“Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:29-30 (NIV)
Are you feeling overloaded? You may be trying to control things too much. We do it all the time, sometimes without realizing it. Even when we don’t try to, we act subconsciously as if it all depends on us. We have to hold everything together. We have to make it all happen.
The greater your need to control things, the more overloaded, stressed, and empty you’re going to be in life. You have to learn to give up control!
When you come to Jesus because you’re running on empty, this is the next step of obedience: “Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light” (Matthew 11:29-30 NIV).
When you get fed up, it’s time to give up control.
A yoke is not the middle of an egg (that’s a yolk) but the wooden frame that you put over two animals so they can pull a piece of farm equipment together. When you already feel like you’re carrying a heavy load, taking on Jesus’ yoke may sound like more of a burden. Why would you want to take on a different yoke and keep pulling?
The purpose of a yoke is to lighten the load, not to make a heavier load. Sharing a yoke means sharing the load you’re carrying. When two animals team up together, it makes the load lighter, not heavier.
When you’re not yoked to Jesus, you can easily move at a pace that’s too fast and go off in a ditch. But if you’re yoked to him, then there’s no way he’s going to let you outpace yourself, and he’s not going to let you go off in a ditch.
A yoke makes the load lighter, and it keeps you from getting in trouble. Galatians 5:25 says, “Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit” (NIV).
You keep in step with God’s Spirit by being yoked to Jesus—partnering with him and letting him set the pace. Jesus was never in a hurry, and you won’t be either when you’re connected to him.
For more Daily Hope with Rick Warren, please visit pastorrick.com!
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