Your Connection

Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke fits perfectly, and the burden I give you is light. — Matthew 11:29–30



As I got out of the shower this morning I had running in my head the song lyrics "I will wait upon the Lord, I will wait upon the Lord. He reigns! He reigns forever!" Not sure of the name of the song or who wrote it, but I took a deep breath and said to myself, "there, that's better. I have connected with my Lord!"

I love it when He does that! When He reminds me that life is so much easier with Him. That's not to say that we are given a free pass on hardship or upheaval. It just means we can lean on Jesus to get us through not only the day, but the rest of our lives!

This from Greg Laurie's Harvest Daily Devotion:

The Two-Part Invitation

In Matthew 11, Jesus follows His invitation to rest with the invitation to take His yoke and learn from Him. He is telling us there is more; His invitation to rest is a package deal. If we are true followers of Jesus Christ, then we will take His yoke upon us. But what does that mean?

The concept of a yoke would have been readily understood by the people of Jesus' day. It was a steering device that was placed on animals to guide the plows or carts they were pulling.

So Jesus, in essence, is saying, "Take my steering device upon you." He is saying, "Let me be in control of your life. Let me guide your life. Let me direct your life."

You might be thinking, "Here Jesus says that He will give me rest. Now He is saying to put on His yoke and learn. That sounds like work."

I want you to know that it will be as much of a weight to you as wings are to a bird. It will be a joy, because now, instead of wasting your life serving yourself or living for pleasure or success or whatever else one lives for, you will be channeling your energies into following and serving Jesus Christ.

You may give up some things to follow the Lord. But what you give up can't begin to compare to what He has given you. It is not just a great thing to do with your life. It is the most satisfying to do with your life.

When Life is Overloaded

Then 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, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke fits perfectly, and the burden I give you is light." - Matthew 11:28-30

Do you feel overwhelmed at times? How about overloaded? I do. I'm in the middle of making some tough, life-changing decisions. Career choices, relationship commitments, geographical moves...all these kinds of things that we face in life. Then there's the other stuff...getting behind in bills, health issues, time conflicts, and it goes on and on...and on.

Maybe it's time to get back to our first love. I remember when I truly accepted Jesus Christ as my personal saviour. I physically felt lighter...like the weight of the world had been lifted off my shoulders.

Could it have been His yoke upon me for the first time? I believe so. A yoke is generally thought of as a wooden bar or frame by which two draft animals (as oxen) are joined at the heads or necks for working together.

Today, let's walk under His yoke...knowing that it fits perfectly and the burden becomes light.

Alexander is a writer in the online spiritual battlefield. You can also find him at The Scrooge Report.