I will give you rest

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 “I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”   [Romans 12:1-2]

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"If Jesus Christ be God and died for me, then no sacrifice can be too great for me to make for him"

Paul mentions here that we should present our bodies as a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God. Our bodies stand for all our members and, by extension, our entire lives.  Total commitment is our reasonable service. It is our reasonable service in this sense: if the Son of God has died for me, then the least I can do is live for Him. “If Jesus Christ be God and died for me,” said the great British cricketer and missionary C. T. Studd,  “then no sacrifice can be too great for me to make for him.”

Reasonable service may also be translated “spiritual worship.” As believer-priests, we do not come to God with the bodies of slain animals as sacrifice but with the spiritual sacrifice of yielded lives. We also offer to Him our service, and our possessions.

Paul also urges us not to be conformed to this world. In other words, “Don’t let the world around you squeeze you into its own mold.” When we come to the kingdom of God, we should abandon the thought-patterns and lifestyles of the world. The world means the society or system that man has built in order to make himself happy without God. It is a kingdom that is antagonistic to God. The god and price of this world is Satan. All unconverted people are his subjects. He seeks to attract and hold people through the lust of the eyes, the lust of the flesh, and the pride of life. The world hates nonconformists—like Christ and His followers.

Christ died to deliver us from this world. The world is crucified to us, and we are crucified to the world. It would be absolute disloyalty to the Lord for believers to love the world. Anyone who loves the world is an enemy of God.  We should be transformed by the renewing of our mind, which means that we should think the way God thinks, as revealed in the Bible.
 

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Come to me and I will give you rest

   

..I will give you rest

 “If you are tired from carrying heavy burdens, come to me and I will give you rest. Take the yoke I give you. Put it on your shoulders and learn from me. I am gentle and humble, and you will find rest. This yoke is easy to bear, and this burden is light.  ”  [Matthew 11:28-30]

 "Were the whole realm of nature mine,
That were a present far too small;
Love so amazing, so divine,
Demands my soul, my life, my all."  





 

The Wise and Foolish Builders

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 “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.  The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock.  But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand.  The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.”   [Matthew 7:24-27]

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The Wise and Foolish Builders

Jesus closes His sermon with a parable that drives home the importance of obedience. It is not enough to hear these sayings; we must put them into practice. The disciple who hears and does Jesus commands is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. His house (life) has a solid foundation and, when it is battered by rain and winds, it will not fall. 

The person who hears Jesus sayings and does not do them is like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. This man will not be able to stand against the storms of adversity: when the rain descended and the winds blew, the house fell because it had no solid base.

If a person lives according to the Word of God, the world calls him a fool; Jesus calls him a wise man. The world considers a wise man to be someone who lives by sight, who lives for the present, and who lives for self; Jesus calls such a person a fool.

It is legitimate to use the wise and foolish builders to illustrate the gospel. The wise man puts his full confidence in the Rock, Christ Jesus, as Lord and Savior. The foolish man refuses to repent and rejects Jesus as his only hope of salvation. But the interpretation of the parable actually carries us beyond salvation to its practical outworking in the Christian life.
 

 

The Wise and Foolish Builders

   

...Built on Solid Rock

 “Anyone who hears and obeys these teachings of mine is like a wise person who built a house on solid rock. Rain poured down, rivers flooded, and winds beat against that house. But it did not fall, because it was built on solid rock.

    Anyone who hears my teachings and doesn't obey them is like a foolish person who built a house on sand. The rain poured down, the rivers flooded, and the winds blew and beat against that house. Finally, it fell with a crash. ”  [Luke 6:47-49]






 

Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands

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 “Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands as you do to the Lord.  For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior.  Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything. ”   [Ephesians 5:21-24]

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The head of every man is Christ, and the head of the woman is man

Paul cites three specific areas in the Christian household where submission is the will of God:

• Wives should submit to their own husbands.
• Children should submit to their parents.
• Servants should submit to their masters.

The fact that all believers are one in Christ Jesus does not mean that earthly relationships are abolished. We must still respect the various forms of authority and government which God has instituted. Every well-ordered society rests on two supporting pillars—authority and submission. There must be some who exercise authority and some who submit to that rule.

This principle is so basic that it is found even in the Godhead: “But I want you to realize that the head of every man is Christ, and the head of the woman is man, and the head of Christ is God.” 1 Cor. 11:3.

There must be a head in the home, and there must be obedience to that head. God ordained that the place of headship be give to the man. He indicated this by creating man first, then creating woman for the man. Thus, both in order and purpose of creation, He put man in the place of authority and woman in the place of submission.

Submission never implies inferiority. The Lord Jesus is submissive to God the Father, but in no way is He inferior to Him .Neither is the woman inferior to the man. In many ways she may be superior—in devotedness, in sympathy, in diligence, and in patience. But wives are commanded to submit to their own husbands, as to the Lord. In submitting to the authority of her husband, a wife is submitting to the Lord’s authority. This in itself removes any attitude of reluctance or rebellion.

Nothing could more exalt the role of the wife than comparing it to the role of the church as the Bride of Christ. The church’s submission is the pattern to be followed by the wife.

Husbands are told to love their wives just as Christ also loved the church. 

A man and woman wrestling

Instructions for Christian Households

 “Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands as you do to the Lord. Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her”  [Ephesians 5:22,25]

 

    

Arise, shine, for your light has come

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 “For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light  (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth)  and find out what pleases the Lord.  Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them.  It is shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret.”   [Ephesians 5:8-12]

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Living as People of Light

Believers are solemnly warned to have no part in such ungodly behavior.  To do so is to dishonor the name of Christ, to wreck other lives, to ruin one’s one testimony, and to invite a torrent of retribution.

The apostle now gives a pithy discourse on darkness and light. The Ephesians were once darkness, but now they are light in the Lord. Paul does not say they were in the darkness, but that they themselves were the personification of darkness.  Now through union with the Lord, they have become light.

Paul continued his message--Don't let anyone trick you with foolish talk. God punishes everyone who disobeys him and says foolish things. So don't have anything to do with anyone like that.

So act like people of the light and make your light shine. Be good and honest and truthful, as you try to please the Lord. Don't take part in doing those worthless things that are done in the dark. Instead, show how wrong they are. It is disgusting even to talk about what is done in the dark. But the light will show what these things are really like. Light shows up everything,  just as the Scriptures say, "Wake up from your sleep  and rise from death[sin].  Then Christ will shine on you."

Act like people with good sense and not like fools. These are evil times, so make every minute count. Don't be stupid. Instead, find out what the Lord wants you to do. Don't destroy yourself by getting drunk, but let the Spirit fill your life. When you meet together, sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, as you praise the Lord with all your heart. Always use the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to thank God the Father for everything. 



 

The glory of the LORD rises upon you

    

Light Has Come

 “Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD rises upon you.”  [Isaiah 60:1]




Do Not Worry

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 “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes?..Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?”   [Matthew 6:25,27]

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Do Not Worry

The problem is not so much what we eat and wear today, but what we shall eat and wear ten, twenty, or thirty years from now. Such worry about the future is sin because it denies the love, wisdom, and power of God. It denies the love of God by implying that He doesn’t care for us.  It denies His wisdom by implying that He doesn’t know what He is doing. And it denies His power by implying that He isn’t able to provide for our needs.

This type of worry causes us to devote our finest energies to making sure we will have enough to live on.  Then before we know it, our lives have passed, and we have missed the central purpose for which we were made. God did not create us in His image with no higher destiny than that we should consume food.  We are here to love, worship, and serve Him and to represent His interests on earth. Our bodies are intended to be our servants, not our masters.

The birds of the air illustrate God’s care for His creatures. They preach to us how unnecessary it is for us to worry. They neither sow nor reap, yet God feeds them. We are of more value than the birds, then we can surely expect God to take care of our needs.  But we should not infer from this that we need not work for the supply of our present needs.  Paul reminds us: “If anyone will not work, neither shall he eat”(2 Thes. 3:10).

Worry about the future is not only a dishonor to God—it is also futile.  The Lord demonstrates this with a question: “And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?”
Next the Lord deals with the unreasonableness of worrying that we will not have enough clothing in the future.  The flowers of the field neither toil nor spin, yet their beauty surpasses that of Solomon’s royal garments.



 

God clothes the grass of the field

    

God clothes the grass of the field

 “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin.  Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these.  If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith?”  [Matthew 6:28-30]






 

I'll tear down my barns and build bigger ones

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 “A rich man's farm produced a big crop, and he said to himself, "What can I do? I don't have a place large enough to store everything." Later, he said, "Now I know what I'll do. I'll tear down my barns and build bigger ones, where I can store all my grain and other goods. Then I'll say to myself, `You have stored up enough good things to last for years to come. Live it up! Eat, drink, and enjoy yourself.' "  But God said to him, "You fool! Tonight you will die. Then who will get what you have stored up? This is what happens to people who store up everything for themselves, but are poor in the sight of God.”   [Luke 12:16-21]

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 “You fool! Tonight you will die. Then who will get what you have stored up?”

The parable of the rich fool illustrates the fact that possession are not the principal thing in life. Because of an exceptionally good crop, this wealthy farmer was faced with what seemed to him a very distressing problem. He did not know what to do with all the grain. All his barn and silos were crammed to capacity. Then he had a brainstorm. His problem was solved. He decided to pull down his barns and build bigger ones. He could have saved himself the expense and other of this tremendous construction project if had just looked on the needy world around him, and used these possessions to satisfy hunger, both spiritual and physical.  As soon as his new barns were built, he planned to retire. Notice his spirit of independence: my barns, my fruits, my goods, my soul. He had the future all planned. He was going to take his ease, eat, drink, and be merry.
But when he began to think of time as his, he crashed into God to his eternal ruin. God told him that he would die that very night. The he would lose ownership of all his material possession. They would fall to someone else.  We might well ask ourselves the question, “If Christ should come today, whose would all my possessions be?” How much better to use them for God today than to let them fall into the devil’s hands tomorrow! We can lay up treasure in heaven with them now, and thus be rich toward God. Or we can squander them on our flesh, and from the flesh reap corruption.
May be you can ask yourself another question, “If Christ should come today, are you ready to meet Him in the air?”

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” [John 3:16]



The rich man planned to build bigger barns

    

I'll tear down my barns and build bigger ones

 “Later, he[the rich man] said, "Now I know what I'll do. I'll tear down my barns and build bigger ones, where I can store all my grain and other goods. Then I'll say to myself, `You have stored up enough good things to last for years to come. Live it up! Eat, drink, and enjoy yourself.' "”  [Luke 12:18-19]






 

“Stop wailing,” Jesus said. “She is not dead but asleep.”

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 “While Jesus was still speaking, someone came from the house of Jairus, the synagogue leader. “Your daughter is dead,” he said. “Don’t bother the teacher anymore.”  Hearing this, Jesus said to Jairus, “Don’t be afraid; just believe, and she will be healed.”   [Luke 8:49-50]

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 “Stop wailing,” Jesus said. “She is not dead but asleep.”

Jairus, a ruler of the synagogue, was especially anxious to see Jesus because he had a twelve year old daughter who was dying.  He urgently begged Jesus to go with him quickly. But the multitudes thronged Him, hindering His progress.

Meanwhile a messenger arrived with the news that Jairus’ daughter was dead, and that therefore the Teacher’s services would no longer be needed. There was faith that He could heal, but none that He could raise the dead.

Jesus answered with words of comfort, encouragement, and promise. “Do not be afraid; only believe and she will be made well.”
As soon as He arrived at the home, He went to the room, taking with Him only Peter, James, and John, along with the parents. Everyone was wailing in despair, but Jesus told them to stop because the girl was not dead but sleeping. This caused them to ridicule Him, because they were positive that she was dead. Jesus knew that He is going to raise the dead child.  Jesus said to her, “Little girl, arise.” She arose immediately.  Then Jesus told them to give her something to eat.

There was faith that He could heal, but none that He could raise the dead.  Jairus believed when Jesus said,“Do not be afraid; only believe and she will be made well.”

Dear reader, what about you?  How much faith do you have in Jesus?  Do you have faith that He died for your sins? Do you have faith that He is going to come again?  “According to your faith will it be done to you.” (Matt. 9:29).


Jesus raises Jairus' dead daughter

    



Jesus raises Jairus' dead daughter 

 “Meanwhile, all the people were wailing and mourning for her. “Stop wailing,” Jesus said. “She is not dead but asleep.”
They laughed at him, knowing that she was dead.  But he took her by the hand and said, “My child, get up!” Her spirit returned, and at once she stood up. Then Jesus told them to give her something to eat.”  [Luke 8:52-55]