Not Alone (In the Yoke)

Matthew 11:28-30 (KJV) - Come unto me, all ye that labour 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. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

Jesus is not calling us to walk alone. He is saying come unto me and I will share your burden. A yoke was a wooden implement that was designed to harness two oxen together so that their strength was combined to pull a load. Christ didn’t save you to toil alone and struggle under the weight of this world by yourself. He has prepared a place next to Him where when you are weak He is strong.
As we have discussed in previous posts, the order of our steps is always important. We cannot expect His strength to sustain us unless we first come to him. I have heard it said that you can’t live like a married man unless you first are married. Likewise, you can’t live like a Christian unless you are first saved. We must come to Jesus, that is salvation, not a work that we have done but the work of Christ on the cross. It is a finished work but after we come we must “take His yoke upon us and learn of Him”. Surrender follows salvation. We understand Christ’s love and grace but to walk beside Him we must learn to surrender to His will. Too often Christians struggle to carry their own load and never learn to submit to God’s power and might. We are like Jacob who wrestled with the Lord all night, exhausted and spent, we finally cry out, “I will not let you go until you bless me.” God wanted to bless you from the very beginning. He didn’t come that night to kill Jacob. He came to change his name. He came to set him upon a new path. He came to speak life and not death. That is the invitation to you today. Come unto me, take my yoke upon you, learn of me, I will give you rest!

Climbing the Ladder

Matthew 11:28-30 (KJV)  -  Come unto me, all ye that labour 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.  For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

You can be sure that when you find yourself in a deep dark pit God will extend a ladder to you, but you have to be willing to climb out.  Grace is the ladder that reaches from Heaven to sinful man and faith is all you need to climb.  Throughout Scripture God extends an invitation to us “Come unto me”! He calls to the nation of Israel in Isaiah 55:3, “Incline your ear, and come unto me: hear, and your soul shall live; and I will make an everlasting covenant with you, even the sure mercies of David.”  Jesus cried out in John 7:37, “If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink.  He that believes on me, as the scripture has said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.”  No matter how lost you are or how desperate your situation God is not far away.  He has made a way that you might be forgiven, restored, and blessed.  There is a blessing waiting for you today!  It is not to be found in the riches of this world or the treasures of man.  This blessing is found in the service of God.  When we come to the Lord there is rest for our souls.  The storms of this life must cease and the our feet are established on the solid Rock, Christ Jesus.  If you are struggling under the burden of sin and despair, your despair can be turned to hope your sorrow to joy!  Turn your eyes upon Jesus, by faith take hold of His promises and begin to climb today.