“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you
rest.”
Matthew 11:28
A lot like the folks you are fishing for, you could say. At
first they have no intention of lining up their will with the will of Jesus.
They cannot see Him for the rush of the mountain streams.
And you, you have to put self aside so they will always see
Jesus. You have to take step after step of living like Him, always pointing to
the truth of the cross. No wonder Jesus calls you weary and burdened and in
need of rest. He knew He had to get away from the press of the crowds, and so
did His disciples. More than once He urged them to join Him in a quiet spot: “Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place
and get some rest” (Mark 6:31). Yes, alone, with Him, there is rest.
But there also is rest in the midst of the madding crowd.
Jesus did not intend that His disciples withdraw from the world. The very next
words He spoke beckoned them into His yoke: “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). How strange! Yokes are for work animals, plowing the field.
Everyone in that farming society knew that Jesus was talking
about a double yoke, for instance two oxen side-by-side. More often than not
the young ox would be paired with the trained and would learn by following the
tugs on the yoke by the mature.
It’s that easy—get in the yoke with Jesus and your soul will
find rest right there, in connection with His humble, gentle heart. And as you
respond to His gentle tugs on the yoke, you will find He takes you easily where
He would have you go. You see, the yoke He’s selected for you is suited for you
and no one else.
Come then this year ladies—come as Jesus beckons, to quiet
places and the ease of His yoke.
Nancy P
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