcoming the ways of this world. As an example to our friends which may prompt them into also avoiding being caught up into something, whereby they may be hurt. This is laying down our pleasures (life) so that our friends may live. Young people certainly are put in this position as “peer pressure” tempts many to go to unsavory places, to tryout things which lead on to problems in life. If, by the Spirit of Christ within, these can be openly withstood by one person, this often gives the strength to others, to also walk away. Often we are confronted with an opportunity in life to benefit personally, but at the expense of others. If we can find the strength to resist that, we are in a way, laying this down for our friends.  When we sacrifice time, effort and money, to help others, we are giving up part of our life for our friends. We know that according to Christ’s teaching, this must be done from the heart, not as an obligation, and certainly not in a way where we look for a reward. Matthew 6:4. “And thy Father which seeth in secret himself shall reward thee openly.”

Any time in life we can achieve to fulfil this text, we should be comforted to know that not only our earthly friends may have benefited, but more importantly, we have done it for our heavenly friend, our Lord Jesus. John 15:14. “Ye are my friends, if ye do what soever I command thee”.

There are some in our time who can hear and speak; some say that in our time it is not a rarity. How do we stand? Are we not privileged to have men who can fulfil their calling and not be carried away with the cry of the masses? Do we have an ear to listen to the problems of our fellow person or don’t we have any time to hear?
Where does this lead to? Do we talk with our children as parents and children, or do we rather speak about our neighbours?

How abundantly is the foundation given to us each morning to hear and to speak and to be reminded of this old text word of Isaiah of which we can take note. God can give us this gift, we are all in need of it; so that we can speak wisely to who will listen, because when we grow old we may not be able to find words.

If we want to be blessed with the Giving the Taking we must foster the right Hearing and the right Speech to succeed. We must learn to hear and to speak like a young Jesus Christ. Must we not first understand the Word and Speech of our Lord?  “Blessed are Ears that hear the words that I speak”, said Jesus Christ to His Apostles. The Word of Jesus not only reached their ears but also their hearts, and their innermost soul. Our soul is the home and sounding board of Christ’s word.  “He could hear as well as anybody”, speaking about a certain man, “his ears with his soul was compatible, so that his ears and his soul were as one”. Which reminds me of another person: Mary, the mother of Jesus, where it is written Luke 2:51 “And he went down with them, and came to Nazareth, and was subject unto them: but his mother kept all these sayings in her heart”. How important is it for us to hear God, also our neighbour when they speak? It is always best when we hear the word, that we hear it correctly. When we are spoken to by God, do we meditate in the silence of our Soul? God speaks to us in the silence of our Soul and when we have become still then we will hear him. Many have said in their life “I say nothing”.  Have I heard correctly? How do we stand with our preparation? With an open ear and heart, our neighbour to hear? Are we inclined to play at examining witnesses?  Prejudice and mistrust tend to mislead us and we lie in wait to betray. That is a sad state of affairs and has a tendency to hinder. While I do not hear with the ears of the young, I will get nothing from it and while I am not willing to share, therefore I will give nothing while I will have nothing to confide, and if I do not confide in them, I have no hope of bringing them together. How can I help the weary and those that are broken down, with a good word, if I don’t know about their Soul?

We see how people have a tendency to cling to each other. It would be better if I understood my neighbour, his innermost thoughts and gain his confidence, so that when I speak he will understand. Everyone comes to this point in time and if I show love and understanding, all will be well. God has given us speech as a gift that we should use it the right way.

With this gift from God, we can speak wisely for we have to give an account for everything that is said, Love or Hate, we are responsible. Words can kill, but they can also bring life, comfort and strength. The word can act like a bridge to bring us back to life.

It is very important that we pray to God to grant us the right tongue to speak and to hear God with our ear. We should pray every morning for strength to fulfill His will.

That was David’s glad response to God’s gracious deliverance from his enemies. David was in trouble; his enemies were saying false things about him. They were accusing him and lying about him. What did David do? He prayed.

Our first reaction is to fight—we want to fight back and defend our good name and protect our reputation. But David was far more concerned about his character than his reputation. He knew that if he was right with God, it made no difference what people did to him or said about him. And so, he started with prayer. “Plead my cause, O Lord, with them that strive with me: Fight against them that fight against me” (Psalms 35:1). When the Enemy fights against you, he’s really fighting against the Lord. That’s a good principle to lay hold of today. When the child of God is in the will of God, he can claim the help and the protection of God.

David started with prayer, and he admitted his own helplessness. In Psalms 35:10 he said, “All my bones shall say, Lord, who is like unto thee, which deliverest the poor from him that is too strong for him?” Our enemies are too strong for us. We have to turn them over to the Lord. David started with prayer; he admitted his own helplessness, and he turned the whole situation over to the Lord. He trusted God to work on his behalf. And God did work. God will work for us today too. In His time and in His way, He will accomplish what needs to be done. And when this day comes to an end, or whenever the opportunity might arise, we’re going to say, “And my soul shall be joyful in the Lord:  It shall rejoice in His salvation.” It’s not our salvation—not what we have done for ourselves but what God has done for us. I trust that today we’ll have the joy of His victory in our life.

Why is it so difficult for us to admit our helplessness and to trust God?  Why do we often fight back or scheme rather than pray? What problem have we been trying to tackle that we need to turn over to God? Brothers and sisters, let us ponder on this question…What to do first?

This is a wonderful gift given to the Church. These angels enjoy working for the saints of the Lord. We see and meditate on the devotion and dedication that they do for mankind, they are from a group of sinless, eternal beings, that are higher than man, because man is made a little lower than the angels. Psalms 8:5. They also know that it is in God’s plan to give man glory that will place him above the angel and yet they go about their work in happiness, because they want to see the glory of God placed upon mankind so that Satan can be defeated. We have to go about our Christian life in that same way. We have to not become elevated and high-minded. We have to see others who are downtrodden and have no hope and help them to not only come up to our elevation, but if possible, above.

The access of these angels to be in our life, came about through the ascension of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, and that was shown very clearly when Jacob had the dream of the staircase that went from the throne of God and down to earth, and he saw angels ascending and descending doing work in this world for God. (Genesis 28:12)  ^“And he dreamed, and behold a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven: and behold the angels of God ascending and descending on it.” That staircase is our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, who is now the intercessor. As He hung on the cross between heaven and earth, the sacrifice that He made, became a staircase between earth and God, and the angels could then ascend and descend, and they could give many benefits to mankind. As a workforce we enjoy our work and give of our best when certain conditions apply. And so it is with the angels of God. Christ said that if you are ashamed of Him in this life, then my Father and the angels will also be ashamed of you (Luke 9: 26).  ^“For whosoever shall be ashamed of me and of my words, of him shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he shall come in his own glory, and in his Father’s, and of the holy angels.”

We must never be ashamed of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. We must never be ashamed of His role, of His blessings, of what He stands for. We must never be ashamed to confess to others that as Christians, we are baptised into His book of Life, and that we do value Him highly as The Saviour to mankind. How many of us would enjoy working for somebody who was ashamed of us? We also know that Christ spoke of how these angels can be told of us, where He said, (Luke 12: 8) “Also I say unto you, Whosoever shall confess me before men, him shall the Son of man also confess before the angels of God.” If we live life as a testimony of Christ’s life and are prepared to show that we pray through this intercessor and that we are happy to work for the Lord and testify by our deeds. If we stand up for all of those things in this life that are Godly, then each time we do that our name is broadcast before the angels. In our own workplace we prefer to work for someone who will give us some recognition. So it is with the angels.

We know that in the workplace if we are joyful, then we enjoy doing our job.  Christ said, Luke 15: 10, “Likewise, I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth.” If we humble ourselves and repent and ask the Lord to forgive us, then we become a repenting sinner. In joy then those angels can minister unto us. Hebrews 1:14, “Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation?” To be an heir of salvation, we must look to the salvation of our soul and we become heirs when we are baptised and then have the right to be redeemed from the original sin, to be reconciled with God and work out our salvation through the Holy Spirit’s workings.

Apostle Peter writes 1 Peter 1:12 that the mysteries of God that are preached unto us by the Holy Ghost, are things that the angels desire to look into. We see by this that they will be close to those that attend where this preaching is done. Angels have great power. When Daniel went into the lion’s den, he prayed to God to protect him, and an angel came and held the mouth of the lions. Many times we put ourselves in the lion’s den, and if we pray to God, this gift of administering angels will come unto us and protect us. Apostles Peter and John learned of the power of angels, where they were cast into prison and an angel came and ordered them to stand up and move out and go and teach in the temple.

We often allow ourselves to be locked into things in this life and we think that there is no way out, but if we pray to the Almighty God through our intercessor and He sends but one angel, He can take us out of those positions. When we become depressed in this life with the cares of this world, we lock ourselves in a prison and are depressed and think there is no way out, remember if we pray to God through our intercessor, this gift of an angel will come, and it will work within us and the power and strength will tell us to stand up and make a stand against that which is ruining our lives. It is well for us to set in place the environment to allow these angels to get to know us in this life, for we read of the great day that our Lord returns, Matthew 24:31, and “He shall send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.”    

We must never worship angels (Revelation 22:9) but worship God only through Christ as our Intercessor (Hebrews 7:25).                    

Fire is one of the interesting symbols used in the Bible. This can have lots of meanings depending on the context of the narrative. Also, this verse was referring to Deuteronomy 9:3, where it indicates God’s power to subdue and destroy all their enemies so they can reach the promised land as God has promised.

In a general sense, we all know that fire can be useful and harmful, or a constructive or destructive force. In the Bible, we know that fire is used as metaphor to imply judgment and God’s wrath (2 Thessalonians 1:8) “In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Fire can also be used as a positive metaphor to infer God’s power, presence, and holiness. It also represents spiritual purification or refinement through fire. In the Old Testament, some of the examples of spiritual fire are: “flaming” sword that guards the Tree of Life (Genesis 3:23- 24), pillar of fire by night (Exodus 13:21), the burning bush (Exodus 3), smoke and fire at Mt Sinai (Exodus 19:18), and many more. Fire can also symbolise God’s Word in Jeremiah 23:29. “Is not my word like as a fire? Said the Lord; and like a hammer that breaketh the rock in pieces?” In the New Testament some examples are, the baptism of fire (Matthew 3:11), tongues of fire (Acts 2) during Pentecost and in Revelation fire is also related to Jesus Christ, “His eyes were like a flame of fire” (Rev. 1:14; Rev. 2:18; 19:12); “and his feet as pillars of fire” (Rev. 10:1).

What really caught my attention is the cloven tongues like as of fire, as recorded in Acts 2. In Science, we know that fire can emit light and radiate heat. Both light and heat are real/objective entities and are measurable. On the other hand, darkness is defined as the absence of light, likewise coldness is the absence of heat. We cannot measure darkness or coldness separately because it is dependent on the existence of light and heat. In spiritual sense, light may represent “Truth” and heat may imply “[agape] Love” and these are objective biblical principles. Therefore, though we see fire as one entity it brings two great manifestations: Light and heat, which cannot be separated. Similarly, biblical Love and Truth are inseparable: Truth must be spoken with Love, and Love must be founded in the Truth. Both Truth and Love points to God Himself, for He is the ultimate source, or to be more accurate: He is the Truth and Love. The cloven tongues like as of fire could mean a consummation of the power of the Holy Spirit, not only to indicate the indwelling of the Spirit in us but to be consumed or filled by it. Ephesians 4:15 perfectly summarised the meaning of the cloven tongues: “but speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ.”

As Christians, we are taught to fulfil this duty, to be a fire to someone by leading them to the Truth and Love of God. Let us continue to walk as the children of Light by standing firm with the Truth and spread the warmth of God’s unfailing Love through His Son Jesus Christ. Let us all be consumed with this holy fire that comes from God for His honour and glory.

It is true that God has made it clear that He hates pride. We can see that God knows the damage pride can do to our lives and mostly to our relationship with Him.

When we go deeper on the issue of pride, we can see pride is one of Satan’s favourite weapons of warfare because it causes us to take our eyes off God and place them on ourselves. This sin creeps in unnoticed in ways that seem kindly, such as taking pride in the good things God has given us, families, jobs, influence and also success, if allowed to go unknowing, pride can change our attitude toward God and undermine our relationship with others.

By contrast, when we choose to clothe ourselves in humility, acknowledging God’s authority and sovereignty in our lives, He will use and uplift us in His own way and His own time.

Matthew 5:5 “Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.” For this reason, let us examine our hearts for any pride that might have crept in, we believe God shows us areas of pride, acknowledge it and confess it, remembering where we came from and how far God has brought us.

Acknowledge our total dependence on Him and thank Him for all that He has done in our lives through our Saviour – Jesus Christ.