11 Jan 2022: TAKE THE YOKE OF THE LORD – Matthew 11:29

The yoke Jesus is talking about here is not the yoke of sin. When you come to Jesus, the first set of yokes that Jesus takes off you is the yoke of sin, the yoke of sickness, and the yoke of bondage. But the second yoke in verse 29 is talking about the yoke of responsibility, the yoke of His plan, and the yoke of His purpose for you. Have you accepted that yoke? 
The Bible says, “it is good for a man to bear the yoke in his youth” (Lam. 3:27).

A yoke is something that does not respect your will. In fact, a yoke is designed to break your will to another’s will. If you see a sick person that is admitted to the hospital, the person does not want to sleep there, but that sickness has yoked him to the sickbed though he wants to be somewhere else. That is a negative yoke.

The yoke of Jesus is not negative. In agricultural terms, the yoke is a wooden structure designed with two holes that fit the head of bulls used to plough farms. When one bull struggles with the yoke in resistance, the other bull pulls along so there is painful tension in the neck of the resisting bull. The neck in the Bible is always talking of our will. When you don’t submit your neck to the yoke of Jesus, there will be pain somewhere in the future. But when you take the yoke of his plan and purpose for you, there is rest for your soul.

PRAYER: Father, I accept your yoke for my life, I will not struggle with your demands. I receive rest for my soul.

BIBLE IN A YEAR:
Genesis 24:52-26:16, Matthew 8:18-34, Psalm 10:1-15, Proverbs 3:7-8