Why would the Lord invite those weary from labour to wear a yoke? And then, why would the Lord promise rest by inviting people to labour?
The Lord commanded the apostles to separate themselves and rest a while. Each believer today should examine whether is obeying this command of the Lord.
The Bible offers two circumstances to truly define death: the departure of the soul (Genesis 35:18) and the departure of the spirit (Genesis 25:8).
God especially cares for all those that the world frequently disregards. For instance, the Bible points out that the Lord is “the helper of the fatherless,” and the poor commit themselves unto His care (Psalm 10:14). Why is it important for the poor to look up for their help? Because the Lord regards “the oppression of the poor” (Ecclesiastes 5:8) and delivers the poor “from him that is strong for him, yea, the poor and the needy from him that spoileth him” (Psalm 35:10). Jeremiah confirmed this truth when he said, “the LORD . . . hath delivered the soul of the poor from the hand of evildoers” (Jeremiah 20:13). The world may regard the poor as a burden, but the Lord sees them as one of His highest priorities.
Far too many believers today are guilty of a very dangerous practice of usurping authority that does not rightfully belong to them. As an apostle, Paul was given an elevated level of authority. As expressed in his writings, Paul understood that his authority differed from that of the other believers in Corinth. It is important to recognize that the apostles’ authority ended with their deaths. Believers only have the authority given to them in accordance to the holy scriptures. Unfortunately, many well-meaning Christians attempt to claim authority that belonged only to a special group of men that lived during the church’s infancy. This authority was given to them in order to confirm the word (Mark 16:14-20). Authority today resides within the word itself.
Man is not saved by works; however, through the new birth, he is “created in Christ Jesus unto” (Ephesians 2:10) and should be “zealous of” (Titus 2:14) good works. The Lord could easily save a man and immediately take him to heaven, but He chooses to leave man here on this earth to do a work for Him. Though the Lord’s work on this earth is made up of many details, it always includes “the ministry of reconciliation” (2 Corinthians 5:18). Similar to the responsibility to tell others about a known cure for a dreaded disease, every Christian has the responsibility to express to others their knowledge of the cure for the coming judgment of God and how to be reconciled to God.
Sometimes the right decisions are the easiest to see and the most difficult to make. In the case of Korah’s rebellion, many of the people at that time recognized the ease of making the right decision. The person who understood and saw God’s impending judgment knew that the only proper solution was the one offered by the Lord—separate from the tents of the rebels. The proper solution was also quite easy to perform. However, there were many family members of these men involved in the rebellion who had to make a difficult choice. The solution was made known unto them, the details were clear, but their choices were not easy. Why? The right decision involved walking away from a father and family whom they may have loved dearly. According to the psalms, at least some of the sons of Korah chose to do the right thing and separate from their family.
A normal man naturally desires to protect what God has given to him. Jacob was not always the best example of godliness, but he had the right desire to protect his family from harm. The Bible reveals to us how he reacted when he could see his brother Esau approaching. Unsure of how this reunion might disintegrate into harm, Jacob divided his family with the most precious at the rear. As his family’s protector, Jacob led the caravan. If there was going to be trouble, he would have an opportunity to intervene offering his family an opportunity to flee for safety. According to Ephesians 5:25, a man’s protection should include a willingness to lay down his life for his wife. A godly man will always intercede between his home and the impending danger.
The various dieting trends push for several additional times that man should eat. The Bible clears up any question concerning the number of meals an individual should eat in a single day. Believers should be very careful not to accept the latest trends as though they are the best or even from the Lord. Within scripture, one finds someone partaking of the meal commonly called breakfast (Judges 19:5), at other times, one finds someone partaking of a meal at noon (Genesis 43:16), and at other times, partaking of an evening meal (Luke 24:29-30). In the case of Elijah, the Lord only fed him twice a day (1 Kings 17:6). The most important truth to realize and consider: know that food purposes to give man the necessary strength to fulfil the will of the Lord.
In a day when the world uses the word love rather flippantly, the people of God need to revisit the concept of biblical love. The Bible says, “A friend loveth at all times.” This infers that the concept of falling in and out of love is unscriptural. Biblically defined love is not a fleeting emotion controlled by one’s feelings. It remains a choice based on the truths of scripture and falls outside the whims of one's emotional passions. The world declares its love for something and in the same breath declares its love lost for the latest passing fad. Just as God’s love for us remains permanent, so ought our love for others. Unfortunately, this fickleness has crept into the lives of the believers. We could learn much by considering the example of the Lord’s love for His enemies even after they had so cruelly nailed Him to the tree (Luke 23:34). Biblical love forgives and continues to unconditionally forgive regardless of any objectionable response to one’s love (Proverbs 10:12).
