We’ve got your daily encouragement, written by Phil Woody.
Bible Reading:
Matthew 11:29-30
“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.”
Word:
A yoke is what connects two oxen together that allows them to pull as a unit instead as individuals. It doubles the pulling power of an ox. But a yoke isn’t light in and of itself. It’s not like a necklace. It’s a massive piece of timber that weighs considerably.
Have you ever stopped to think what we, as finite beings, yoke ourselves with? We yoke ourselves with our children’s futures, and health, and happiness. We yoke ourselves with our spouses complete fulfillment. We yoke ourselves with the needs and concerns of our companies, friends, and co-workers. We yoke ourselves to our standards of living and a picture of retirement that we don’t know how to attain. We even yoke ourselves with the ministries we run.
A yoke is a burden to carry. But the interesting thing is that we were never meant to burden ourselves with any of these things. Sure, they all sound noble. But here is a secret. You can never guarantee any of them. You are not enough and we’re never meant to be.
When we tether ourselves to all these things, we not only find ourselves completely inadequate we also tend to heap these same burdens on others. We expect our wife to fulfill us, our kids to be more perfect then we ever could be, and our careers and friendships to do what they were never meant to do.
However, humility offers us something else. It offers a healthy look at ourselves and others shame free. Humility is the need to not be perfect, only yoked to the perfect creator. In relationship with Jesus he becomes the provider for your wife’s, kids, companies, friends, coworkers, ministries, needs. So humility becomes a gift from Jesus that allows us with open eyes to hand back all the burdens. Then he hands us our partnership role with him in pieces, one act of obedience at a time. He leads us by his voice that we learn to hear so well because now he is right beside us yoked with us.
His lips only inches away from our ears. He gives insight and wisdom to all those things and people and then even gives me the strength to move to them with His heart and His understanding, and His power that now lives in me. I don’t pull we pull. His gift can only be activated in our lives when we take all the burdens and lay them at his feet. It is a trade.
The same big piece of timber he hung on now is a home he trades our worries, fears, and burdens for. All are absorbed by his majesty and we are now carrying only one burden, and this burden is easy, and joyful, and fulfilling and light. It is he burden of knowing him better, our burden carrier.
Prayer:
Jesus, today I confess that I am not enough and we’re never meant to be. Your enough for me and all the people and things I live and care about. You are their God, and I am not. So today, I choose to trust you and give you this thing I am most burdened with. Give me back only the portion that is mine which you wish to use me to bring your love to. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Skillwork:
Today, receive the gift of humility and confess your weakness with joy. What burden have you yoked yourself with that you need to trade for deeper relationship with Jesus? Now give it to him and tell someone. Learn to live humble and free.
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