Matthew 11:25-30

"Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, 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."  Matthew 11:28-30

The world today speaks of freedom and "doing your own thing."  The truth of the matter is that we are servants of someone or something.  We are servants of what or whom is most important to us in our lives.  Being a servant to anyone or anything but the Lord is a heavy burden to bear. Chasing after the things of the world is exhausting and lacking in fulfillment.  Those who love the Lord have learned the secret of freedom in the Lord.  They have learned that true freedom comes from being "yoked" to the Lord!  They have learned that true freedom comes from being a servant of the Lord!

Matthew eleven tells us that the Lord has chosen to hide His wisdom from those of the world who reject Him.  Such people may be "wise" according to the world's standards, but they do not have God's wisdom.  God chooses to reveal His wisdom to us, if we approach Him in humility as little children.  We can know the Father and be His child only through Jesus Christ's sacrifice on the cross. It is all of grace!

Only a child of God is invited to come to the Lord with all his or her burdens.  The Lord says to His children in Matthew 11:28, however, "Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest."  We can come with our burdens of sin, and He will forgive us.  He gives us rest from the guilt and penalty of our sins.  The Lord also gives us rest from the worries and concerns of our lives.  He wants us to give those worries and concerns to Him and leave them with Him.  The Lord wants us to rest in Him.

Jesus goes on to say in Matthew 11:29. "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."  Just as oxen in Biblical times were often yoked together to plow the fields, so we need to be yoked with the Lord.  Jesus is saying to us that He wants us to come to Him and be united in a personal relationship with Him. We need to be yoked to the Lord.

The Lord then will be right beside us, and He will walk the field of life with us.  Being yoked with the Lord involves becoming His child and servant and not doing our own thing,  It involves being submissive to the Lord's will.  This is the secret, however, to joy and peace.  Our Lord is "gentle and humble in heart," and He will provide for all our needs even when it seems that our world is falling apart.  This is true even when we cannot understand the Lord's working in our lives at the moment. The Lord wants to deliver us from the unrest of self-will and self-effort.  He wants us to find rest and peace for our souls by being yoked to Him.

Jesus says in Matthew 11:30, "For My yoke is easy and My burden is light."  There is total commitment and servanthood involved in being a child of God, but the Lord's yoke on us is easy and light.  This is because even though our lives are filled with service for the Lord, this service involves lives of restful activity.  He is carrying the heavy end of our load.  The Lord is carrying us through this life.  He is directing and guiding us every step of the way.  He carries our burdens. He teaches us what we need to know about living for Him.  In spite of problems in our lives we need to keep our eyes focused on the Lord and stay yoked to Him.  He is in control!  Praise His name!