What is a yoke? The dictionary defines it as:
a wooden crosspiece that is fastened over the necks of two animals and attached to the plow or cart that they are to pull. When two animals were yoked together it meant that they both shared the load of what they were pulling. It also meant that if one got tired or weak, the strength of the other one would help lighten the load. Jesus said to take His yoke upon us. What does that mean?
The yoke of Jesus is two-fold. Being yoked to Him has two meanings. When we are yoked to Him, it doesn't mean that something has simply been imparted to us. But it is something that we now share with Him. We share in the fellowship of His suffering. We share in drinking the cup in which He drank. What they did to the Master, they will do to us. We conform to His death. We take up our cross and deny ourselves. We surrender to the Father's will. It means we labor together with Him.
Being yoked to Him also means that we share in His victories. When we are weak, His strength is perfected in us. When we get weary and feel like giving up, He will undergird us and carry the load helping us to make it through. Being yoked to Him means we are "yoked" to peace, joy, love, grace, and all that He is. We are yoked to the King of kings and Lord of lords. We are yoked together with the Savior, the Redeemer, the Healer, the Deliverer, the One who was triumphant over death, the One who is fairer than ten thousand, the Lord of Glory, the Lord of hosts, the Lord Strong and Mighty, the Almighty God!
Being yoked to Him means we follow Him, even into suffering and death. It feels at times like a hard yoke to bear, but Jesus said it was light and easy. It is light and easy because as we submit to letting Him take the lead, He will help us, He will carry the load, He will give us grace and He has already been victorious over the suffering and will lead us through any difficulty we face. It is also light and easy because we are yoked to Jesus and He will never leave us but stay attached to us no matter what we face.
Have a great day. The yoke of the Lord is a yoke of sharing-- sharing in His suffering and sharing in His victory.
For further reading:
Romans 8:17
Philippians 3:10
Mark 10:39
<>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <><
Coffee Break is a morning devotional written by Lorraine Ezell
and is sent to you free of charge for the asking from
About the Master's Business Ministry, Inc.
Please feel free to
You are welcomed to make copies and distribute them free of charge
No comments:
Post a Comment