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
There are times, I bristle at circumstances that seem way out of proportion to my ability to pull my own weight in any given situation. And I may fuss, fret or fume about it, depending how powerless I feel. However, what I want - more than my own way - is God's way. His way is for me to NOT do it alone. 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..."
On my way to work, I heard a reference to this Scripture and my first thought was, "This burden is heavy..." and I got a mental image of me with a yoke over my shoulders, struggling to try to pull a load of burden that was way too much for me to pull by myself. Then I "saw" Jesus stepping in to shoulder the other side of the yoke I was in. Immediately, I stopped straining against the yoke. My spirit was revived and my strength renewed as we walked together, matching our steps, stride for stride. In Truth, the load was indeed much lighter, and I barely noticed the weight.
As Psalm 124 declares, If it had not been the Lord who was on our side...
Prayer:
Father,
I don't know why we think we can do this by ourselves. We cannot. We are so grateful for Your daily instruction; for taking the time to lead us, to teach us - as only You can. We need You, Lord. Keep us ever mindful of this Truth. "More of You, less of me." In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen
Showing posts with label yoke. Show all posts
Showing posts with label yoke. Show all posts
Monday, January 30, 2023
Monday, March 28, 2022
Re-Rigging the Load
This was written by Pr. Alan Neel
Matthew 11:28-30 NLT
What can Jesus really accomplish here on earth? The obvious answer is there is nothing that Jesus canNOT accomplish here on Earth! But imagine receiving an invitation that can literally make everything in your life better. That is Jesus' invitation to those who are overwhelmed and burdened. “Just yoke up with me,” says Jesus. He has the ability to carry the weight as long as we entrust Him with the whole load.
That means no more trying to manipulate or re-rig the burden, just trust Him completely.
TRUST JESUS AND BE FREE TO FULFILL YOUR PURPOSE!
Prayer:
Father,
Please forgive us for all the times we try to manipulate or re-rig our burdens in life without trusting You. Open our hearts to fully trust You and receive Your promises. Open our eyes to see Your hand of protection over us. We pray as the child's father in Mark 9:24, we believe, Father. Help our unbelief! In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen
Tuesday, August 3, 2021
Giving Everything
Give it everything you have, heart and soul. Make sure you carry out The Revelation that Moses commanded you, every bit of it. Don’t get off track, either left or right, so as to make sure you get to where you’re going. And don’t for a minute let this Book of The Revelation be out of mind. Ponder and meditate on it day and night, making sure you practice everything written in it. Then you’ll get where you’re going; then you’ll succeed. Haven’t I commanded you? Strength! Courage! Don’t be timid; don’t get discouraged. God, your God, is with you every step you take.
Joshua 1:7-9 The Message
Somehow we got the idea that if something is from the Lord or it is God's plan, it would be easy. That's not true. That's the enemy of our souls twisting God's Word to try to deceive us.
The only thing Jesus said would be easy is His yoke (see Matthew 11:30), but it's still a yoke. And what is its purpose? To pair two together to get the job done. We are still paired up to do the WORK together. Are we going to try to coast through it or will we give it everything we've got, just like Jesus did? Strength! Courage! Don’t be timid; don’t get discouraged. God, your God, is with you every step you take.
Prayer:
Father,
Open our eyes to see Your Truth. Strengthen our hearts to do Your will. Give us the mind of Christ, too. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen
Joshua 1:7-9 The Message
Somehow we got the idea that if something is from the Lord or it is God's plan, it would be easy. That's not true. That's the enemy of our souls twisting God's Word to try to deceive us.
The only thing Jesus said would be easy is His yoke (see Matthew 11:30), but it's still a yoke. And what is its purpose? To pair two together to get the job done. We are still paired up to do the WORK together. Are we going to try to coast through it or will we give it everything we've got, just like Jesus did? Strength! Courage! Don’t be timid; don’t get discouraged. God, your God, is with you every step you take.
Prayer:
Father,
Open our eyes to see Your Truth. Strengthen our hearts to do Your will. Give us the mind of Christ, too. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen
Friday, March 22, 2019
Friends' Favorite - The Promise of Rest
Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give
you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in
heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden
is light.
Matthew 11:28-30 NKJV
We look forward to the weekend so we can sleep in a little. We work hard all week long and we just wanna rest a little. Rest for our bodies is easier to arrange than rest for our souls. Some of the longest nights we have are those nights when our minds won't shut down. If we could just learn to give it all to Jesus... Isaiah 26:3-4 tells us, You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, Because he trusts in You. Trust in the LORD forever, For in YAH, the LORD, is everlasting strength.
If I had a dollar for every time I heard someone today - just today - say, I'm tired, I would have enough money to take you to dinner at a great place and leave a generous tip for the tired waiter or waitress. As a child, one of my favorite songs we sang in church was the old hymn, "Come Unto Me," written by Charles Jones, based on our Scripture text for today. It was on page 20 of the old green hymnal. I loved it because we sang it fast and I could play the tambourine, but when I got older, I loved it because of its message. There's something about the promise of rest.
Our text in The Message Bible reads, Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you'll recover your life. I'll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won't lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you'll learn to live freely and lightly. Doesn't that sound wonderful? It is! It is our Promise of Rest from Jesus... written in red.
Prayer:
Father,
Creator of heaven and earth, teach us how to rest in You. Teach us the unforced rhythms of Your grace. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen
Matthew 11:28-30 NKJV
We look forward to the weekend so we can sleep in a little. We work hard all week long and we just wanna rest a little. Rest for our bodies is easier to arrange than rest for our souls. Some of the longest nights we have are those nights when our minds won't shut down. If we could just learn to give it all to Jesus... Isaiah 26:3-4 tells us, You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, Because he trusts in You. Trust in the LORD forever, For in YAH, the LORD, is everlasting strength.
If I had a dollar for every time I heard someone today - just today - say, I'm tired, I would have enough money to take you to dinner at a great place and leave a generous tip for the tired waiter or waitress. As a child, one of my favorite songs we sang in church was the old hymn, "Come Unto Me," written by Charles Jones, based on our Scripture text for today. It was on page 20 of the old green hymnal. I loved it because we sang it fast and I could play the tambourine, but when I got older, I loved it because of its message. There's something about the promise of rest.
Our text in The Message Bible reads, Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you'll recover your life. I'll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won't lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you'll learn to live freely and lightly. Doesn't that sound wonderful? It is! It is our Promise of Rest from Jesus... written in red.
Prayer:
Father,
Creator of heaven and earth, teach us how to rest in You. Teach us the unforced rhythms of Your grace. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen
Monday, April 25, 2016
The Yoke's On Us +
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
There are times, I bristle at circumstances that seem way out of proportion to my ability to pull my own weight in any given situation. And I may fuss, fret or fume about it, depending how powerless I feel. However, what I want - more than my own way - is God's way. His way is for me to NOT do it alone. 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..."
On my way to work this morning, I heard a reference to this Scripture and my first thought was, "This burden is heavy..." and I got a mental image of me with a yoke over my shoulders, struggling to try to pull a load of burden that was way too much for me to pull by myself. Then I "saw" Jesus stepping in to shoulder the other side of the yoke I was in. Immediately, I stopped straining against the yoke. My spirit was revived and my strength renewed as we walked together, matching our steps, stride for stride. In Truth, the load was indeed much lighter, and I barely noticed the weight.
As Psalm 124 declares, If it had not been the Lord who was on our side...
Prayer:
Father,
I don't know why we think we can do this by ourselves. We cannot. We are so grateful for Your daily instruction; for taking the time to lead us, to teach us - as only You can. We need You, Lord. Keep us ever mindful of this Truth. "More of You, less of me." In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen
Matthew 11:28-30 NLT
There are times, I bristle at circumstances that seem way out of proportion to my ability to pull my own weight in any given situation. And I may fuss, fret or fume about it, depending how powerless I feel. However, what I want - more than my own way - is God's way. His way is for me to NOT do it alone. 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..."
On my way to work this morning, I heard a reference to this Scripture and my first thought was, "This burden is heavy..." and I got a mental image of me with a yoke over my shoulders, struggling to try to pull a load of burden that was way too much for me to pull by myself. Then I "saw" Jesus stepping in to shoulder the other side of the yoke I was in. Immediately, I stopped straining against the yoke. My spirit was revived and my strength renewed as we walked together, matching our steps, stride for stride. In Truth, the load was indeed much lighter, and I barely noticed the weight.
As Psalm 124 declares, If it had not been the Lord who was on our side...
Prayer:
Father,
I don't know why we think we can do this by ourselves. We cannot. We are so grateful for Your daily instruction; for taking the time to lead us, to teach us - as only You can. We need You, Lord. Keep us ever mindful of this Truth. "More of You, less of me." In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen
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