“The Secret of Success”

Matt 11:28-30

Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

Have you ever thought about what it would be like to know the future? You would know what stocks to pick and when to sell. Wow, wouldn’t you have liked to known how successful Apple or Google or Microsoft was going to be so you could have “bought in” when it was cheap. On the ground floor – how cool that would have been.  Well we see in this little snapshot the formula for a successful service in God’s kingdom. Herein is contained all you need to know about the steps to take to end up with a guaranteed end result. Now often in this life do you get that kind of guarantee? Mathematically speaking, the formula has three addends and a sum.

1. “Come”

He calls us today by the gospel. But we must respond to his invitation. So our first step on the road to success is to “come” rather to go to Jesus. And, interestly, He refuses none – John 6:37b “and him that comes to me I will in no wise cast out.” We could speak about the leper, the Canaanite woman, the woman with an issue of blood, and so many more. So just come, bring what you have and prepare for the second step.

2. “Take”

Okay, this step is a little bit more difficult, because we must accept that there is a yoke, a burden if you will. But, by comparison to what the deceiver burdens us with, Jesus’ “yoke is easy and his burden is light”

3. “Learn…”

“…of me.” In John 14:8-9a we find an interesting exchange, “Philip said unto him, ‘Lord, show us the Father, and it suffices us.’ Jesus said unto him, ‘Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip?’” In order to learn of Jesus we must spend time, in particular the Gospels, learning about him. We know that Paul tells Timothy, “Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needs not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”(II Tim 2:15)

So therein we know the importance of being studious, like the Bereans.

4. “Find” – which is the sum

So there it is: come + take + learn = find. Could it be any simpler? Not in concept, but perhaps in application – not due to the formula which is perfect, but due to our own weakness. So often we “come” but for whatever reason it is the taking and learning we seem to resist. And, because we resist, we continue to struggle. I dare say that the level of our faithfulness is in direct proportion to the level of taking and learning. The more we take and learn, the more we find.

God is on the edge of his seat, ready for you to give Him a faithful opportunity to bless you. His hand is not shortened that it cannot save – Isaiah 59:1. Remember the feeding of 5000? Where in John 6:6 the bible said, “And this Jesus said to prove Philip: for Jesus knew what he would do.”

• You may not know:

o how to get across the Red Sea, but God does.

o how you will defeat the giants of the land, but God does.

o how to get through the wilderness to the Promised Land, but God does.

o how you will rekindle lost love, but God does.

o how to deal with your sin problems, but God does.

o how you will repair relationships, but God does.

You may not know the how, and you may not know the when, and you may not even understand the why – but you serve the Almighty God who does. He knows tomorrow better than you know yesterday. Listen to Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.”

The opportunity for us is that the solution to success is mapped by a faithful Father and is, in concept, simply stated by Jesus. So the challenge for us is trusting the Master; that if we come, take, and learn – we will find. So, what will we find … ultimately rest. And, rest is the product of peace that we receive by grace and mercy. So take comfort my friends for, His yoke is easy and his burden is light and as we learn more about Him, we can become more like him …

JerryLowry

A Secret Is A Terrible Thing

I want to warn you about one of Satan’s favorite schemes…secrets. A secret is a terrible thing…especially when the secret is your own sin.

When you hide a sin, keeping it “just your little secret”, what you are doing, unintentionally no doubt, is allowing Satan leverage over you. He can, and will, use that “dirty little secret” against you. “But it’s just between me and God”, “I’ll never do it again”, “It was so long ago”. Sadly, all you’re rationalizing won’t change that.

A secret sin is the equivalent of allowing Satan to put a handle in the middle of your back. Every time you try to stand up spiritually, Satan will use that sin against you. He will black-mail you. Interestingly, the name ‘Satan’ means ‘accuser’, and he is a specialist at that. “Just who do you think you are?”, “You’re not much of a Christian!”, “If people find out what you’ve done, your public humiliation will destroy you”, “How can you be so arrogant to confront them about their sin, considering what you’ve done?”

So what is the best way to get rid of a black-mailer? Pay him? That’s usually the first thing we try isn’t it? But you’ve seen the movie, he’s never satisfied, he always wants more and more, the payments never end. So, what can be done to get rid of a black-mailer? Well, obviously, get rid of the secret, confess it, expose it. When you do that, he has no more leverage over you.

That, I believe, is one reason God tells us over and over to confess our sins. Once you do, Satan cannot use your secret against you anymore. Do you have a secret sin? Find a godly brother/sister in the Lord who will give you righteous counsel and get that handle off your back!

He who covers his sins will not prosper,
But whoever confesses and forsakes them will have mercy.
Proverbs 28:13

MichaelMcCorkle