Today’s Scripture Passage:
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.” Matthew 11:28-30 (NLT)
Last week, we learned the rest Jesus gives us comes with a yoke. His yoke!
We also found out His yoke is only for those who belong to Him; those He paid with His own life to save.
His purchase was done not to possess us but rescue us. His motive was love, and comes with the security of belonging.
Belonging is only the beginning of our relationship with Jesus.
Remember us talking about the farmer and his yoke last week?
We put Jesus in the role of the farmer and ourselves in the role of the farmer’s ox. We did this to help us connect the message to us as Jesus-followers today.
Imagine yourself as the newly purchased animal. You’re a rescue. You belong to Jesus, but you don’t really know Him. You know what He’s done for you, but you don’t really have any intimate knowledge of Him and His ways…yet.
That’s what today’s portion of these verses is all about!
Jesus said, ” Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls.”
Let reminds us there’s a choice to be made.
let VERB
not prevent or forbid; allow.
oxford dictionaries – Bing Translator
There are a lot of choices to be made in our relationship with Jesus. Choices come with belonging to Jesus. Having choices is worth celebrating!
We all know someone who hurts themself (and others) with their choices. They refuse to listen and learn. They say things like, “You can’t tell me what to do!” or “That might work for you, but I’m not you.”
In 1 Corinthians, Paul wrote, “All things are permissable, but not all things are beneficial.”
This is speaking to those times when we hurt ourselves (or others) with our choices. Freedom in it’s truest sense is the ability to choose what is beneficial all the time. But how do we know what’s beneficial?
There’s only One Person who truly knows what the good and right choice is for all involved and at all times; His name is Jesus, God in the flesh!
But, if we’re honest, we often struggle over choosing right.
There are usually one of three reasons we struggle with choosing what’s right.
1…It’s not how we’ve always done it.
2…It’s not what we want to do.
3…We don’t trust the one telling us what’s right.
For some of us, it takes years before we’ll trust another person and believe they really have our best interest at heart. There are all sorts of valid reasons why we struggle with trusting others, but the truth is this…
Jesus always knows what’s right. Jesus is trustworthy. Jesus genuninely loves me (and you). Jesus always knows and wants what is most beneficial for us.
Okay, back to what Jesus was talking about in today’s verse.
A newly purchased yoke animal belongs to the farmer immediately, but doesn’t trust the farmer immediately.
Are you ready for this?
The good farmer knows the animal won’t trust him before he even makes the purchase.
Yes! He knows the animal doesn’t trust him. What does he do? He spends the entire first portion of their relationship caring for his new animal himself. He teaches the animal to trust him. He spends time with him, protects him, provides for his needs, uses a gentle touch, and speaks to him with kindness. He is patient and yet firm.
Over time, the animal learns to trust the farmer and recognize his voice. The animal willingly follows his directions and without hesitation; he trusts the farmer will not do anything to harm him. What’s the result of all this teaching?
The farmer has tethered his animal to him with trust.
tether VERB
tie (an animal) with a rope or chain so as to restrict its movement.
oxford dictionaries – Bing Translator
The animal’s trust in the farmer prevents him from wandering into harm’s way.
Do you see the spiritual parallel?
Isn’t it wonderful and exciting?
Our Jesus is trustworthy! He knows us. He understands our struggle to trust, but He is willing to teach us – if we will let Him.
We’ve been purchased and positioned for a purpose which requires training in trust. Will we let Jesus teach us to trust Him? If so, we will be refreshed!
Next week we’re going to take a look at how the farmer introduces his animals to his yoke while teaching them to trust him.
Between Now and Then…
1 Take time to evaluate your willingness to let Jesus teach you to trust Him.
2 Be honest about the times you struggle to follow Jesus, and admit those struggles indicate a lingering lack of trust.
3 Confess your struggles to Jesus. Ask Him to forgive you and remove anything hindering your ability to learn from Him.
LORD, we’re so thankful to be citizens of Your Kingdom. We’re thank You for the privilege of being your representative in the foreign land we live in now. Help us to grow in our relationship with You, so we will represent You well. Give us compassion and courage and teach us to love those around us as You love them. We want to love as citizens of Heavens and not citizens of this world!
Digging Deeper:
Deuteronomy 31:8, Psalm 46:1, Proverbs 3:5-6, Philippians 4:19, Hebrews 3:18-19 & 1 Peter 5:7
If you have not yet met Jesus, you can meet Him today. He created you. He loves you. He wants you to be a part of His family. I encourage you to step into the life He created you to live. You will still have the troubles of this world, but you will no longer be facing them alone. I’m praying for you! https://peacewithgod.net/mobile/?utm_source=Microsoft&utm_medium=CPC&utm_term=HowToGoToHeaven&utm_campaign=USPWGMobileSearchMic
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright ©1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, a Division of Tyndale House Ministries, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.