Come to me, all who labor 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 souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”  Matthew 11:28-30

Jesus invited everyone who is tired from carrying heavy burdens of life to come to him for rest.  That is among the most comforting scriptures in the New Testament.  What he says next, however, has confused me for most of my Christian life.  “Take my yoke upon you”.  I thought he was going to lighten my load, not add to it.  Even a light load on top of what I’m already carrying sometimes seems like too much. I must be missing something.

It turns out, I was missing the point entirely.  The yoke is not used to cruelly chain an ox to a burden.  Instead it is a means to join the strength of two oxen together when a load is too heavy for one to bear alone.  Instead of adding to my burden, Jesus is providing the means to share the load between us.  When a farmer selects the oxen to pair together as a team, he must use great care to match them by size and strength.  If one is significantly stronger than the other, the stronger one will end up with most of the load, leading to injury.  When we bind ourselves to Jesus, he takes on most of the load, even though it cost him his life on the cross.

The other use of the yoke was to allow an experienced ox to train a young ox as they worked together against a load.  Every subtle move of the experienced ox is felt by the young one as they work together.  Without a word spoken between them, the young ox learns from the experienced one.  As we join our lives to Jesus, we are gently guided in the way of life by our older brother.

The start of 2020 is a perfect time to reflect on how well you are walking with Jesus.  Straining against the yoke robs you of the strength to carry the loads of life and keeps you from learning from Jesus.  But comfortably sharing the load with Jesus leads to peace and progress in life. 

Covered in hay, the world unwrapped the greatest gift. To make the message plain, the Father sent His good news in the form of His only Son.

Yesterday I spoke to a man who was desperately looking for this gift. You see he has received no hope from his Cancer Doctors. A couple of weeks ago he was moving around like any other healthy man. Today he believes he is dying. After receiving permission to shut his “intensive care door” I quietly shared the most important words he will ever hear.

The first thing I did was remove religious confusion. Jesus did not come to this world so that people would listen to man’s opinion on salvation. Jesus said, “But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men” (Mt.15:9).

I believe, with all my heart, that if we do what the 1^st century disciples did we become what they became – Christians Only! That means I stop REFORMING from those who teach “commandments of men” and start RESTORING the Bible.

Jesus promised his disciples that in times of great turmoil they would be given opportunities to share His word. “This will be your opportunity to bear witness” (Luke 21:13). So, very gently and carefully I revealed the great Physicians testimony to this sick man.

Together we read what Jesus told Nicodemus (John 3:3-5). To see or enter the Kingdom of God you must be born again of the water and the spirit.

Next, after seeing that Peter was given the “keys of the kingdom of heaven” (Mt.16:19) we read how he unlocked the door in Acts 2:36-38. “Yes, I want this” said the very sick man. By this time a young nurse had moved back into the room. He was still hooked up to tubes and monitors. All I could do at that moment was ask him to speak to his Doctors and find a way to be baptized. I suppose I could have lied to him and taken his “death bed confession” or led him in the “sinner’s prayer”. But then I was not there to cheat him of his salvation by “teaching as doctrine the commandments of men”.

Jesus warns: “But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment” (Mt.12:36).

Instead of sharing idle or empty man-made doctrines Peter says we should “… sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear” (1 Peter 3:15).

Friend, have you been given the wrong gift? Don’t settle for a cheap imitation. Every good and perfect gift is from above (James 1:17). It is critical that you turn your ears away from man and open them to the Shepherd and Overseer of your soul (1 Peter 2:25).

 

Not everything we love in life is necessarily healthy or good. I recently observed a relationship that had grown extremely toxic. At some point the pure sacrificial love had changed into a sick inward focused obsession. Friend, this is not the love of God. So many covenant relationship couples take far too lightly the warning to get rid of the source of all accusations (Rev.12:10). For instance, your spouse left without saying goodbye this morning, so you are thinking to yourself – that was done on purpose because my spouse is “punishing” me. Friend, such accusations have no place in the mind of a disciple of Christ. Either reject it or you will exchange your healthy covenant relationship into a bitter root.

The author of Hebrews warns us to be … “LOOKING DILIGENTLY lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any ROOT OF BITTERNESS springing up trouble you, and thereby many be DEFILED” (Hebrews 12:15 KJV).

Do you see the three steps to mental harmony, relational peace, & eternal salvation in this verse?

First, be DILIGENT about what we allow ourselves to dwell on. We must take every thought captive that is inwardly focused and replace it with the outward focused love of God. As a disciple it is not about being served but serving!

Secondly, avoid ROOTS OF BITTERNESS by adding godly emotions from our heart to our now Christ obedient thoughts. Add emotions like “compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience” (Col.3:12).

And finally, put on display the light of God for all the world to see – a life that is not DEFILED.

To sum all up in one word, we can avoid becoming bitter by SERVING.

 

Hosea 12:6 (NIV) “But you must return to your God; maintain love and justice, and wait for your God always.”

The two principles of love and justice are at the very foundation of God’s character. They are also essential values that as Christians we are called to live by, but they are not always easy to keep in balance. Some people are loving to the point that they excuse or overlook wrongdoing. Others are just to the extent that they forget to love or show compassion. Love without justice, because it is not aiming at a higher standard, leaves people in their sins. Justice without love, because it has no heart, drives people away.

Hosea 10:12 (NIV) “Sow for yourselves righteousness, reap the fruit of unfailing love, and break up your unplowed ground; for it is time to seek the Lord, until He comes and showers righteousness on you.”

You can break up the “unplowed ground” of your life by acknowledging your sins and receiving God’s forgiveness, for He is just and full of unfailing love.

 

I asked Sheryl that question the other day and her first answer was, not surprisingly, “SUNSETS”.  Everyone’s greatest things may be different, mine is to be around my family.  I am so grateful that my parents are still around and I get to see them at church every week.  I am so grateful to be able to live close to my children and to be a big part of their lives and to get to see my grandbabies!

One of the greatest things in life is Love!  The Beatles’ famous song said all you need is Love.    1 Cor 13, says three things will endure: faith, hope and love, and the greatest of these is love!  Love is the most powerful principle of life.  Love gives its best.  John 3:16 – God so loved the world that he gave us his   only beloved son.  Love makes heavy burdens seem light.  Remember Jacob worked 14 years for Rachel to be his wife.  The Bible says Jacob felt the last seven years seemed to him as only a few days.  That is love.  Jesus showed examples of love during his time on earth.

Another great thing in life is to know and to glorify God.  1Cor 10:31 tells us, Whatever you eat or drink you must do all for the glory of God.  Remember that our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit.  We were bought with a price, so live a life worthy of our calling.  We should always let our light shine before men, that they may see good works and glorify our Father.  God is our heavenly Father and we are his children.   Being able to glorify Him is truly a great thing in life.

One of the most important things in life is to know Jesus, who has gone to prepare a place for us!  We need to love the Lord with all our heart, with all our mind, and with all our soul.  Like the early Church, we should work together to support one another.  We should be compassionate when we see our brothers in need; we should long to be in fellowship with our brothers and sisters in Christ.  We should look forward to meeting on the Lord ’s Day, to spur each other on to good works.

Brothers and Sisters, I ask the question again, What do you think is the greatest thing in life?  Examine your answer and determine if it is something that separates you from God.  We all may have different things which are important to us, but we should all have the same goal, which is to save our families and everyone we meet.  2 Timothy 4:7-8. The time of my departure is near, I have fought the good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith.  Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteous, which the Lord will give me on that day, and not to me only, but unto all that love his appearing. That is the greatest thing in life!

 

Every morning I wake up I have a choice. I either choose the path God has already laid out for me or I choose to direct my own steps. In other words, I choose life, or I choose death.

Now, for those who choose life their lives are characterized by peace. It is these individuals who cannot get enough of God’s Word. Like Kate Sloan who was baptized on August 16th. Each day she reads 3 times more than those who are reading their Bibles through in a year. She does this while working a full-time nursing job and studying a full-time Counseling Graduate course through Xavier. Or like Daryl Tucker who was baptized Sunday night. For the past month he has driven 45 minutes to get to services – twice on Sunday and once on Wednesday. Ask either of these new Christians if they feel overwhelmed or at peace.

How about you, friend? What do you choose?

Jeremiah 10:23 (ESV) — 23 I know, O LORD, that the way of man is not in himself, that it is not in man who walks to direct his steps.

Psalm 27:11 (ESV) — 11 Teach me your way, O LORD, and lead me on a level path because of my enemies.

 

Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins. 1 Peter 4:8

We are rapidly approaching the end of the year, and the end of the decade. For some of us, it seems like we were just waiting for Y2k.  It is a time, though, when we tend to look back on the year(s) behind us and we look forward to what lies ahead.  We think about our struggles and challenges and, hopefully, we reflect on our accomplishments.  We start to think about how we can be better: our families, our health, our jobs, etc.  It’s also a season where we might spend time extra time with friends and family.

We live in an ever-changing, always challenging world.  Our world seems to have become so politically polarized, and it will probably only get worse as we head into another presidential election year.  We need more than ever to love one another and encourage one another, to build one another up and to think of others first.  There are so many ways that we can do that, but God’s word commands us in some specific ways.

Always remember the golden rule.  Jesus said, “whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them” in Matthew 7:12.  The Apostle Paul wrote “love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor” in Romans 12:10.

Make sure we are always encouraging and uplifting in our actions and our speech.  The Apostle Paul wrote, “let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion” in Ephesians 4:29.

Always encourage one another to be a better person each and every day.  The Apostle Paul wrote, “Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, to build him up” in Romans 15:2.  The Hebrew writer wrote in Hebrews 10:24, “let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works.”

Have a wonderful holiday season and be sure to fill it with love and encouragement!

 

Would you believe that sleep is as important as breathing, drinking water, and eating food? A lack of sleep has been linked to over 70 mental health challenges, including depression, ADHD, anxiety and narcolepsy. However, healthy sleep restores the body, improves memory, aids learning, and helps in losing weight.

Can you sleep like a baby? In Matthew 8:23-27 we find Jesus getting into a boat with his disciples. He immediately falls asleep – even though a massive storm is raging.

How many times have you tried to fall asleep, but you get distracted or your brain will not “switch off”? The best sleep happens when we get out of our heads and cast all our concerns “on Him because he cares for” us (1 Peter 5:7).

Some practical tips for good sleep are: Establish a rigid sleep routine (average 8 hours). Avoid stimulants (like caffeine) 16 hours before sleeping. Don’t eat solid food 3 hours before bedtime. Use your bedroom only for sleeping (get rid of even the slightest light, including electronics). Exercise in the day. And just before falling asleep focus on scriptures like David sleeping while protecting sheep from lions, bears, and wolves. “In peace I will lie down and sleep, for you alone, Lord, make me dwell in safety” (Psalm 4:8).

Friend, as God’s prepared people we can sleep, even when the waves are “swamping our boat” because we believe Jesus when He said: John 14:1 (ESV) — 1 “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. John 14:27 (ESV) — 27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.

 

Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.  1 Thessalonians 5:11

The people of the world are better connected than ever before in history.  It is simple for young and not so young people to interact with one another around the world from the phone in our hand. We have the opportunity to encourage one another and to be involved in each other’s lives minute to minute.  This article is to introduce you to the Facebook groups that enable you to interact with other members of the Summit family.

Summit Church of Christ Members Only
This group is limited to current and some former members of Summit.  It is a place to share news, encouragement, and prayer requests with the Summit family.  This is also one place where you will receive timely announcements about weather events affecting meeting times.  Each new member is invited to join this group.

Summit Ladies (Active Members)
This group is private to current ladies who are active members of Summit.  Here you can share more personal prayer requests with confidence that only your sisters at Summit will see them.

Friends of Summit Church of Christ (Ladies Group)
This group is for ladies who have a connection to Summit.  Members, former members, and other friends who want to be encouraged by all the wonderful ladies of Summit.

SYG. Summit Youth Group
This group is private to the Summit Youth Group.  It is a place for Summit’s youth and their families to interact to encourage one another and to share news of upcoming activities.

If, for some reason, you are not already part of one of these groups, you can send an email to the church office to be added: nkychurch@gmail.com.  Please take advantage of these forums to get involved with the ministry of encouraging one another.