"Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion?
Come to me. Get away with me and you'll recover your life. I'll show you how to
take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me--watch how I do it. Learn the
unforced rhythms of grace. I won't lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you.
Keep company with me and you'll learn to live freely and lightly." Matthew
11:28-30
MSG
The fatal mistake for the believer is to seek to bear
life’s load in a single collar. God never intended man to carry his burden
alone. Christ therefore deals only in yokes! A yoke is a neck harness for two,
and the Lord Himself pleads to be One of the two. He wants to share the labor
of any galling task. The secret of peace and victory in the Christian life is
found in putting off the taxing collar of “self” and accepting the Master’s
relaxing “yoke.” J.H. Jowett
The Yoke Pictures Three Things:
- Connection - “Be with Me.” Yokes are made for two, not one. We were not meant
to go through life living apart from God. His yoke fits well and is
lighter than the one we’ve been pulling by ourselves. Be connected to
Jesus!
- Direction - “Follow Me.” The idea of a yoke pictures the forward motion of two connected together. You cannot be yoked to Jesus and go your own way anymore. We follow Him and His direction for our life. Follow Jesus!
- Cooperation - “Work with Me.” To be yoked together means that we cooperate
with His work. Before we come to Him, we were living for this side of
eternity. Now we are joined to His work and discover that our lives make
an eternal impact.
We experience only when we obey:
COME and TAKE His yoke.
Thirdly, I will experience rest for my soul as I obey Jesus’
command of…
- Learn From Me
His teaching is gentle. Religious people can
be cold and harsh, but not Jesus. His gentleness draws us to Him with our cares
and concerns. Wouldn’t it be great to have someone you can pour out your
deepest thoughts, a gentle person who has the strength to help. We need to
learn that He wants to love us. 1 Peter 5:7 Give all your worries to him, because he cares about
you (NCV).
His teaching is filled with humility. Again, religious people can be arrogant and rude toward
us. The very things that turn people off
from the church are the very opposite of what Jesus is really like. Hurting, lost and weary people were drawn to
Jesus because He cared for them and met their needs.
Once and for all we rest in His
work on the cross for us to make us acceptable to God (real relief for the
labor and burden of our lives apart from God).
There is no need to fear what Jesus might do in your life. He is gentle
and humble. The more you learn that about Him, the more you will find your rest
in Him.
Scripture to Claim:
So let's keep at it and eventually arrive at the place of
rest, not drop out through some sort of disobedience. Hebrews 4:11
