The Yolk of Christ

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.”Matthew 11:29.

The  more we seek Christ the more we are transformed to His image. As Christians we must come to Jesus Christ as our Ruler, and submit ourselves to him ( v.29). Christ is exalted to be a Prince, a Saviour and a Priest upon his throne. The rest he promises is a release from the drudgery of sin, not from the service of God. We were previously under a yoke which made us weary but Christ is saying shake that off and take mine, which will make it easy for you. To take Christ’s yoke upon us, is to put ourselves into the relation to servants (1 Tim. 6:1) and subjects (1 Kings 12:10) to him, and then to conduct ourselves accordingly, in a conscientious obedience to all his commands, and a cheerful submission to all his disposals: it is to obey the gospel of Christ, to yield ourselves to the Lord: it is Christ’s yoke; the yoke he has appointed; a yoke he has himself drawn in before us, for he learned obedience, and which he does by his Spirit draw in with us, for he helpeth our infirmities, (Rom. 8:26). A yoke speaks some hardship, but if the beast must draw, the yoke helps him. Christ’s commands are all in our favour: we must take this yoke upon us to draw in it. We are yoked to work, and therefore must be diligent; we are yoked to submit, and therefore must be humble and patient: we are yoked together with our fellow-servants, and therefore must keep up the communion of saints: and the words of the wise are as goads (to motivate) to those who are thus yoked.

Have a blessed day!

Be Not Surprised

“Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you, which comes upon you for your testing, as though some strange thing were happening to you” (1 Peter 4:12).

We can be certain of God’s love for us, no matter how unexpected or difficult any trial might be. Reassuring words are vital as we strive to deal with trials and sufferings in our Christian lives. Peter opens with a pastoral term (“beloved”) that conveys tenderness, love, and concern for his audience. It reinforces in a single word the concepts of fervent love for one another and love that covers sin (1 Peter 4:8). Such love is a welcome reality to lean on whenever anyone is undergoing suffering or persecution.Trials can easily tempt us to be discouraged and doubt God’s love. In Peter’s time the emperor Nero coated many, including children, in pitch and used them as human torches. With such cruel persecution going on, we can see why Peter wrote to fellow Christians—which includes us—to reassure them of God’s love. We should not be surprised at our trials, they should be seen as part of life. They might catch us off guard at first, but we can confidently deal with them, knowing that God’s loving care for us never fails.