Jesus Asks Us to Come, Take, and Learn

I confess that I can easily lose my peace when I focus on difficult things in my life.

Relationship disappointments are the hardest, seeing loved ones walk away from their faith and make tragic choices. These things can leave me worried, sad, angry, or depressed.

That's when I need to listen to Jesus' words in Matthew 11:28-30:

"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." 

Come, Take and Learn. 

• Come to Him and quit seeking answers from ourselves or worldly sources (Isaiah 55:6-7; 1 Corinthians 3:19).

• Take His yoke by surrendering ourselves to His will in our lives, seeking His plans and purposes (Ephesians 2:10).

• Learn from Him. Let His Word be our guide (Proverbs 2:6; Hebrews 4:12). And let Him show us how to have joy and peace in the midst of our trials (John 16:33; 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18).

If you also lose your peace at times, I suggest you read this passage daily...better yet, memorize it.

Together let’s find rest for our souls in Jesus.

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For more encouragement in this area, see Seeking Genuine Peace in the Midst of Trials. 

If you're a Bible Love Notes subscriber, why not tell one of your friends how easy it is to sign up for a free subscription. You can send them this link: HERE. 

If you enjoyed this devotion, be sure to check out the Wisdom for Life Devotional. It contains 100 one-minute devotions to challenge, encourage, instruct, and inspire your love for God's Word: Wisdom for Life. Read the story behind Wisdom for Life HERE. Check out the great sales on Lifeway or Amazon.

 

 

 

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Little Things Can Bring Big Blessings

Little things can bring big blessings.
 

Last week, after multiple challenges and only four hours of sleep, I was emotionally and physically exhausted. Then I got a text from my friend Karenn that greatly encouraged me and built me up (1 Thessalonians 5:11). A text may seem like a little thing, but it was a huge blessing to me. 

Scripture tells us that if we're faithful with little things, God will trust us with bigger things (Luke 16:10), but sometimes He uses little things in bigger ways than we could imagine.

In addition, we can bless ourselves in big ways by faithfully doing little things like studying our Bible for short periods throughout the day or taking time for a short prayer every few hours.  

I think about the little decision I made as a young mom to go to a women's Bible study when I'd never attended one before. That little decision eventually led to my salvation! 

And many people find the Lord because a friend patiently shares the gospel with them, little bit by little bit.

So let's wake up each day asking God if He has some little plan in store for us (Ephesians 2:10)—a way to encourage a friend (Hebrews 10:24) or build our relationship with the Lord (Philippians 2:12-13).

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For more ideas and insights, see Long Distance Hugs, Set Your Mind or Set Your Alarm and Attention to Details. If you're married, check out this marriage post: Little Big Things: 17 Ideas.  

 

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5 Tips for Biblical Anger Management

I lost my temper the other day.

So I needed this reminder about biblical anger management. Maybe some of you could use it too.

How do we control the ugly anger monster?
Here are some things I’m doing that have helped me in the past.

1. Memorize verses relating to anger (e.g., Prov. 16:32; 19:11; 29:11).
Reciting, memorizing, and meditating on God’s Word changes us supernaturally.

2. Listen carefully and think before speaking—this helps us avoid misunderstandings that lead to anger (James 1:19-20).

3. Ask God to show us the underlying sins that led to our anger (James 4:1-2).

4. Deal with problems quickly (Ephesians 4:26). Unresolved problems grow worse.

5. Realize the danger of unresolved anger—it gives Satan control in our lives (Ephesians 4:26-27).

Only God can change us, but these things help us yield our will to His.

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For more on this subject, see Fools, Anger, and Repentance and Satan's Pop-Up Temptations.

 

I encourage you to check out the Wisdom for Life Devotional. It contains 100 one-minute devotions to challenge, encourage, instruct, and inspire your love for God's Word: Wisdom for Life. Read the story behind Wisdom for Life HERE. Check out the sale prices on Lifeway or Amazon.

 

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When People Beat Up God's Messengers

 

Satan loves to do two things: convince Christians we have no moral responsibility when it comes to politics, or encourage us to focus on candidates instead of policies. 

 

God makes it clear: we're responsible to speak truth whenever Scripture is mocked, and we're responsible to promote policies in our communities that reflect His Word, even if we have problems with the candidates who sponsor them. *Please read all of Gail's note below the devotion.

When I published my YouTube video about Talarico's pro-“A” lies, some of the responses proved we’re not fighting against flesh and blood (Ephesians 6:10-12). 

Many of the comments were ad hominem attacks on me, exalting Talarico as a wonderful Christian and describing me as ignorant, a poor Christian example, and even associating me with Satan.

Bottom line: Talarico claims that good Christians support killing babies and bad Christians try to rescue babies. (See Why I'm Addressing Talarico's Claims.)

 

He uses exaggeration and name-calling to get his point across, so it's natural that his supporters followed his lead and did the same in their comments. (See Making Sin Sound Moral and Morality Sound Sinful.) 

 

After all, there's no logical or biblical way to support the Democratic Party's view on “A.” Only Satan could so thoroughly blind people to promote it (2 Corinthians 4:4). 

 

So I’m asking you to take some action. Please go to the BLN YouTube video, Talarico's Weedy Words, take seven minutes to listen to it, and give it a thumbs up. And if you feel led, write a comment. 

 

This is one small way we can honor God's command to “speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves...rescue those being led away to death,” (Proverbs 31:8; 24:11).

 

For more insights, see: Ad Hominem Disagreement—A Sign of Weak Faith and Don't Expect Your Message to Be Popular.

 

If you haven't purchased Lies in Disguise, please do. It gives believers the tools they need to recognize false teachings and defend God's Word against propaganda like Talarico's.

 

*A note from Gail

 

Christians can no longer avoid politics in our sermons, Bible studies, and devotions. Politics is not the only area that impacts Christians, but it's an important one. How we respond to political issues that support or violate biblical principles is a key aspect of our faith, a way we prove or deny our love for God's Word.

 

Most of the feedback I get from readers is mature and kind, but I'm surprised at some of the responses I get when I talk about politics, even though I only talk about moral, biblical issues. When I favor a Republican policy, I'm seen as a Trump-worshiper. So please let me set some things straight.

 

I currently vote Republican, but I don't think the Republican platform is perfect. I've written about my disappointment with the Pagan Chant Compromises Republican Convention. And in This Election Biblical Principles Are at Stake (10/24), my husband expressed our disappointment that the Republican platform has not stood as firm as in the past on “A.” 

 

I don't idolize Trump—never have and never will. Sometimes his rhetoric or social media posts are disturbing to me. But I don't address things like that on either side of politics unless it's related to laws and policies.  When we vote, we're not voting to approve a candidate's personal life or his personality. We're voting for policies that define and deeply affect people's lives. See Leadership in Scripture: Godly Lifestyles vs. Godly Platforms.  

 

My decisions are based first and foremost on biblical priorities, not policies regarding financial benefits or things of lesser priority. Currently, the Republican platform allows states to put limitations on killing babies, doesn't seek to promote LGBTQ lifestyles, and stands against gender surgeries on minors. The Democratic Party proudly promotes all of these things in their platform, policies, and official statements. They were angry that a law was passed prohibiting doctors from killing babies or letting them die without treatment if they're born alive in late-term “A”s (source). 

 

Again, let me stress this: I don't write about the personal lives of Democratic or Republican candidates. I write about their public promotion of immoral policies (e.g., Ruth Bader Ginsburg), especially if they claim those policies are biblical (e.g., Talarico).

 

It's evil to sacrifice the lives of babies because we like one candidate better than the other or because of some financial benefit in the party platform. And no other political situation can compare to “A”—not even war. In 2025, there were 1,126,000 unborn babies killed in U.S. clinics (source). This does not include “self-managed” use of the “A” pill (source/ source). See Allowing for Differences but Not Sinful Choices and read the clear message in Proverbs 24:11-12 and Proverbs 31:8-9 if you doubt this is a biblical issue.

 

Note to my foreign readers:  

Recently, I got a couple of emails/comments that were very negative toward the U.S. describing it as a terrible place responsible for all the world's problems. Perhaps they thought I would agree because I often share negative examples of things happening in the U.S. But I don't hate my country. I feel God made me an American for a purpose (Acts 17:24-28). 

 

I'm a Christian first and foremost. That's my priority in all that I share. But below that level of priority, I'm also an American who is not only aware of my country's flaws, but also proud of many things about my country, just as you are about yours. 

 

Occasionally, I include bad examples in other countries. I may point out that the country's laws are more ungodly than those in America, but I do that based on facts. I judge other countries' laws/rulings/situations with the same measure I judge America's. 

 

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4 Examples that Violate Human Rights

Dear Christians, we must speak God's loving truths to a lost and dying world.  

True believers don’t distort Scripture to fit culture. They stay alert so they can recognize Satan's schemes (1 Peter 5:8). 

They speak truth graciously but unashamedly (2 Corinthians 4:2; Luke 9:26; Romans 1:16).   

Let these Canadian* examples warn you of what's beginning to happen worldwide:

☑  A school board member was “fined $750,000 for expressing opposition to the promotion of trans ideology in schools.” This money was distributed to LGBT teachers in the district for “injury to their dignity, feelings, and self-respect.” (source)

☑  A woman was fined $10,000 for expressing concerns about her trans friend’s surgery to remove her breasts. (source)

☑  A Montreal beauty salon was forced to pay $500 to a non-binary activist because they advertised men's and women's haircuts. (source)

☑  A woman was fined $8000 for using “she/her” instead of “they/them” with a co-worker. (source)

It's okay to silence Christians and show disrespect for our core values, but it's unlawful to disrespect or silence LGBTQ core values.

We’re in the midst of a battle. We must firmly stand our ground against “the devil’s schemes,” being prayerful and alert (Ephesians 6:10-18). 

“You will be hated by all for My name’s sake. But he who endures to the end will be saved.” Jesus, Matthew 10:22

Let's be alert to the warning signs and faithful in prayer, standing firmly to the end! 

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For more encouragement to stand firm, see Are You Sticking Up for Your Family? and The Remnant, the Unfaithful, and the Lost.

And please consider checking out Lies in Disguise. 

It gives Christians solid biblical truths to prepare them for situations where their faith and loyalty are tested. 

We must not give up the fight to warn people about the lies that are destroying their souls. 

* Canada isn't the only country silencing Christians and mocking God's loving commands. America has not yet reached the Canadian level, but we will if Christians don't pray, speak truth, and stand firm.

 

 

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