Author: Brian Burdett

“For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” – Matthew 11:30

People sometimes imagine following Jesus as having to follow an endless list of rules. Do this, and this, and this… Don’t do that, or that, or that… All too often, they got that impression from Christians who’ve turned following Jesus into endless rule following. That isn’t what following Jesus is all about! To follow Jesus is to yoke yourself to Him, like one horse or ox connected to another. A yoked team moves together in the same direction and at the same speed. A yoked team has the combined strength of both members.

That’s the invitation of Jesus, to be yoked to Him. Obviously, there’s a certain commitment to that. But consider Who you get connected to…. Jesus Himself. Following Jesus isn’t about gritting your teeth and following rules. It’s about binding yourself to Jesus and letting Him set the direction and pace of your life while He also does the heavy lifting as the stronger team member. It’s about being so connected to Jesus that as He moves, you move. It’s about letting Him strengthen you. His Spirit fills you. He lives in you.

Committing to follow Jesus isn’t a commitment to check boxes of behavior and follow rules. That’s what the Pharisees did and Jesus condemned them for it. Following Jesus is about doing what He does through His power living in you. This is why Jesus said that His yoke is easy and His burden is light. If you’ll truly follow Him, He will work through you to make extraordinary things happen! His life will flow through you and make you more and more like Him. But, you will need to agree to truly take His yoke…to walk where He walks, do what He does, and move at His speed rather than your own. Will you do that? #FollowJesus

“For Zion’s sake I will not keep silent,
and for Jerusalem’s sake I will not be quiet,
until her righteousness goes forth as brightness,
and her salvation as a burning torch.”
– Isaiah 62:1

As the Middle East continues to be a troubled and unsettled region, it’s worth remembering that Jerusalem will always be near and dear to God’s heart. Always. The Bible speaks of God’s longing to bless this ancient city and calls on His people to pray for the city’s peace. Be faithful in doing exactly that. However, followers of Jesus must also be clear-eyed in understanding that very few who live in that city currently call upon Yeshua (Jesus) as their Messiah.

As you pray, don’t just pray for a city or a nation or people’s safety or strength. Pray with urgency for their salvation. That the righteousness and salvation Isaiah spoke of this verse would flow through Jerusalem through saving faith in Jesus Messiah. Romans 11 speaks of a coming day when many from Israel will call on the name of Jesus as Lord. Pray zealously that this time would be now! Pray for the transforming love and peace of Jesus wash across the entire Middle East and all the nations that are currently in conflict.

Pray for radiant righteousness and the light of salvation to flow out of Jerusalem and through the deeply divided and violent lands that so get the world’s attention for all the wrong reasons. #FollowJesus

“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’” – Matthew 7:21-23

This is a frightening word from Jesus!!! He says there will be people who thought they were Christians, but weren’t. People who did extraordinary things in the name of Jesus but didn’t really know Him. Because they didn’t, they will be eternally damned. Your salvation is never based on what you’ve done for Jesus. It’s based on your relationship with Him. That you’ve truly embraced Him as your Lord, Savior, and friend, receiving God’s grace through faith in Him.

Do you know Jesus or just know about Him? Do you have a relationship with Him or just a religion? Are you well connected to Jesus through prayer, reading, studying, and meditating on His words, and serving Him in the power of His Holy Spirit? Do you love spending time with Jesus in praise, prayer, meditation, and even silence? Is He your friend or just a figurehead? Is Jesus your Lord or just a bumper sticker?

Are you increasingly demonstrating the fruit that indicates you have a rich relationship with Jesus? Love? Joy? Peace? Patience? Kindness? Goodness? Faithfulness? Gentleness? Self-control? Transformed words? Transformed actions? Mercy? Forgiveness?

If your answer is no, then don’t delay! Get on your knees and start talking to God about what you believe. What you believe about Him. What you believe about Jesus. What you believe about yourself. Wrestle with whether you’ve truly repented of your sins, confessed them to God, and asked for forgiveness in the name of Jesus. Consider whether you truly love Jesus and have asked Him to be the Lord of your life. Do NOT run the risk of hearing these terrible words from Jesus when you finally meet Him years from now. Meet Him today and accept His kind invitation to #FollowJesus

“For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.” – Matthew 6:14-15

As Jesus delivered the greatest sermon ever preached, He was very blunt that forgiveness isn’t optional for Christians. Just as mercy isn’t optional, neither is forgiveness toward others. If you’ve truly believed and been saved by the Gospel, you’ll be quick to forgive others. Why? Because you know how much God has forgiven you! If you’ve truly asked God’s forgiveness for your sins and been forgiven as a gift of God’s grace through faith in Jesus Christ, then you understand that just as you didn’t deserve to be forgiven, you must forgive others who don’t deserve it.

This can be extraordinarily hard, but you don’t have an option. If Jesus is your Lord, the good news is that He’s already given you the example and the power to forgive. Christians can forgive those who wrong and hurt us because Jesus forgave us. Our sins nailed the Son of God to the cross to die and while He hung on that cross, Jesus forgave us. Your sins nailed Jesus to the cross and while He hung there, Jesus forgave you! Jesus showed us how to forgive people who don’t deserve it.

Because His Spirit lives in every genuine Christian, we also have the power to forgive like He did. If Jesus is your Lord, you can forgive others. Even if they don’t deserve it. You can forgive them to God. You may, or may not, be able to forgive them personally. You can release the anger, hurt, and bitterness that hold your heart hostage. You can and you must. Jesus didn’t give any Christian an exemption from these words. Take time right now to examine your heart and mind. Is there anyone you need to forgive for what they did to you? If so, start talking to God about them right now. Work to release those hard feelings to the Lord. Tell God that you do forgive that person. If possible, think about how you could let them know that they’ve been forgiven and why. #FollowJesus

“Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.” – Matthew 5:7

We all want mercy… for ourselves! Through faith in Jesus Christ, we receive God’s mercy in quantities so enormous that words fail us. We welcome His mercy in our life. We give thanks that God doesn’t give us what we deserve for all the bad things we’ve thought, said, or done. We celebrate that God doesn’t give us what we deserve for all the good things we’ve failed to say or do. We rejoice in God’s mercy!

Does that make you merciful? Truly merciful toward others in the way that God is merciful toward you? Are you as quick to show mercy as you are to ask for, and receive, it? God blesses, favors, and delights in those who are merciful. Is He blessing, favoring, and delighting in you? Are you merciful toward those in need? Are you merciful toward those who are weak or vulnerable? Are you merciful toward those who frustrate or wrong you???

Followers of Jesus have received (and continue to receive) mercy upon mercy from the Lord. It IS NOT optional for us to show mercy toward others! As the foremost beneficiaries for divine mercy, we must overflow with mercy toward others. If we don’t, do we really understand or believe the good news of Jesus Christ? Have we actually been saved and transformed by Christ?

Take some time to think about the mercy you’ve received in Christ. Then think about how much (or little) mercy you show toward other people. Is there a person or group toward which your heart is cold and hard rather than warm and merciful? Ask God to help change your heart, filling it with His mercy. Then enjoy the blessings, and freedom, of being truly merciful. #FollowJesus