Mathew 11:29-30- 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.
Jesus sends an invitation for us to take His yoke, learn from Him as opposed to taking on the burden of religion, self-righteousness and godless living. Human effort to seek and please God frustrates and weighs down the soul because it is impossible and unrealistic to achieve total obedience to divine laws and any effort at attaining such goal is an unnecessarily heavy burden.
Jesus carried the heaviest burden of my sin so that I can become the righteousness of God in Him(2Cor 5:21). He freed me from the heavy burden of human religion or do not handle! do not taste! do not touch. According to Paul, “these rules, which have to do with things that are all destined to perish with use, are based on merely human commands and teachings. Such regulations indeed have an appearance of wisdom, with their self-imposed worship, their false humility and their harsh treatment of the body, but they lack any value in restraining sensual indulgence. (Coll 2:21-23). Since my human effort to keep the laws cannot restrain my sensual indulgence, the only work to do, the only burden to share and the yoke to carry is to believe in Christ’s finished work on the cross and his final victory over sin and death(John 6:29). This life of faith is much easier yoke to bear and lighter burden to carry.
PRAYER:
Heavenly Father, I come to you today confessing that I cannot please you by my own effort. I need the grace to believe and wholeheartedly trust that Christ through His Spirit in me will enable me to share the burden and yoke of sharing this good news of saving faith with others. Amen