Yoked With Jesus

 DEVOTION

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MATTHEW

YOKED WITH JESUS

Matt 11:28-30

28 "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 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. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."

NIV

This is, what we would consider, one of the most beautiful teachings of Jesus. Who in life does not become weary and overwhelmed with burdens? Sometimes life itself can make us weary. Just doing the daily grind, day in and day out, month after month, year after year can become wearisome. Then to add to this feeling of being weary, there are responsibilities that somehow just keep piling up to a point they can become a burden. However, there is good news, a relief that is available if we will only come to Jesus. This whole idea of being yoked with Jesus is incredible. Throughout life, we might make some contracts that are in essence a form of being partners or being yoked. Sure, many of us have mortgages, or car loans, or even those pesky credit cards, or bank cards. We are actually yoked with them, going through life with them and if we are not pulling our portion of the load, they will crush us, or cause us some form of discomfort. However, when we take on the yoke of Jesus, all else seems dimly important. In Jesus, we find rest, we can repose, lay back and learn from him. Jesus brings peace to our souls. We do not have to worry about our life, or how it is going to turn out, for that is secure in Jesus. Jesus is our life partner, who has yoked himself to us, or rather we should say that we have yoked ourselves to Him. He carries our burden and living life yoked with Jesus makes the load light as well as we do not have to worry about which direction we will travel. Jesus has told us not to be anxious or not to worry, or be afraid, that if we are yoked with Him, He will carry us through. This even applies to our getting our undies in a bunch over being a “Good Christian”, as that can even become a burden, trying to do all the right things, while making our meager effort of trying not to do wrong things. We can get ourselves all tied up in knots over trying to obey all the rules and regulations. But Jesus gives our soul rest if we will only let him. We have to decide to take on His yoke, letting Jesus lift us up out of the mud of life. We can attest to the fact that Jesus has carried us through many times. He has always not only watched over us, but took our burden, and lead us across life, the field, to the other side. Although we have learned much from Him, learning is a continuous process, as we are learners, which is the definition of the Greek word translated disciple. So, as we are partnered with Jesus in this life, we always have more to learn from him, such as being gentle and humble in heart, just for starters. We will never arrive at the point we get our degree and graduate as long as we are in this body, but one day we will graduate, leaving this body behind being eternally yoked with Jesus.