Promise for Today - Fed Up? Give Up!

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 all do it, sometimes without even realizing it. We subconsciously act as if it all depends on us. We think we have to hold everything together. We think we have to make everything happen.

The greater your need to control things, the more overloaded, stressed, and empty you’re going to feel in life. You need to learn to give up control!

When you come to Jesus because you’re running on empty, your next step of obedience is this: “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). It’s the wooden frame you put over two animals so they can pull a piece of farm equipment together. The purpose of a yoke is to lighten the load, not to make it heavier. Sharing a yoke means sharing the load you’re carrying.

When you already feel like you’re carrying a heavy load, taking on Jesus’ yoke may sound like more of a burden. It’s actually the opposite—because when you’re not yoked to Jesus, you carry the burden alone, and you might move too fast and end up in a ditch.

But if you’re yoked to him, he shares the burden of the load with you, keeps your pace exactly where it needs to be, and helps you to stay on the right path.

Put simply, 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.

Talk It Over

Why do you think God doesn’t just take your burden away completely every time you come to him and ask for help?

What kind of pace do you want to have in your life? What kind of pace would bring health and rest?

Look again at Matthew 11:29-30. What does Jesus want you to do after you take on his yoke? How can you do that?

- by Pastor Rick

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Prayer: (from the Prayer Room)

Father,

          We confess that we have been trying to sort things out in our own lives for far too long, rather than handing over the reins of our lives to You. Lord, we know we cannot carry all our worries and anxieties in our own strength, and we are ready to cast them all upon You. Please forgive us for being self‑dependent instead of God‑dependent. Carry us now in Your loving arms, and help us to abide in You, trusting that Your grace is sufficient. Lead our steps according to Your perfect will, and fill our hearts with peace as we release the need to control every outcome. In Jesus’ Name, we pray. Amen

Unfailing Love (reprint by request)

Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence? If I ascend into heaven, You are there; If I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there. If I take the wings of the morning, And dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, Even there Your hand shall lead me, And Your right hand shall hold me.
Psalm 139:7-10 NKJV

Can you lead and guide someone to a place you've never been? Or on a trail you've never walked? How likely are you to allow someone to lead you who doesn't know the dangerous terrain? Can you help anyone through with confidence and conviction in something you've never experienced? Can you watch over your family, friends or children no matter where they are or where you are? Of course not. Don't fret. It just means WE are not God. Often, when we can't do something, we have no concept of how and when and so we try to fit our finite mind around an infinite God. We can't do it.

But the Good News is - God CAN! And WILL And DOES!!! He is I AM. He is All in All. He is Omnipotent, Omnipresent and Omniscient. He can see it all and be everywhere at once, even when we can't see Him. And He's always leading and guiding us on His path laid especially for us. He has the Master plan and there is no place we can go where He hasn't gone before us. He knows the way because He IS the Way.

Sometimes we feel as though we've been abandoned on a very troublesome journey. But the Truth is that will never happen. We get in trouble when we forget to let Him lead. His Word tells us in Psalm 32:7-10, For you are my hiding place; you protect me from trouble. You surround me with songs of victory. Interlude The Lord says, “I will guide you along the best pathway for your life. I will advise you and watch over you. Do not be like a senseless horse or mule that needs a bit and bridle to keep it under control. Many sorrows come to the wicked, but unfailing love surrounds those who trust the Lord."

Unfailing love... Lead on, Father.

Prayer:

Father,
           Your ways are not our ways. Your thoughts are not our thoughts and yet You invite us to come up higher - to follow Your lead. And the Truth is no matter where we are, You will lead us up, out, over... no matter the direction needed. You well know it. Lead on, Father. Walk slow enough that we don't lose sight of You. Lord, but don't let us dawdle. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen