Monday, May 14, 2012

Rest for Your Souls





“Take my yoke upon you and learn from me,
for I am gentle and humble and you will find
rest for your souls.” Matthew 11: 29 (NIV)

            I once heard a pastor explain that a yoke had two parts. They were designed for two animals to work side-by-side.

            “Take my yoke upon you. . .” Jesus asks us to join Him, to work with Him in tandem. He will lead us where He wants us to go and He will be there alongside us making a way for us to do the work He asks.

            “. . . learn from me,” Jesus teaches us as we work with Him. We listen and take in what He instructs. We have the opportunity to learn from the Master. There is no greater experience than feeling His presence and hearing His voice.

            “. . . for I am gentle and humble . . .” One quality Jesus possesses is gentleness and humility. In my Christian walk I have had two or three exceptionally outstanding Sunday school teachers. The first one explained how Jesus operated by saying, “Jesus is always a gentleman.” My present teacher speaks of “the only thing stronger than God’s will is the will of man.” Both of these servants of God said that Jesus doesn’t involve himself into our lives unless we invite Him to.

            “. . . you will find rest for your souls.”
As humans, we can only stand so much activity, pain, and stress. After a while we begin to have meltdowns, anxiety attacks, or panic attacks. Sometimes, we feel like giving up. But when we invite the Lord to share our burdens, we sense a new freedom. Our work becomes easier. We no longer have a sense of dread and we can face our schedules that seem daunting. People who cause us problems don’t seem as scary to us.
Jesus has given us new strength.

8 comments:

  1. Thank you so much for this wonderful reminder! I think this is something we must remember each day. At least, I need to, anyway. :)

    Blessings,
    Karen

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You're welcome. We had an unusual day here. Roofers worked on our roof. God reminds us when we have these different schedules because He wants to hear from us.

      Delete
  2. I always love this reminder. I didn't use to understand that verse, but I've heard some very good teaching on it, and it makes a lot more sense to me now. Yoked with Him...that's rest.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Rhonda:
      That verse always left me wondering. When I heard the pastor's explanation, it made perfect sense to me. Let's praise the Lord for pastors who preach and teach God's Word.

      Delete
  3. like a priest once told my husband..."relax...just take it to the manager...."

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