Day 12
Jesus said,
"28 Come to me, all you who labor and are heavily burdened, 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" Matthew 11:28-30)
Prayer
Heavenly Father, thank you for giving us rest! Your Son made an
offer. His offer was made to all... to all who labor and are heavily burdened.
He offered rest.
I see two rests in His promise:
- Rest when we come to Him (11:28)
- Rest as we take up His yoke (11:29)
The first rest is experienced when we come to Christ (11:28). When we come to Your Son, we also come to You, our Father (John 14:6-7). We experience this rest of 11:28 when we come to You at conversion and when we "walk by the Spirit". The second rest (11:29) is received as we bear the yoke of Christ, with Christ. His yoke is easy (11:30).2.3
At my conversion I experienced the rest of 11:28... a euphoric filling by Your Holy Spirit, transferring me from the domain of darkness into the kingdom of Your Son (Colossians 1:13). You moved me from the despair of tragedy and self-faith, into the joy and power of Your presence (Psalm 16:11, Acts 1:8). I was in the Spirit for three days. Few have a conversion experience like mine. But You gave me what I needed to survive. We also experience this11:28 rest as we turn to You during any event of the day... to ask for guidance... to rest in Your presence. We "Turn, Turn, Turn and Behold".1.3
When I was a new Christian, many of my days and moments were not restful. But I observed by experience that I felt rest when I served You... when I pointed to You. Although I did not understand verses 29-30 at that time, I was receiving the "rest" of verses 29-30 as I bore the yoke of Christ.
What is the yoke of Christ? A yoke is an implement of work. It is used to harness two animals together to pull a burden. It is His yoke that we take. So, what work of Christ do we take? His yoke is to make disciples.A5 It is written: "the Son of Man came to seek and to save that which was lost" (Luke 19:10). Jesus also said, "I came that they may have life, and may have it abundantly" (John 10:10).
You made it abundantly clear from Matthew 9:37 – 11:30 that the Yoke of Christ is making disciples, saving souls.2.3
It is odd to our minds of flesh that we receive rest by working... by taking up a yoke. But I have found that it is true. We have rest in You, as we work with You, doing what You are doing, bearing the Yoke of Christ.
You deserve all praise!
Amen
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You are reading the Walk by the Spirit Daily Devotional Series, which is subchapter 3.7 of the free, online book Fellowship with God in the Sixth Path. In the Walk by the Spirit Daily Devotional, readers learn how to how to walk by the Spirit. Walking by the Spirit is one way the New Testament describes fellowship with God, the subject of this online book.
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