Take My Yoke
“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 at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.”
Everyone loves a good holiday, but all too often, we need a holiday. There’s nothing wrong with looking forward to some well-deserved R&R, but we want to live lives that we don’t need to escape from.
Jesus refers to a yoke - a tool used to tie two oxen together to pull a plough. If you are yoked to Jesus, you have to match his speed. Could there be areas in your life that you are rushing past in which Jesus wants you to slow down? And could there be things you are camped in that Jesus wants to move through? Jesus invites us to find rest in our everyday lives with Him - that might mean more than just a day off, but a heart-level rest in which the striving ceases.
A yoke was also a way of referring to a Rabbi's teachings; their way of understanding the law. How can we bring our understandings, our maps of meaning and beliefs to Jesus and embrace the truth that He has for us?
In what ways would your day-to-day life look different if you more fully embraced Jesus’ yoke? His unforced rhythms of grace in your pace, thinking, beliefs and values. What burdens are you carrying that you can give to Jesus?
How can you live in the yoke of Jesus? Finding rest and freedom in the presence of Christ on a daily basis?