Come!

Come!

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 KJV

In context, this was Jesus speaking to the crowd which followed him everywhere. They heard his teachings and saw the miracles, yet it was a struggle to believe. Jesus had taught extensively in the cities yet men refused to believe. They saw the mighty works, yet it did not move them to faith. They heard the testimony of John the Baptist about Jesus yet they would not believe? Can the same be said about me today? Am I all about special effects and nothing of the Spirit? Am I one who craves the presents and gifts from God, but knows nothing about the Presence of God? 

After pronouncing woes on the cities that rejected his message, he said the words of today's extract. In every generation, God seeks men who will come to Him, not out of a sense of blind duty or compulsion, but out a heart that knows its weaknesses and recognises where its help is. If I do not know my condition, how do I seek necessary help? If I do not admit my failings, how does God help me? 

For all who know and admit their condition, help is available. Labour and burdens are the norm for the natural man. We live in a world where sin has changed the divine order. It wasn't created to be this hard, but sin has made it so. If I will be free of the natural consequences of sin, I must be found in the One in whom there is no sin. In Christ, my burden is lifted and taken away, but there is a caveat: you don't get to walk away with nothing. Idle hands are the devil's tools. So, Christ frees my hands from the burden of sin, and gives me his own yoke. 

A yoke is a wooden crosspiece that is fastened over the necks of two animals and attached to the plough or cart they are to pull. Christ says I should take His yoke. What would this mean: He has his requirements and assignments, and only in union with Him, tied to Him, and under His control, can I really thrive. I don't get to walk away from everything; God does not call a man into a life of total freedom from all responsibility. He calls into partnership with Him. If one of the animals decides not to cooperate with the yoke, nothing gets done. Christ's yoke places a demand on you to walk with Him, as you work for Him. 

It is the yoke of Christ, requiring allegiance only to Him, not to any other person. It is not the yoke of a 'great man/woman of God. No person should be able to place a yoke on you. That is why Christ asks me to learn of Him. As I walk with and work for Him, in line with His yoke, He shows me how and where best I am fitted and gifted to make impact for Him. The ONE holding the reins of the yoke is the one who determines where the animals go, not the animals. I don't get to dictate to God where I think my gifts are best suited; that is for the owner of the yoke to decide. 

Maybe the reason why the church is in disarray today is because we are our own yoke holders. We place our own yoke on ourselves, decide for ourselves where we think we fit, and assign to ourselves what we think is best for us. Unfortunately, if I claim to work for Christ, I can't pull the reins of the yoke; that is Christ's prerogative. If I will indeed find rest for my soul, it hangs on my willingness to follow the laid down process for rest. I won't get it by selfish labour, and I won't get it by being smart and savvy. Rest is a function of my connection with the yoke of Christ. He doesn't place on me what He knows I can't bear, and He won't demand of me what He has not gifted me for. If He demands it, His grace will supply it. I rest in and on Him; He alone can supply all that my life needs to make impact. His time of favour is here.