Dear brothers and sisters, do you sense the power of God working in your life and through your life?    Do you find joy in your times with the Lord?   Do you find the Spirit directing you to divine appointments to minister in the Name of Jesus?    These are the things that the Lord desires; and knows they bring to us great joy.  There is no other experience this side of heaven that brings us deeper joy than the reality of being directed and used by the Lord.

This is exactly what Jesus is teaching us in Matthew chapter 11.

Matthew 11:28-30

²⁸ "Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest.

²⁹ "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.

³⁰ "For My yoke is easy and My burden is light."

Jesus wants us to come into partnership with Him.  [a very junior partner]   He wants us to be yoked to him. Notice we must take His yoke upon us.   Those to whom He was speaking understood the intimate partnership of two oxen who were yoked together to pull a plow or other implement.   In this process there is a purpose.   Jesus has a purpose for you.   We sometimes think that we must come up with our own purpose. God did not give us intellect in order for us to figure everything out.   The flesh will tell us this loudly and often.   But we get a different message from God’s word!

Matthew 11:25

²⁵ At that time Jesus said, "I praise You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and intelligent and have revealed them to infants.

God desires followers.   He has given us intellect, in part, in order that we should wisely choose to follow; to become yoked to Jesus … to His purpose.  

Becoming yoked provides to us peace.    “I will give you rest”.    O, how we undervalue this conditional promise.  Most Christians do not grasp, as a practical matter, this is a promise from the God who always completely keeps His promises!   The result of our lack of ears to hear is that we that we often fail to come to Jesus and become yoked to Him.

What does Jesus mean when He says “Come to Me”?   If you are a believer you have in one sense “come to Jesus” by faith.      The problem with most of us is that having come to Jesus for salvation we have since become immersed in the world and the ways of the world.  This “world immersion” leads us to a pattern of thinking that we must do, and think, and be, like the unregenerated.   That is to say, we must come up with our plans and our purposes, our methods and our means as if it all depends on our intellect, determination and efforts.

Our plans and efforts are much like a fine automobile that is setting in our driveway full of fuel but missing the ignition keys.   We can see it but it will not go anywhere.  God on the other hand has a limousine in which He is the driver, and He desires us to join Him.   His purpose may take us through some difficult areas but He is always willing to drive and He is always with us.  While He is driving we can pull on the back of the seat to try to get Him to turn.  We can push our feet vigorously into the floorboard to try to get Him to stop, or we can rest in the power and wisdom of the God Who created the universe and knows everything.  When we stop to really think … how ridiculous for us the creature to attempt to give directions to the creator, the only omniscient One.

Of course often we do not experience any of these things because we are still in our driveway trying to figure out how to find the ignition keys to our car, or trying to push it down the street.    These are the type of activities that result in our becoming weary and heavy-laden.   These are at the heart of our frustration.  Where are you frustrated today?   What are you holding on to that will not move out of your driveway?   God has a better plan!   He desires that you should be powerfully used to build His kingdom and bring glory to His name.

How do we interact with Google? We do not try to figure out Google; we simply ask Google.   We do not think we are smarter than Google; we simply ask Google.    We do not try to replace Google; we simply ask Google.   Have you tried this with God?   Asking works really well with God; after all, God asks us to ask Him and promises if we ask He will answer …..  and for starters, He knows everything in the future and all that has ever happened in the past.

We often do not pray because we do not know what or how to pray; we should simply ask God.  Sometimes we do not hear the voice of God.  We should simply tell God we need His help with our hearing.   We don’t need to try to figure out what we should be doing …  we should simply ask God.   We may not know how to become yoked to God.   He will direct us if we will humbly ask Him.   God delights in helping us when our hearts are right.  This is a good place for our intellect to be used.

No, not to determine if we have pure hearts, but to be wise enough to ask God to reveal anything in our hearts that is keeping us from coming to Him.   God longs to forgive us.  He sent His son to die for us in order that He could forgive us.   He does however have conditions.

 First we must confess to Him that we are wrong … that we have sinned. 

1 John 1:9 (NASB77)

⁹ If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Second we must forgive others who have sinned against us.

Matthew 6:14-15 (NASB77)

¹⁴ "For if you forgive men for their transgressions, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.

¹⁵ "But if you do not forgive men, then your Father will not forgive your transgressions.

Today meditate on this promise from God:

Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, 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.

RIGHT NOW …….   Ask God is there is any sin that is keeping you from entering His limousine, enjoying His peace and finding the fulfillment of His purpose.   Just ask Him.   He loves you.   He will answer sincere questions.     Keep coming to Him …..   releasing  your burdens into His care.  Take His yoke upon you …..  you will not regret this ride.