Life Recovery Bible - Flipbook - Page 27
as one who speaks for God,* you will be
given the same reward as a prophet. And if
you receive righteous people because of their
righteousness, you will be given a reward like
theirs. 42 And if you give even a cup of cold
water to one of the least of my followers, you
will surely be rewarded.”
C H A P T E R 11
Jesus and John the Baptist
When Jesus had finished giving these instructions to his twelve disciples, he went out
to teach and preach in towns throughout the
region.
2
John the Baptist, who was in prison, heard
about all the things the Messiah was doing.
So he sent his disciples to ask Jesus, 3 “Are you
the Messiah we’ve been expecting,* or should
we keep looking for someone else?”
4
Jesus told them, “Go back to John and tell
him what you have heard and seen—5 the
blind see, the lame walk, those with leprosy
are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised
to life, and the Good News is being preached
to the poor.” 6 And he added, “God blesses
those who do not fall away because of me.*”
7
As John’s disciples were leaving, Jesus
began talking about him to the crowds. “What
kind of man did you go into the wilderness
to see? Was he a weak reed, swayed by every
breath of wind? 8 Or were you expecting to
see a man dressed in expensive clothes? No,
people with expensive clothes live in palaces.
9
Were you looking for a prophet? Yes, and
he is more than a prophet. 10 John is the man
to whom the Scriptures refer when they say,
‘Look, I am sending my messenger ahead
of you,
and he will prepare your way before
you.’*
“I tell you the truth, of all who have ever
lived, none is greater than John the Baptist.
Yet even the least person in the Kingdom
of Heaven is greater than he is! 12 And from
the time John the Baptist began preaching
until now, the Kingdom of Heaven has been
forcefully advancing,* and violent people are
attacking it. 13 For before John came, all the
prophets and the law of M
oses looked forward to this present time. 14 And if you are
willing to accept what I say, he is Elijah, the
one the prophets said would come.* 15 Anyone
11
12-STEP
DEVOTIONAL
STEP
3
Submission and Rest
BIBLE READING: Matthew 11:27-30
We made a decision to turn our wills
and our lives over to the care of God.
When our burdens become heavy and
we find that our way of life is leading us
toward death, we may finally be willing to
let someone else do the driving. We may
have worked hard at getting our lives on
the right track but still feel as if we always
end up on dead-end streets.
Proverbs tells us, “There is a path before
each person that seems right, but it ends
in death” (Proverbs 14:12). When we
began our addictive behavior, we were
probably seeking pleasure or looking for
a way to overcome our pain. The way
seemed right at first, but it wasn’t long
before it became clear that we were on
the wrong track. By then we were unable
to turn around on our own. Jesus said,
“Come to me, all of you who are weary
and carry heavy burdens, and I will give
you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let
me teach you, because I am humble and
gentle at heart, and you will find rest for
your souls” (Matthew 11:28-29).
Taking on a yoke implies being united
to another in order to work together.
Those who are yoked together must go
in the same direction; by doing so, their
work is made considerably easier. When
we finally decide to submit our lives and
our wills to God’s direction, our burdens
will become manageable. When we let
him do the driving, we will “find rest”
for our souls. He knows the way and has
the strength to turn us around and get
us on the road toward recovery. Turn to
page 1409, Acts 17.
10:41 Greek receive a prophet in the name of a prophet.
11:3 Greek Are you the one who is coming?
11:6 Or who
are not offended by me.
11:10 Mal 3:1. 11:12 Or the
Kingdom of Heaven has suffered from violence.
11:14 See
Mal 4:5.
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