Day 6 - Wanting Something For Nothing

"Stop imitating the ideals and opinions of the culture around you, but be inwardly transformed by the Holy Spirit through a total reformation of how you think. This will empower you to discern God’s will as you live a beautiful life, satisfying and perfect in his eyes." (Romans 12:2 TPT)

The world around us has taught us to "expect something for nothing". This mindset is so prevalent today that we believe that we are entitled and should not have to exert any effort but expect that someone else is going to do the work for us.

So when we read a passage such as:

"Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” (Matthew 11:28-30 NKJV)

We can read it with a modern day, westernized mindset and think that Jesus is inviting us to "rest and relax while He works for us". We tend to think, "He is the stronger one that we are yoked to and He will pull His weight and ours too. He wants us to rest and take it easy. And that surely God loves us so much that He will give us anything and everything that we desire without us doing a thing for it".

This is not the discipleship that Jesus requires.

Discipleship costs us something, but it pays huge dividends. Following Jesus involves working like Jesus works.

I believe that Jesus knew that people would resist working. After all He said that "the harvest is great but the laborers are few, pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest". Jesus knew that we would not have an issue with the harvest but that we would have an issue getting laborers to go out into the harvest.

We have grown to want the fruit without the work and the reward without the discipline. This is contrary to becoming a true disciple of Jesus Christ. We need to shift our mindset from what the world thinks to what the word teaches. Allow the Holy Spirit to transform the way that we think about discipleship and working like Jesus works.

Are you allowing Jesus to develop His discipline in you to be a laborer? Do we see a job to do and say to ourselves...oh, someone else will do that?

Say this: Today I am focused on working like Jesus worked. I am a laborer for His harvest. When I see work to do, I do not run the other way.

Pray this: "Father, fill me with determination to do the tough thing, the things that no one else wants to do. Thank you for the supernatural strength and passion to give myself to Kingdom work. You can count on me to be a laborer in Your harvest."