Ready:
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.
(Matthew 11: 28-31)
Set:
This time of year can be hectic, especially for a college student. If you’re like me, you fill your plate not just with massive amounts of food over Thanksgiving, but also with too much to do. For some reason, I sometimes get lost in the plans and things that I need to do this time of year. Days are crammed and sometimes overwhelming. Are you in a place like that?
I have been spending some time with other women who are so anxious to get home and have a break. I can relate. It’s comforting to go home. It’s comforting to relax, and just enjoy the moments with other people. Jesus invites us to go home and rest with him in this verse. Let’s break this down. Basically, a yoke is a long wooden beam with that fits over the necks of a pair of draft animals, usually oxen, to harness them together to pull a plow, a cart, or some other load. (1 Samuel 6:7) Yokes for humans were also used. These were simple beams or poles carried across the shoulders with a load attached to each end. With them, laborers were able to carry heavy loads.
When we come to Jesus and trust Him with everything, His yoke is easy and His burden is light. If we are resistant to the Holy Spirit’s leading, sometimes our yoke, and the burdens we bear are heavy and overwhelming. Living in sin causes us to stumble. Hebrews 12:1-2 says, “…let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us..” When we are choosing to disobey God and just go our own way things are more likely to get out of control. Living in sin is a weight that we bear, a cord that entangles us and keeps us from going forward: it is a yoke that is too heavy for us.
Whatever you are going through, it isn’t too much for Jesus. “Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.” 1 Peter 5:6-7
When we trust in Him, the one who holds everything together, we are free from the entanglements that we can become wrapped up in. When we give Him full control on our life, trusting in Him for the outcome and giving Him the glory, we come to a place of rest and contentment. “As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said. But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!” “Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed—or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.” Luke 10:38-42
Let God be the author of your life. Take a time-out and let The Coach determine your game plan. You’re in great hands. 🙂
Go:
1. Are you putting too much on your plate?
2. Can you let something go so you are able to see God at work in your life?
3. What is preventing you from going to Jesus?
Workout:
Hebrews 12:1-5
1 Chronicles 16:11
Isaiah 40:28-31
1 Corinthians 10:13
Make a play-
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