ICS Daily Devotions
God Wants Us To Be Yoked With Him
Mat 11:28-30 Come to Me all you who labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take My yoke on you and learn of Me, for I am meek and lowly in heart, and you shall find rest to your souls. 30 For My yoke is easy, and My burden is light.
Jesus encouraged the Jews to forgo the heavy burdens of religion and legalism that pressed them down, but instead choose to be yoked with Him. A yoke is a stable connection that allows two beings to be joined so that they can work together. When we are yoked with Christ, we are no longer basing our beliefs on religion, but on a relationship with God. If we are saved, then we are in a covenant relationship with God. We should start to live within this relationship.
Before we were saved and yoked with God, we lived a life independent of God. But now that we are saved, we seek to walk with God and surrender our entire lives to Him. A life entirely surrendered to Jesus is the secret to perfect rest and peace. This means we not only have to obey and trust, but also to trust and obey.
In meekness and humility, we throw ourselves into the arms of the living God, trusting that He knows better when it comes to His will in our lives and knowing He has a good plan for us. However, there are some Christians who still believe in making decisions based on their own desires. They then commit their decisions to God expecting God to bless them. This is based on their own terms and not God’s.
When we wholly surrender to God, we take up His yoke and submit ourselves to be led and taught by Him, to abide in Him, to learn about Him, and to only do His will. We will go wherever He leads us and plans for us. When we are yoked together, we do not pull in different directions. If we go in the same direction as God, it will be smooth, without struggle or friction, peaceful and moving in the right direction. It will be two wills in one accord. We will experience peace and rest for the soul. There will be joy and perfect peace in our hearts too, even in times of crisis. We are not struggling with God. He will lead us and make our paths straight. This is the position where we will experience grace and peace in our lives, when we are yoked with Him.
Sermon Series: Knowing God
