Dearly Beloved,

TAKE HIS YOKE!

"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" (Matthew 11:29-30, NIV).

A Bible commentator defined a yoke as "a bar or frame of wood by which
two draft animals, especially oxen, are joined at the necks or heads
for working together, for drawing a load or pulling a plow." It is a
primitive tool used mostly by farmers. It takes two animals for a yoke
to be effective. No animal can work effectively without a yoke.

A yoke has been used figuratively to mean many other things. Mostly,
people have been using it to mean suffering or affliction. Therefore,
to hear anything like taking or having a yoke connotes a bad feeling.
In fact, a yoke speaks some hardship. However, Jesus Christ enjoins us
to take His yoke! (Matthew 11:29-30). What is His yoke? What does it
mean to take it?

To take the yoke of Jesus Christ upon us means to put ourselves into
the relation of servants and subjects to Him. It means to conduct
ourselves accordingly, in a careful obedience to all His commands, and
a cheerful submission to all His disposals. It is to yield ourselves
totally to Him. He has appointed this yoke. He has Himself drawn in it
before us, for He learned obedience. He wants anyone that will take
His yoke to also learn some characters from Him. These characters
include humility, gentility, diligence, submission, patience and other
Christ-like attributes. In spite of its seeming hardship, the yoke of
Jesus Christ is easier and lighter than any other yoke. No wonder,
anyone who takes it finds rest in Him.

People are taking many yokes today. No one is exempted. What kind of
or whose yoke are you taking? Are you yoked with people, belief,
value, or situation that are heavier than you? Yield to the advice of
Jesus Christ. Take His yoke. Commit yourself to Him. His yoke is easy
and light. Learn from Him and find rest for your soul.

In His service,

Bayo Afolaranmi (Pastor).

NB
If you are on Skype, follow this link to join me there:
http://www.skype.com/go/joinpublicchat?chat&skypename=spiritualdigest&topic=God+\
bless+you&blob=FNxe7bsXbXxTvLxUoj8OczRivpxyWbkU1VibRde7RMW0GmrWSwYiVgQzc7F6nO6zb\
qknx80


--
_________________________
Bayo Afolaranmi (Pastor).
+234 805 515 9591
http://www.thewordthruthenet.org/
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/spiritualdigest2003/

"I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will
have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted
in my body, whether by life or by death. FOR TO ME, TO LIVE IS CHRIST
AND TO DIE IS GAIN" (Philippians 1:20-21, NIV).