Whose Yoke are You Wearing?

"Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 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." Matt 11:28-30

This is one of the most beloved passages in the New Testament, and it's the key to rest. You may read this and say, "Yes I'm weary and burdened. Please Jesus, where is my rest?" Yet as you look at the passage more, you realize that there was more to it then just "claiming the promise." Jesus is telling a group of people to "Come to Me." This passage is not just for Christians. God was saying for all to come to HIM.

So this passage reaches out to you those who can't seem to find that missing piece of the puzzle in life, even though you may have religion. This life is wearing you down, and you have a load of guilt and problems that you're carrying on your back, this passage is for you.

You may be a Christian and you're “busy” in some ministry, and yet you still can't seem to find the peace and joy that God has promised. You're almost questioning your own heart and salvation, because you're also weary and carrying a load of problems, this passage is for you.

"Come to Me..."

Jesus is starting off by saying "Come to Me," - God in the flesh, the Messiah who came to bring us salvation, Creator of the heavens and the earth, the Lord of Lords and King of Kings in whose image you were created. Come to the One who said, "I AM the I AM". "I AM the Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the Ending, the Way, and the Truth, the Resurrection and the Life." And Jesus calls out in love to come to Him, but sometimes this is the last thing that people want to do. They will take ANY other alternative, but Jesus.

We have people who would rather get high and drunk, than to turn to Jesus. They would choose a life in the gutters over a life as a child of the King. They know of Jesus, they believe that God has created them, they believe in heaven and hell, but they still want no part of Him.

And yet Jesus is gently calling out, "Come to Me...," all who are empty inside, all who are tired of their lives, all who are weary from sin. Those who are hurting, or are lonely..."Come to ME." Those who don't feel loved, those in broken lives, "Come to ME." There are no conditions here. He does not say "come if you're clean," or "sinless," "come if your act is all straightened out," "come if you're out of debt." He is not saying "come if you're one of the beautiful people" (thank God), or if your an "intellectual" (thank God again), but He simply is saying come….all who are good and bad, Come to ME."

It's important to remember that God is NOT starting off by saying: Come to church. Come to a pastor. Come to a tradition or a ritual. Come to a Christian psychologist. Come to a religion.

He starts off by saying simply, "Come to Me..."

This is the start of your rest: coming to, or receiving Jesus. The important part to remember is not just believing in Jesus, but receiving Him, asking Him to abide in you and fill you with His Spirit. You could believe that you have a gift in a beautifully wrapped Christmas gift, but unless you open it, receive it, your belief will do nothing for you! The same is true of Jesus. You could believe in Him all you want, but unless you receive Him, your belief is worthless!

There is no rest in any other name or thing, but Jesus, because then you receive your peace with God.

"All Who are Weary..."

God calls those that are weary, those who are to the point of utter exhaustion. You're weary from trying to find God, you have searched religions, rituals and traditions, and you are just plain tired of searching for God. Anyone who goes down this route will assure you that it is wearisome.

You can be weary from the affects of the world beating you down, the alcohol, the drugs, the painful relationships. You're just sick and tired of what is going on. You’re beat down! This can be very depressing and can make you feel like you don't even want to exist!

You can also be weary from trying to serve God on your own resources, or power! You have several ministries and they are just exhausting you. You press on to "serve God until you burnout." For some reason, there is no joy in your ministry, just a persistence to work for God. You have used every bit of your own resources and your wisdom, and you have nothing left to give.

"And Burdened..."

The word for burdened means carrying a load...a load of guilt, or a load of problems. You feel like you lost control of your problems years ago, and you starting to pay now for the choices you have made. You have mounds of bills, or family problems, even health problems, and you wonder where God is in all of this.

Through all of this God is telling us, "I will give you rest." The rest that God is talking about in this passage means: ease, refreshing or relaxation.

Recognizing God in the Storms

Sometimes we act like the disciples in Mark 4:36-41 when the storm came up and Jesus was asleep in the boat. When we are in the middle of a personal storm, where our whole life is being rocked by waves of problems, we think that Jesus is sleeping through our problems and that He does not care about us. “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?” Even though Jesus was asleep, technically God wasn't really sleeping, because the Scriptures tell us that "He never sleeps nor slumbers." (Psalm 121:4) Yet there are times we think that God is sleeping in the mist of our storms and instead He is right there in the mist of the storm with us!! Once we recognize that Jesus is with us, and that our life and faith is built upon Him, and that He cares for us, we can hear Him say, "Peace, Be Still," to our hearts. Jesus's disciples traveled with Him for three years, and they had to go through the storm to realize that He was the God of the storms. We too have to recognize that God is with us in the storm, no matter how many waves are rocking our lives. When we give Him control of the storm, He simply says, "Peace, Be Still," and then you experience the calm of peace that only He could give.

"Take My Yoke upon You..."

A yoke is a wooden harness that was commonly used in Biblical times to link two animals, usually oxen, together for purposes of plowing and working the fields. Because they were yoked, the animals could then be used together and kept under the master's control. The yoked animals worked together in plowing the land, or each sharing the burdened to be pulled. We ALL have yokes, we are all connected to something. It just depends on what we are yoked or connected to. We could be yoked to drugs or alcohol, we could be yoked to painful relationships or sinful relationships., we could be yoked to work. The list could go on and on!

Jesus is telling us the secret to rest right here. We are to be yoked or connected to HIM. When you are connected to other things but Jesus, God is not in control of your life. Instead, the one who is in control is the one whose yoke you are wearing. So God tells us that in order to have rest, we are to be linked to Him.

To wear God's yoke symbolizes obedience to Him. Jesus said, "If you love Me you will keep My commandments”. God's blessings are found in the path of trustful obedience.

"And Learn from Me, for I Am Gentle and Humble in Heart..."

We should be learning from Jesus by opening up the Bible and seeing what God says to us. And as we spend the quality time in the Scriptures we will learn wondrous things. We need to learn from Jesus, getting to know Him and His Word better. Learn His ways, and His mind in all things. Learn from Jesus how to find rest for your soul.

"And You Will Find Rest for Your Souls..."

Once we submit (there’s that word again!) to God’s will, and learn of Him and spend time with Him, then we will be rested. Sometimes we need to do...sit at the Lord's feet, as Mary did in Luke 10:38-42, listening to what He says!!

"For My Yoke is Easy and My Burden is Light..."

When you are yoked to Jesus, you are no longer carrying the problems, and you are no longer tired and weary because Jesus is carrying your load, your just walking with HIM!! So a ministry becomes a joy when it's not you doing it, but rather Jesus working through you. God is gently calling us to be yoked or connected to Him. For some of us that means asking God to change our yoke...to be now yoked or connected to Him ONLY. Simply come to Jesus and ask Him to remove the old yoke and to give you a brand new one. Ask God to help you find your rest in Him alone.

If you are in a ministry and you're burning out, ask God to show you if the ministry is of Him. If it's not of God, stop wasting your time and drop the ministry and then wait upon the Lord who will renew your strength. Stop trying to hold up a ministry in your own power and strength. Then there is no more pressure or stress!! Let Jesus do the work as you walk beside Him as He carries the load. God's invitation is open to all to "Come to Him," and find rest in Him. To those who don't know Him, He wants you to find rest for your souls as well. He wants a personal relationship with you, not just a knowledge of Him, but a living relationship with the God of the heavens and the earth. He wants to calm the storms raging in your soul with the simple words, "Peace, Be Still." God wants to give you the peace that surpasses all understanding. Ask God to give you the new life from the Spirit above. Ask Him to fill you with His Holy Spirit and make you a new person, and you will experience the joy, love and peace that ONLY God can truly give.

To those who are Christians but are weary and heavy burdened, find your rest in God alone. Sit at the feet of Jesus and learn from Him, for He is gentle and humble in heart. Ask God to once again remove the yoke that you are carrying and to yoke Himself to you...and then, and only then, will you find your rest.