An Easy Yoke
Read: Matthew 11:25-30
“Take My yoke upon you, and learn of Me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.” –Matthew 11:29
A Sunday school teacher read Matthew 11:30 to the children in her class, and then asked: “Jesus said, ‘My yoke is easy.’ Who can tell me what a yoke is?” A boy raised his hand and replied, “A yoke is something they put on the necks of the animals so they can help each other.”
Then the teacher asked, “What is the yoke Jesus puts on us?” A quiet little girl raised her hand and said, “It is God putting His arms around us.” When Jesus came, He offered an easy yoke compared to the yoke of the religious leaders (Matthew 11:30). They had placed “heavy burdens” of laws on the people (Matthew 23:4, Acts 15:10), which no one could possibly keep.
God knew we would never be able to measure up His standards (Romans 3:23), so He sent Jesus to this earth. Jesus obeyed His Father’s commands perfectly and bore the punishment of the death for our sins. As we humble ourselves and recognize our need for forgiveness, Jesus comes alongside us. He places His yoke on us, freeing us from guilt and giving us His power to live a life that’s pleasing to God.
Are you in need of Jesus’ help? He says, “Come unto Me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you, and learn of Me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.”(Matthew 11:28-29). He longs to put His arms around you. –Anne Cetas
Heavy is the load of guilt
That sinners have to bear;
Light and easy is the yoke
That Jesus wants to share. –D. De Haan
God’s easy yoke does not fit on a stiff neck.
-Our Daily Bread RBC Ministries
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What’s The Point?
When we focus on Jesus Christ, everything else becomes clear.
-Our Daily Bread
Read: Ecclesiastes 1:1-11; 12:13-14
“Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep His commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.” –Ecclesiastes 12:13
What’s the point? This question came to mind as I watched my grandsons’ dog fetch a ball for me again and again. What’s the point? That’s what the writer of Ecclesiastes asked as he thought about the monotonous cycle he observed in nature and in life---the same things happening year, generation after generation.
What’s the point? That’s a retired businessman was asking, in effect, when he told me he would just as soon die as live any longer. He had seen and done everything he had wanted to do. Now he had reached the place where life held more pain for him than pleasure.
What’s the point? Here it is. A few years before a friend of mine died, he said, “Life is a wonderful experience. It’s marvellous to see that God keeps nature going in its pattern. It’s wonderful to know we’re here to love God above everything and to love our neighbour as ourselves. It’s comforting to believe that all our sins are forgiven because of what Christ did on the cross.
And it’s exciting to think about the eternity God has for us. It sure is great to be alive.”
And it’s exciting to think about the eternity God has for us. It sure is great to be alive.”
Life can be depressing when God is left out. But how exciting it is when He is at the center! –Herb Vander Lugt
Heavy is the load of guilt
That sinners have to bear;
Light and easy is the yoke
That Jesus wants to share. –D. De Haan
-Our Daily Bread
RBC Ministries
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These are reasonable things to ponder. But in this devotional from My Utmost for His Highest, Oswald Chambers cautions us against presuming to know for certain what God has in mind for our lives:
Does this frighten you or reassure you? Have you ever had the experience of serving God in a way you would never have planned or guessed?
-Gospel.com blog
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An estimated 40 million Americans view Internet pornography on a regular basis. The average age of exposure is 11. What’s worse yet is that 47 percent of Christians polled said that pornography on the Web was a major problem in their home.
In light of these alarming statistics, I wasn’t really surprised when I received a letter from a man who had given in to the lure of Internet porn. Broken and ashamed, he was desperate to climb out of the shame and sludge that Satan had lured him into. He told me that he finally decided to tape a picture of Jesus in the corner of his computer screen. With a sense of relief, he told me that seeing Jesus made his choices clear, and that he couldn’t go where he had gone before as long as Jesus was in clear view in the corner of the screen.
Pornography may not be your problem. But there isn’t one of us who doesn’t struggle with Satan’s pull on our desires. We all know how good it feels to gossip now and then. Taking out revenge on our enemies can seem very satisfying. And cheating on our boss or on our wife is an option that may at times be very alluring. I’m sure you could add a few of your own temptations to the list.
In the midst of it all, we need to remember that every temptation brings us to a critical crossroad. One sign points to momentary thrills that are like jumping out of a plane. Soaring through the air with no restraint can be a thrilling thing, but inevitably the impact of hitting the ground is devastating. Or, we can choose the Jesus road. It’s not always easy at first, but the rewards are out of this world! And perhaps the most important thing we need to know is that at the crossroad, the choice is not just between good and bad—because sometimes you’ll want to be bad. Nor is it just about not wanting to get caught. Satan will tell you that you are clever enough not to get caught. Or, worse yet, he’ll whisper in your heart, “Who cares if you get caught!”
Here’s the real deal: Choosing to sin is choosing to flaunt your desires in the face of Jesus. It’s like telling Him, “I’d rather do this than stay tight with You. I love my sin more than I love You!” It’s a personal thing, and He takes it that way.
At the intersection of temptation, choose Jesus! That person who offended you may not deserve your forgiveness; but Jesus deserves our loyal love, so we forgive for His sake. An affair, a small compromise here or there, overcharging to satisfy a fleeting need, lying to get out of trouble—all may seem very convenient, but all of them are a direct hit on Jesus.
So just say no to sin to show that you love Him more than whatever is luring you away from Him. In fact, you should want to be tempted once in a while just to let Jesus know in real-life terms how much He means to you!
Jesus is always standing there at the crossroad of temptation. And, as Hebrews says, He is able to help you when temptation comes (Hebrews 2:18). In fact, He has been tested in every way—just like you—and will give you grace and mercy to help you in your time of need (Hebrews 4:15-16)!
Look for Him. He’s in the corner of your screen of life, welcoming you to the pure joy of going His way with Him!
YOUR JOURNEY…
The movie The Aviator portrays the fascinating life of Howard Hughes. In the 1930s and 40s, he wowed the public with his brilliant advances in aviation technology and became the wealthiest man in America. He seemed to have everything a man could want. Yet he was surprisingly miserable and plagued by several mental disorders later in life that rendered him a paranoid recluse until the day he died.
His life is a reminder that when it comes to happiness, money is not the answer. This news isn’t new. Most of us would agree that money is not a ticket to happiness—yet we act like we believe it is.
Things like the lure of a better investment or a cash windfall of some kind, or the feeling that if I only had enough to buy that desired product, pull our hearts toward living for cash. We are like wanderers who crawl across the desert of life from one material mirage to another and wonder why we don’t feel happy.
In Psalm 1:1-6, before the psalmist tells us where to find the kind of happiness that God offers, we are told where not to find it. Hanging out with ungodly friends, listening to the advice of self-help books and horoscopes, and conforming to the cultural input around us all lead down dead-end streets. One of those major dead ends is “get-rich-and-be-happy” street. Unfortunately, ungodly influence doesn’t come only from people “out there.” It has subtly seeped into our church conversations with Christian friends, and it occasionally can come from unlikely places such as pulpits and church publications. Think of how easily bad advice has polluted your thoughts, distracted your focus, and diminished your sense of happiness. If your pursuit in life is material success, remember, it didn’t work for Howard Hughes, and you can bet that it won’t work for you either.
Here’s a great alternative. The psalmist affirms that the truly blessed life finds its joy and satisfaction in living by the words and ways of God. There is no greater happiness than the sense of a clear conscience, the confidence of being loved and led by God, and the wealth of knowing that life is being lived in the safety of God’s law. Reject the bad advice that God’s rules are divine handcuffs and rejoice that his “commands are not burdensome” (1 John 5:3) but a source of blessedness and joy (Joshua 1:8).
Looking for true happiness? Delight in the law of the Lord and live by the principles of His Word!
Your Journey
Today’s devotional: following God’s purpose for our lives, not our own
What’s your purpose in life? What do you feel called to do? Christians often talk about discerning God’s purpose for our lives, or about learning “what God wants us to do” with our talents and skills.These are reasonable things to ponder. But in this devotional from My Utmost for His Highest, Oswald Chambers cautions us against presuming to know for certain what God has in mind for our lives:
After sanctification, it is difficult to state what your purpose in life is, because God has moved you into His purpose through the Holy Spirit. He is using you now for His purposes throughout the world as He used His Son for the purpose of our salvation. If you seek great things for yourself, thinking, “God has called me for this and for that,” you barricade God from using you. As long as you maintain your own personal interests and ambitions, you cannot be completely aligned or identified with God’s interests. This can only be accomplished by giving up all of your personal plans once and for all, and by allowing God to take you directly into His purpose for the world. Your understanding of your ways must also be surrendered, because they are now the ways of the Lord.The truth is that we simply cannot know for certain how, exactly, God plans to use us. God might use us in exactly the way we expect… or His plans for our lives might be completely at odds with what we want or imagine. Christians must be prepared for the possibility that at any time, God might pull us out of our carefully planned routines and present us with challenges and opportunities we never imagined.
Does this frighten you or reassure you? Have you ever had the experience of serving God in a way you would never have planned or guessed?
-Gospel.com blog
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Jesus at the Crossroad
“He is able to help those who are being tempted.” Hebrews 2:18
In light of these alarming statistics, I wasn’t really surprised when I received a letter from a man who had given in to the lure of Internet porn. Broken and ashamed, he was desperate to climb out of the shame and sludge that Satan had lured him into. He told me that he finally decided to tape a picture of Jesus in the corner of his computer screen. With a sense of relief, he told me that seeing Jesus made his choices clear, and that he couldn’t go where he had gone before as long as Jesus was in clear view in the corner of the screen.
Pornography may not be your problem. But there isn’t one of us who doesn’t struggle with Satan’s pull on our desires. We all know how good it feels to gossip now and then. Taking out revenge on our enemies can seem very satisfying. And cheating on our boss or on our wife is an option that may at times be very alluring. I’m sure you could add a few of your own temptations to the list.
In the midst of it all, we need to remember that every temptation brings us to a critical crossroad. One sign points to momentary thrills that are like jumping out of a plane. Soaring through the air with no restraint can be a thrilling thing, but inevitably the impact of hitting the ground is devastating. Or, we can choose the Jesus road. It’s not always easy at first, but the rewards are out of this world! And perhaps the most important thing we need to know is that at the crossroad, the choice is not just between good and bad—because sometimes you’ll want to be bad. Nor is it just about not wanting to get caught. Satan will tell you that you are clever enough not to get caught. Or, worse yet, he’ll whisper in your heart, “Who cares if you get caught!”
Here’s the real deal: Choosing to sin is choosing to flaunt your desires in the face of Jesus. It’s like telling Him, “I’d rather do this than stay tight with You. I love my sin more than I love You!” It’s a personal thing, and He takes it that way.
At the intersection of temptation, choose Jesus! That person who offended you may not deserve your forgiveness; but Jesus deserves our loyal love, so we forgive for His sake. An affair, a small compromise here or there, overcharging to satisfy a fleeting need, lying to get out of trouble—all may seem very convenient, but all of them are a direct hit on Jesus.
So just say no to sin to show that you love Him more than whatever is luring you away from Him. In fact, you should want to be tempted once in a while just to let Jesus know in real-life terms how much He means to you!
Jesus is always standing there at the crossroad of temptation. And, as Hebrews says, He is able to help you when temptation comes (Hebrews 2:18). In fact, He has been tested in every way—just like you—and will give you grace and mercy to help you in your time of need (Hebrews 4:15-16)!
Look for Him. He’s in the corner of your screen of life, welcoming you to the pure joy of going His way with Him!
YOUR JOURNEY…
- Where do you need to place a picture of Jesus or a verse of Scripture to help you avoid temptation? On the refrigerator door, the dashboard of your car, inside your wallet, or somewhere else?
- Pray and ask Jesus to help you resist temptation in the very moment when you are tempted. Ask Him to help you live for what is right, instead of what feels good at the time.
- Read Luke 4:1-13. Make a list of observations about the temptation of Christ. Think of the area where you most struggle with temptation in your own life and compare the two situations. What can you learn from the way Jesus handled temptation?
The Pursuit of Happiness
“He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers.” Psalm 1:3
His life is a reminder that when it comes to happiness, money is not the answer. This news isn’t new. Most of us would agree that money is not a ticket to happiness—yet we act like we believe it is.
Things like the lure of a better investment or a cash windfall of some kind, or the feeling that if I only had enough to buy that desired product, pull our hearts toward living for cash. We are like wanderers who crawl across the desert of life from one material mirage to another and wonder why we don’t feel happy.
In Psalm 1:1-6, before the psalmist tells us where to find the kind of happiness that God offers, we are told where not to find it. Hanging out with ungodly friends, listening to the advice of self-help books and horoscopes, and conforming to the cultural input around us all lead down dead-end streets. One of those major dead ends is “get-rich-and-be-happy” street. Unfortunately, ungodly influence doesn’t come only from people “out there.” It has subtly seeped into our church conversations with Christian friends, and it occasionally can come from unlikely places such as pulpits and church publications. Think of how easily bad advice has polluted your thoughts, distracted your focus, and diminished your sense of happiness. If your pursuit in life is material success, remember, it didn’t work for Howard Hughes, and you can bet that it won’t work for you either.
Here’s a great alternative. The psalmist affirms that the truly blessed life finds its joy and satisfaction in living by the words and ways of God. There is no greater happiness than the sense of a clear conscience, the confidence of being loved and led by God, and the wealth of knowing that life is being lived in the safety of God’s law. Reject the bad advice that God’s rules are divine handcuffs and rejoice that his “commands are not burdensome” (1 John 5:3) but a source of blessedness and joy (Joshua 1:8).
Looking for true happiness? Delight in the law of the Lord and live by the principles of His Word!
Your Journey
- What is the world’s definition of happiness? How does it compare to the biblical definition?
- The psalmist says that we should meditate on the law of the Lord. What are some practical steps you can take to meditate on His Word today? To get started, memorize Psalm 1:1-3.
- Do you feel that you are capable of ungodly advice? The next time a trusted friend needs words of wisdom, be sure that God’s Word is the foundation for your counsel.
