GOD'S YOKE

The other day I had some new insights into Matthew 11:29, 30 -- a portion of Scripture well known to all of us. Jesus said, "Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart . . . For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light."

Did you know that the Jewish rabbis had a saying that when you put yourself under a teacher -- when you become a student of a particular teacher or willingly learn from a teacher -- then you have taken upon yourself the yoke of the teacher? That thought fascinated me. I'm a pupil of Christ, a student of Jesus. And my textbook, of course, is the Bible, the Word of God. I don't have to go to college or seminary to study with Him -- I'm homeschooled!

Then I got to thinking about what a yoke is. When it comes to animals, we think of a yoke as a harness that connects animals to a plow or farm tool of some kind. The animals work side by side, each bearing their share of the work, or the burden. I thought Wow! I'm harnessed to Jesus. I'm working side by side with Him, each bearing our share of the work, or the burden. I don't have to do the work or carry the burden all by my lonesome -- He's right there with me helping me. Sometimes it's God's work that we're sharing. Other times it's my burdens that we're sharing. They're heavy, too! And what I really like is the thought that when the burden is more than I can handle, He not only does HIS share of helping me bear that burden, He carries the heaviest part of the burden as His strength compensates for my lack! Isn't that neat?

So remember -- you're yoked to Christ, homeschooled by the Master Himself! You don't have to go it alone.

Preacher's Kid