ENTERING YOUR REST 13

JESUS' EASY YOKE, 3

"Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you'll recover your life. I'll show you how to take a real test. Walk with me and work with me – watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won't lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you'll learn to live freely and lightly." Matt 11:28-30 MSG

The last in this series - Jesus' Easy Yoke, tells us how to live freely - to be free in thought and action yet without sin. It's no other but the way of yoke. No options. Even though we all are kinda God's children as fondly profess, yet the link to God is Jesus and our link with Jesus is His yoke. God marks His own children by their yoke of Jesus, bearing it upon their body. Anyone without Jesus' yoke will be quite uncertain in all his ways and cannot be termed "Saved". The joint, coupling that God has with all mankind is this easy yoke fitted on Jesus, the Saviour of the whole world. Confessing demonstrating faith is great, calling God by unexplained bogus names and titles seems good - like they did in the days of Seth son Adam Gen 4:26, but without this yoke, sorry to tell, God does not know you. He would say, "Sorry, I never knew you, depart from me!"

The yoke makes you follow the Lord more closely, see Him more clearly and love God meaningfully dearly. It makes you bend when the Lord bends, stand when the Lord stands, stop whenever He stops. It takes away stupidly acting in your own way. Your will becomes subjected - the Lord leads you follow, after all, He knows the way to where you're going. Once fitted on you, the work of imitating and walking with Jesus, 1 Corin 11:1, become responsive. By and by, it becomes involuntary through practice by experience. It's the Father's will, His predetermined purpose that everyone that must approach, come near Him be "Jesus Only" because on Him, is God's seal of approval. In fact, God spoke from heaven to everybody's conscience twice, thrice saying, "This is my beloved Son...hear Him!" Matt 17:4-5, Luke 3:21-23, John 12:27-28

This yoke is easiest as at when you come to Jesus to receive His rest. Prophet Jeremiah said it like this, "Best when you're alone", Lam 3:28-30, probably, yet to marry. Adding up people without chained first of all to the Lord makes bearing His yoke heavier and burdensome. For God blessed Abraham the father of Faith when he was alone, with Sarah his wife, Isa 51:2. The best time to bear Jesus' yoke is when you're young in faith and alone. Delayed or later response to this clarion call is stupid and will keep your life at bay, empty, formless, confused and unbuilt till you come bear the yoke. It's actually the yoke, the Cast that forms in you the image of God, real image of you that God has in mind when He put you in your mother's belly.

The deceit hell preaches is "We are many", "I am not the only one" in avoidance to the loneness necessary for coupling and yoking to Jesus. It's a deceit! When people die, they remain alone both in death and through eternity, one not sighting another. Those inhabitants of hell may however see the righteous ones who come to see them who see themselves but they, cannot one another. It's the eternal punishment for refusing to be alone while they lived. Consider the parable of Lazarus and the rich man, Luke 16:19-31. Loneness is not a life sentence, rather the way to avoid distraction, allows for concentration and deepen roots against the storms. This is the actual time we get defined. Everyone who evades this procedure will end on the outside with sinners - disbelievers, doubters and debtors.

The Lord's yoke is easy because it requires only ⅒ of you - willingness to obey. Every other thing necessary for the task ahead, for actualizing your purpose on earth will come from God of works, the Lord of glory. All that God needs from you is your ear! Remember Rev 2:7,11..."Let him who has ear hear what the Spirit says!" For many, they'd indulge themselves tithing their belongings instead of giving the tithe of their lives - the ears. Hearing, listening, obeying simple instructions, all tenths, better than the sacrifices. Since only a tenth of our lives is needed while God Himself shoulders nine-tenth, His yoke is quite easy.

Now, for how long, my friend, are you gonna dwell in valley of indecision and remain stuck? How long are going to run from bearing the yoke of Jesus, remain unsettled in life? You have tried coming to Jesus and it's good. You've received His rest, being at peace with joys in your heart, the joy of His salvation. Why not finish up taking His yoke on you? How long are you going to live like babies, yokeless, fed on milk with no solid food for strength? The way to growth is to be yoked, joined to the engine of your life, grafted on the true Vine and receiving directions. It is the only way you'll find your own rest, arbitrary resting place, wealthy place that no one can take away from you!

Step out, stand out. Bro, come boldly to the throne of grace to be empowered. Don't feel ashamed for bearing the yoke of Jesus, Sis. It's aimed at forming you into You, not another. Don't let the world force you into their own mould. Take the Cast directly from the Lord, be real, your real Self. See you when you do. Congratulations in anticipation! And God be with you!