One of the rich grace blessings of being a child of God is the 24/7 invitation from Christ to enter into the “inner circle,” the classroom of intimate discipleship with Christ. No need to wish you could’ve been Peter, James, John, or any of the other twelve seated with Jesus beside the Sea of Galilee. Jesus says, Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 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 (Matthew 11:28-29). When you enter His classroom at His continual invitation, the Instructor/Trainer/Teacher/Discipler is Christ Himself, and the subject is Christ. He takes you just as you are, tired, weary, heavy laden with sin, guilt, questions, despair, failures, doubts, confusion, misunderstandings, and yokes up with you because He, the compassionate, forgiving, merciful One died and rose from the tomb to enjoy fellowship with you, to give you rest, and to be your advocate and friend. Initially, He gives you rest from a life of sin as He brings you to the Father in salvation. Then as He teaches you, He gives rest from the spiritual battles, rest from the quandary of thoughts in your mind as well as rest from the cares of life. Bottom line is, for all the questions of life, the answer is Christ. And to think, He invites you to come to Him. Then as you enter the classroom, especially the first thing each morning, and though out the day, come with the following desire from your heart and on your lips: Teach me thy way, O Lord; I will walk in thy truth: unite my heart to fear thy name (Psalm 86:11).
It’s time for class! We have the absolute best Teacher, the absolute best curriculum, the absolute best applications for life, and the joy of always being seated next to the Teacher! Pull up a chair this morning; listen, learn and live. Oh, by the way, don’t forget to take notes!
From A Pastor's Heart 