Time To Switch Yokes

“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  NIV)

When Jesus Christ spoke those words, to whom was He speaking?  The Pharisees?  The disciples?  The Gentiles?  The Jews?

First and foremost, as you read those words right now, you must know that since it is the word of God, Jesus is speaking to you!  That is the essence to the Bible; what was physically spoken centuries ago still speaks to us today.  And who of us isn’t burdened and in need of rest?  The pressures of life get to us all and here we are reminded that Christ is gentle and humble and has rest wating for us.

But there is more to this passage that can bring us additional comfort.  The assumption is that we are to switch burdens and yokes.  (A yoke is a device that fastens together the heads of two draft animals, usually oxen.)  When Christ says that we are to take His yoke upon us and that his burden is light, it can only be done after we have come out from under the old yoke and relieved oursleves of the burden we have been carrying.   Make sure we catch that; Christ’s yoke is not an additional one, it is to be the only one.  His burden lightens our load, not increases its weight.

Boy do we need to remember that!  So many times I have heard people talk about laying all their burdens at the foot of the cross, only to see them pick them right back up again when they walk away.  Imagine carrying a backpack full of bricks around and then realizing you no longer need to carry them.  You set them down, relieved of the pressure, and dance joyfully now that the heavy burden no longer holds you down.  After your dancing, singing, and praising that the weight has been lifted, you turn to go.  But before taking to many steps, you stop and grab the backpack of bricks, then trudge along your way.

As Christians, I am afraid that we all do that far too often.  So much of our past has been allowed to find its way into our backpacks and we keep it there.  We even deny we carry it, though our lives are bent and crooked under the stress.  Sometimes the bricks are made up of memories of things we have yet to forgive ourselves for.  They may be feelings of resentment or unforgiveness toward others that we have  yet to release to God.  Possibly the bricks represent the burden of living up to certain standards of “religion” that are demanded by man yet unimportant to God.

But Christ’s yoke is easy!  When two oxen were yoked together, it was usually so that a more experienced ox could pull most of the load while a younger, less experienced one could learn to trust the other.  Christ’s yoke is not to burden us or strangle us.  It is so that He can lead us and we can learn from Him.

For far too long, you’ve been carrying all your burdens and pulling the load alone.  You will find no relief until you lay down the burdens and leave them there.  Christ can’t lead any of us until we put off the yoke of this world and replace it with His.

Two Paths

Imagine, if you will, that you can look down from the clouds and see two paths stretching our across the land.  The paths are different, yet appear to go in the same direction.  Someone walking on one path can see the person on the other, even have a conversation with them.  Both paths traverse over various terrain, sometimes smooth and level, sometimes rugged and steep.  There are times that a traveler on either path would feel as though they were standing atop the highest mountain.  Yet quickly the path shifts and the view becomes one of looking up from the depths of a dark valley.

From your perch high above the travelers, you can see their destinations.  One path leads far in the distance to a place of great reward, of peace, and of healing.  It is there that burdens carried by the traveler will be laid to rest for all time.  As the traveler makes his way along this path, he knows the nature of his destination.  It is this that keeps him traveling through the worst of the trip.

The other path leads to a place of destruction, of torment, where burdens are multiplied and pain is constant.  The traveler on this path has heard of this place, but at times doesn’t believe the stories.  He even jokes about the people he will know when he gets there, and besides he feels he can change his mind at the last minute and jump to the other path.

What we can also see is that there are, along the way, several bridges that connect the pathways.  As our travelers move along the path, the one moving toward the land of great reward calls out to the other, inviting him to come and join him.

“The path is rough over here,” he shouts, “but the destination is worth the trip!”

“No, I’m fine,” answers the destruction bound traveler, “I want to explore some other paths before I decide anything.  Besides, it sure doesn’t look like it’s any fun over there.”

Along his path, he runs into other travelers heading to the same end.  They cheer him and encourage him to continue to seek his own path and find his own way.  “After all, there cannot be only one way to the land of great reward!” they tell him.

At every bridge the traveler on the other path calls out and offers to explain why his road is different and why it is the only way to get to the place they are striving toward.

And at every opportunity, he is met with the same answer, “No, I need to find myself and explore every path to be certain of which one is right.”  And like a chorus, his fellow destruction-bound travelers agree and mock the other path as being too narrow.  Even some of his fellow travelers on the path to great reward tell him, “Don’t call to him.  He will come over in his own time.  That’s what I did and I’m ok.”

Just as the two travelers are approaching their final destinations, there appears one last bridge that leads from the destruction path to the path ot great reward.  The traveler on the path to great reward runs ahead and calls out to his counterpart, “I’ll wait here for you and tell you about this land of great reward.  Maybe you will change your mind before you go on.”

“OK,” yells the other traveler, “I’ll make a deal.  If I find nothing better by the time I get to you, I’ll listen to you.”

But before he can reach the last bridge, his path begins to change.  The ground shakes and begins falling all around him.  The gates ahead swing open wide and he is easily swept inside on a wave of dirt and rock.  His fellow  traveler on the other path can only stare helplessly.  The gate to the land of great reward swings open and a voice calls out to him, ““Whoever listens to you listens to me; whoever rejects you rejects me; but whoever rejects me rejects him who sent me.”

We do no favors to those who do not know Christ when we foolishly allow them to think there will always be another chance.

What’s Different About Christianity?

What is it about Christianity that makes it different from the “New Age” movements that have become so prevalent in the world?  After all, within society today, you can just about find as many paths of belief as you can people.  It seems as though anyone can come up with an idea and someone, somewhere will decide it is the belief system that they have been searching for.

In this world of discovering “truth” as it relates to us and shaping a belief system that suits our lifestyle as opposed to believing in something that will change our life, it is imperative that we recognize the major difference between what a follower of Christ believes and what other faith systems offer.

Most of these paths seek to give the individual a sense of power over their destiny and/or circumstances.  Either they ask proponents to strive toward higher enlightenment so that they can tap into their full power, or they emphasize the control over their inner self as a method of coping with the day to day struggles of life.  Regardless, the belief is centered on self, using sayings, platitudes, or mottoes that supposedly uplift the spirit while reminding us that “If it is to be, it is up to me.”  These statements can originate almost anywhere from long dead statesmen, philosophers, or even what some have decided are spirits from “another dimension.”

The difference between these “religions” and Christianity is very easily summed up in one word…love.

Followers of Christ are unique in their belief that the Creator of all things, the One Who placed the stars in the sky, loved each person on earth so much that He was willing to have His Son leave the perfection of heaven and become a human.  What is important for anyone to notice is that God loved each person, not just those who chose to believe in Him. 

For God so greatly loved and dearly prized the world that He [even] gave up His only begotten (unique) Son, so that whoever believes in (trusts in, clings to, relies on) Him shall not perish (come to destruction, be lost) but have eternal (everlasting) life.  (John 3:16 – Amplified Bible)

GOD LOVED THE WORLD – all of it!  He created all people and loves all people.  He established that sin could only be forgiven through sacrifice and then sent His Son as the substitute sacrifice so that He could express His love for us for all eternity.  He offers this opportunity for any who will believe.  There is the difference.  No other belief system recognizes the greatness of God yet emphasizes His love for His creation in such a way that He sacrificed for us.

Once we believe in this amazing event, it is not difficult to understand that God is the source of all happiness and joy.  He created us, loves us, and His Son suffered tremendous pain for us. Surely the things that we deal with in life are within His domain!  Yet His promise is not that all our suffering will be relieved, our pain does not always suddenly disappear, nor do we mystically reach a new level of enlightenment.  Rather, we find that there is sweet relief in the idea that we can depend upon the One Who created all instead of relying upon ourselves. 

Some would say that followers of Christ are using God as a crutch on which to lean.  Yep, guilty as charged!  Completely unashamed I will do just that; lean on Him.  I have found too many times that standing on my own, while at first may seem empowering, always ends up with me falling.  I would rather lean on the One Who never falls.

Herding Cats

As a part-time elementary physical education teacher, I have found that each grade level brings separate and very different challenges.  For instance, there are times when I am faced with a gymnasium full of forty-five excited, enthusiastic, yet not quite controllable kindergarteners.  My fellow PE instructor and I have likened trying to get all forty-five of them on the same task to what it must be like to have a job herding cats.  Just as you think you have them all moving in the same direction, a couple pop out of the ranks and begin to unveil their own plan for the class period.

Does your life ever seem like that?  You know, just when you think you have something under control, up comes an unexpected situation, maybe a bill for which you had not budgeted, or an illness that knocked you out for a period of time.  As you attempt to corral those cats, a few keep getting away from you.

Take a little quiz and see how easy it is for you to fill in the blanks with current feelings:

*  I’m ready to throw in the ______________

*  I’m at my wit’s ___________________

*  I’m at the end of __________________

*  I’m just a bundle of _______________

*  My life is falling __________________

It seems like we are all, at times, trying to herd those cats.  And just when you think you have it accomplished, someone dumps in more cats!

We need to learn how to experience rest.  If all we needed was a physical rest, we could take a nap.  If all we needed was an emotional rest, we could take a vacation.  But where can we find spiritual rest?  How can we obtain relief regarding the deepest issues of life in the deepest areas of our hearts?

Two thousand years ago, Jesus spoke to this very issue.  We read this in Matthew 11:28-30.

“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.”

Jesus gives us three commands here.

1. “Come to me” – notice He does not say, “Come to church.”  Christianity means meeting Christ personally.  Getting information about Christ does not make you a Christian.  He also does not say that you have to have everything together first.  He just says, “Come to me, ALL YOU.”
2. “Take my yoke” – meaning take HIS yoke.  There is no rest in rules and religion, but only in a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.  Whose yoke have you been under, man’s or Christ’s?
3. “Learn from me” – are you willing to learn?  Each of us is ignorant, just on different subjects.  Learn Christ’s humility and learn from Him that which is important.

One day a man went by to see a farmer who was plowing his field with a team of oxen. The man noticed that one of the animals was seemingly a little bigger than the other so he asked him about it. The response from the farmer was very interesting. He said that the big animal was an older animal that was well trained and the smaller one was a young animal that was new to the yoke. The man went on to inquire as to why he put them together and this is the answer that he got,

“Well, you see, it’s like this. That older ox is the best ox that I have ever had; he knows his way around the field. The reason I put the younger one with him is so the older, more knowledgeable ox could teach him how to plow. If I never put them together the younger one would never learn. By himself the younger ox would pull himself to death, but together he learns to cooperate with and rest in the strength of the older ox.”

If we could just learn that – to “cooperate with and rest in the strength of the older ox.”

Jesus Christ calls to us to come to Him for rest; to allow His strength to pour over us.  Won’t you do that today and find true rest?

Fellowship of Devotional Bloggers

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God and Alligators

I remember when I was in high school I worked after school and during the summers at a friend’s family-owned produce market.  It was a very popular store and was often very busy, especially during holidays and on Saturday.  Many times I, along with the other employees, would get distracted from our work because of the large number of customers that came in.  Certainly not a bad problem for a business to have, but the store’s owner wanted us to get our work done and tend to all of the customers.  And if I remember correctly, he was not shy in voicing his displeasure if things were not done correctly

In the back room of the store, someone had hung a poster of a man standing waist-deep in a swamp surrounded by alligators.  Underneath was the caption, “When you are up to your waist in alligators, it is difficult to remember that your initial objective was to drain the swamp!”  It comically reminded us that when we got so busy, we needed to remember that we had an overall purpose – to help run a business that kept the customers returning.

Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance.  Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.   (James 1:2-4 NIV)

The above passage from the New Testament book of James is, for many, one of the most difficult to accept.  When we are in the midst of a difficult time it is often tough to express our joy in the circumstances.  But this passage reminds us that there is an overall objective – God’s objective.  The word translated in the NIV as perseverance is in Greek hypomone which indicates a steadfastness, not being easily swayed.  And in verse 4 we are told of this greater overall objective; so that we may be mature and complete.  Isn’t that what we are striving for?  For God to view us as mature and complete?  Faith in God is trusting that, even when we do not see the overall objective, He is constantly moving us toward that point where He will look upon us as mature and complete.

Ask God today to remind you that He is the one who has the overall objective.  Submit yourself to Him, even if it means a few alligators.

Pray, Trust, and Step

If the Lord delights in a man’s way, he makes his steps firm; though he stumble, he will not fall, for the Lord upholds him with his hand.  (Psalm 37:23-24)

 “But Pastor Bill, how do I know what God wants me to do?  I keep listening for direction from Him but I am not hearing anything!”

I have heard that many times in conversations with people as they try to discern God’s will for their life.  I have even said it myself more times than I would like to admit.

When we read the above scripture, we find great comfort in the thought that God is making our steps firm and holding us up in case we fall.  But we need to pause a moment and consider the first part of verse 23: If the Lord delights in a man’s way.  If we read correctly, that must be the criteria met in order for the rest of the promise to follow.  Our steps are to be pleasing to God in order for Him to hold us up.  So how can we step in assurance that our way delights the Lord?

The key, I believe, rests in our understanding of verse 24: though he stumble, he will not fall, for the Lord upholds him with his hand.  There does not seem to be any question that we WILL stumble; of course we will.  But we delight the Lord when our stumble happens on a path that pleases Him; when our direction is determined by God and followed by us.

Our fear comes from the idea that we will make a wrong step and in some way displease God.  But what we must realize that if we go about things prayerfully (praying for wisdom, direction, faith, and courage), we delight the Lord.  Once we have met that criteria, we can be assured that He is there to hold us up when (not if) we stumble.

In the Old Testament Hebrew, the phrase he will not fall is written with one word, tuwl (pronounced tool).  Its meaning is more dramatic and descriptive than just falling. The literal translation of that phrase is, he will not be utterly cast out.  God is saying here that when we stumble, He is not going to throw us away, forget about us, and put us on the rubbish heap.  He is showing us that when we make mistakes, sin, and fall, He is there and we can lean on Him.  There will not be a time that if we are sincerely striving to follow God’s will, even if we are unsure about it, that God throws up His hands and says, “That’s it.  I am done with you!”

Often, we are paralyzed by the fear of failure, the fear of moving away from God, and even the fear of the unknown.  God gives us a great formula for this:  Pray, trust, and step.  And when we fall, stumble, crash, or plummet over a cliff – He is there.  His promise is that regardless of the size of the mess we make, if we delight Him by trusting Him, He will not cast us out.  In fact quite the opposite; He will draw us closer.

Pray, trust, and step.  Pray, trust, and step.  Pray, trust, and step.

Unlock The Deaf Ears

This morning, I was sitting outside with our daughter Brighton while she was playing on the swingset.  It was early enough in the day that the Baltimore humidity had not yet fully taken hold, so she and I had a few pleasant moments before the temperature drove us inside. 

Bri-bri (as I call her) has been with us for almost exactly two years, coming to us from China in the summer of 2009 when she was four.  She’s all of six now with kindergarten behind her and really “coming into her own.”  Certainly, she has her challenges; she is profoundly deaf, hearing at about the 90-100 db range and she has spina bifida.  The latter causes her to need a walker to get around as it affects her legs from about the knees down.  Anyone who has ever met her would agree that neither of these situations keeps her from enjoying life completely.  She has that bubbly personality that causes everyone she comes in contact with to fall in love with her.  Her smile and her laughter are both contagious and she is a master of facial expressions.  Before her granddad passed away last November, they grew to share a very special bond that was so obvious.  He loved all of his grandchildren, but somehow he and Brighton shared the same sparkle in their eyes.

There is a song that we sing at church, Hear Us From Heaven, written by Jared Anderson.  In the chorus we sing:

Open the blind eyes, unlock the deaf ears

Come to your people, as we draw near.

I have to admit that I cannot sing that song without thinking about Brighton.  I watch her as she plays and it pains me to think that she cannot hear me when I say, “I love you.”  And as I listened to her squeal with delight as she spun around on the swing, I wondered this morning, “What would her voice sound like if she spoke to me?”  For a few moments, I allowed myself to fall prey to one of Satan’s greatest traps, the focusing on what isn’t rather than what is.  I wondered, “Why doesn’t God unlock Brighton’s deaf ears?”

But then, in that moment, God reminded me that Brighton, my beautiful, loving, bubbly, hearing impaired daughter may not hear me, but she does hear the greatest voice of all.  What I failed to realize was that my voice is not the most important voice in my daughter’s life.  She doesn’t need to know what I sound like when I laugh or when I tell her “I love you.”  It is not imperative that she knows how off-key I am when I sing or what anger sounds like coming from me.  Above all else, she needs to recognize the voice of God. 

And that I’m sure she does.  This wonderful little girl is a gift from Almighty God and I know that He would not present her to us and turn His back on her.  Rather than yell with such volume that even her ears could pick it up, He whispers in her ear in a voice so soft, only she can hear.  The Creator of the universe speaks Brighton’s language.  I am so blessed that He has chosen our family to be just one of the ways He communicates His love to her.  And He shows me that she “hears” my voice saying I love you with every hug, kiss, and tickle.

When we sing, “Open the blind eyes, unlock the deaf ears,” we have to remind ourselves that there are plenty of blind people with 20/20 eyesight.  And there are multitudes with perfect hearing, who are yet still deaf.  In His amazing power, God could cure all the physical deafness and blindness with a blink of His eye.  Yet He shows us that the worst blindness is spiritual blindness and the those that refuse to hear are worse off than those who simply cannot.  You may be one of those people.  It’s possible that you cannot say you have ever heard God’s voice, never felt His presence.  Could it be that you are allowing too much of the world into your field of vision?  Could it be that the life you are leading is yelling so loud with lies that no truth can get in?  Turn down the volume of the world.  Refocus your vision on the gifts from God around you.  God speaks our language, too.  He wants us to be deaf to the rest of the world and tune our ears to his voice.  Our Lord wants us to seek his face, to be blind to what is around us and focus on Him. 

All it took was a six year-old to remind me.

Not Best Life Now, Best Life To Come!

There are any number of preachers on television, internet, facebook, and twitter that will be glad to point out to you that God wants you to be succesful, wealthy, and live in abundance.  They will quote scripture such as John 10:10, where Jesus says, “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”  But in doing some study on the beatitudes in Matthew chapter 5, I have discovered that a great deal of Christ’s teachings seem to contradict what these “prosperity preachers” are selling.

Look at what characteristics we are to exhibit in order to be described as blessed:  poor in spirit, mournful, meek, hungry and thirsty for righteousness, merciful, pure in heart, peaceful, and persecuted.  They sure do not seem like the characteristics of someone who is waiting for God to rain blessings of prosperity down on them.  Rather, these describe someone who has placed God first in their life and relishes the idea that God would consider them blessed.

True, the results or rewards given for those maintaining these standards for living are not getting you a new Rolls, but let us look at what Christ does promise in return.  (Matthew 5:3-12)

Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.

Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.

Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.

Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God.

Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me.  Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

What the prosperity preachers, along with the New Age gurus who tell us that the greatness is up to us, fail to understand is that it is about motive.  The Pharisees(Jewish religious leaders) of Jesus’ day were experts at keeping themselves “holy” and declaring themselves “righteous” before others.  They bragged that they obeyed all of their religious laws and were, therefore highly blessed.  Much like the very wealthy prosperity preachers of today, the Pharisees told the Jewish people that if they could just do what the Pharisees did, God would bless them in mighty ways.  They, too could be “righteous.”

Yet along comes Jesus, who informs them that it isn’t about keeping laws so that you can appear righteous, it is about recognizing you can never be righteous on your own.  Once we accept that fact, we can then realize our need for a Savior.  When we realize what Christ did for us by dying on the cross, thus clothing us in righteousness when we place our trust in Him, our motive for our actions change from one of trying to qualify for blessing to the motivation of gratitude for receiving the greatest blessing of all – eternal life with Almighty God!

“But, Pastor, do we really have to be poor in spirit, meek, and persecuted?”

Yes, but be certain to fully understand the meaning of the terms.  Poor in spirit refers to having emptied ourselves of attempts to justify oursleves before God.  We recognize that on our own, we can never achieve the perfection that entrance into heaven demands.  Therefore, we are in need of a Savior and God provided just that in His Son.  To be meek simply means to be humble and teachable.  And when we are persecuted because of Christ, we are to recognize that we are in tremendous company. 

Following Jesus Christ is not about getting prosperity, gaining abundance, or wielding great power.  It is about being motivated by the knowledge that God saved us from eternal punishment through His Son Jesus Christ.  It is not about living our “best life now.”  It is about realizing we have the BEST LIFE TO COME! 

Can Praise Be Painful?

Most of us have no difficulty praising God when things are going well for us.  Sure, sometimes we have to remind ourselves that the blessings of this life come directly from Almighty God and we are called to thank Him and praise Him.  But why is there so much emphasis placed upon praising and thanking God in all circumstances?

 “always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.”  Ephesians 5:20

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.”  Philippians 4:6

If we look at offering praise as our gift to God, then we are called to offer this gift, regardless of our circumstances.  In good and in bad, He is worthy of our praise, because God does not change depending upon where we are.  

Joni Eareckson Tada explains it using the following analogy.  Suppose someone gave you some beautiful hand-embroidered pillowcases.  Surely you would appreciate the work that went into making them; the talent and time it took to create something just for you.  But what if you knew that the woman who made them for you was crippled with painful arthritis?  Every stitch was a painful act of love as she worked to create the gift for you.  Every few moments she needed to stop and rub her tired, aching fingers.  Would you not appreciate this even more?  Wouldn’t your appreciation for her effort cause you to realize how much she must have desired to do something special for you?  How much more would you treasure the gift when you recognize it came as a result of hardship.

Our praises to God are like that.  Any sincere praise to Him is a sweet aroma.  But when we offer up praise in the midst of the difficult - when the praise is an effort for us because we just don’t feel much like praising – that is the praise that God cherishes above all. That praise that we offer just for who He is and not for where we are.

And I’ll praise you in this storm
and I will lift my hands
for You are who You are
no matter where I am
and every tear I’ve cried
You hold in your hand
You never left my side
and though my heart is torn
I will praise You in this storm 
(Casting Crowns – Praise you in this storm)