ICS Daily Devotions
Jesus’ Burden Is Light
Matt 11:28-30: Come to me, all who labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.
The religious leaders of Jesus’ day had established a long list of duties for people to perform. The people were told that these duties needs to be performed in order to keep God’s laws. As a result, the religious leaders imposed hundreds of religious rules on the people that were not found in the scriptures. This created a heavy burden to the people.
Jesus invites the people to come to him and to learn what God really desires. He says his yoke is easy and his burden is light. He wants us to know that the heavy, harsh burden of religious practices is not God’s desire. Jesus also told the people that he is gentle and humble of heart. He wants us to know that we can come to Him just as we are.
Hosea 6:6-7: For I desire steadfast love and not sacrifice, the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings. But like Adam they transgressed the covenant; there they dealt faithlessly with me.
God wants to have a covenant relationship with us. We enter this covenant relationship when we choose to be yoked with Jesus.
Being yoked in Jesus is choosing to abide in Him. It is using our free will to choose to surrender our life to him.A full surrender is to trust and obey. It means yielding our whole life to His will and to submit all things for Him to rule and order. It is when we throw ourselves into the arm of the living God in meekness and humility, trusting that he knows better than us, and his plan for us is for good and not for evil. It means to be willing to be led, taught and trained by Him. This is the position where we will experience grace and peace and rest in our soul.
Why is that so? Imagine being joint together by a beam to a much stronger person. If you are pulling in the same direction, the journey will be effortless as most of the work is done by the stronger person. The same applies when we are yoked together with Jesus. As we follow His lead, we will be carried by God’s grace and strength to overcome what may come in our path. Our soul will have rest because God is the one who is doing the heavy lifting.
Therefore, the rest in Jesus comes by choosing to be yoked to him and being willing to move in the direction that is led by Him. It is not something that He gives apart from Himself. It is only in having Him that we can enjoy and keep the rest for our souls. Jesus’ burden is light. Let us choose to be yoked to Him, trust and follow his leading and pull in the same direction.
Sermon series: Knowing God
