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- Apr 25, 2006
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Hooked up with Jesus
'YOU WILL FIND REST FOR YOUR SOULS.' MATTHEW 11:29
One of the greatest promises Jesus ever gave us was, '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' (Matthew 11:28-29 NIV)
. To understand why that's such a great promise we need to know what a yoke is, which is this: a wooden harness that hooks around the necks of two oxen so they can pull a load. But just a minute, how could Jesus talk about being yoked in a harness, which suggests hard work, and about rest, in the same breath? Well, there's more: In a pair of oxen one is the leader and the other follows.
You see, Jesus will take the lead but you must be hooked up to Him to get the benefit. To progress through the tough fields of life, you have to be fully fastened in to your Lord. And Jesus promises that His yoke won't choke you or chafe you.
So there is a paradox at the heart of this promise: if you want to be truly free you must allow yourself to be fastened in to Jesus. Oh yes, it's possible to get hooked up then start pulling in another direction when the path doesn't go the way you want it to. But peace only comes when you relax in the yoke, and let Jesus lead the way.
written by Bob Gass
'YOU WILL FIND REST FOR YOUR SOULS.' MATTHEW 11:29
One of the greatest promises Jesus ever gave us was, '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' (Matthew 11:28-29 NIV)
. To understand why that's such a great promise we need to know what a yoke is, which is this: a wooden harness that hooks around the necks of two oxen so they can pull a load. But just a minute, how could Jesus talk about being yoked in a harness, which suggests hard work, and about rest, in the same breath? Well, there's more: In a pair of oxen one is the leader and the other follows.
You see, Jesus will take the lead but you must be hooked up to Him to get the benefit. To progress through the tough fields of life, you have to be fully fastened in to your Lord. And Jesus promises that His yoke won't choke you or chafe you.
So there is a paradox at the heart of this promise: if you want to be truly free you must allow yourself to be fastened in to Jesus. Oh yes, it's possible to get hooked up then start pulling in another direction when the path doesn't go the way you want it to. But peace only comes when you relax in the yoke, and let Jesus lead the way.
written by Bob Gass
