April 5, 2025

BEING YOKED TO JESUS

TODAY’S SCRIPTURE

Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.”

Matthew 11:28-30 NLT

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TODAY’S THOUGHT

Jesus came to earth to do more than pay the price for our sins on the cross and give us a “Get Out of Hell” card. Jesus came to impact the way we live our daily lives. 

Jesus invites His followers to come to Him, yoke together with Him, and be taught by Him.  It all starts when we come to Jesus. 

Often our humanity tries to hide our problems, struggles, disappointments, and frustrations. We want to act like we have it all together and avoid conversations about our hurts, habits, and hangups. 

When we fail, we double down and try to hide these failures from people, God, and ourselves. But Jesus invites us to come to Him. That means I must admit I can’t handle it all by myself. I get weary and tired of trying to solve the problems of my life, my family, and my world. 

When I come to Jesus, He invites me to be yoked with Him. In the ancient days a yoke connected two animals together to pull a load or accomplish a task. When it was designed correctly it would increase the productivity. 

Studies show that there is a phenomenon called synergy. This is where the total output is more than just doubling the effort of one.

In theory if one animal can pull 8,000 pounds; if you yoke an equal animal, they could pull 16,000 lbs. But the truth is they can pull 3 to 4 times what they could do alone. They would be able to pull 24,000 lbs. or more. 

Studies say the increase is because the yoke allows the animals to work in unison, reducing wasted energy and maximizing their combined strength. 

When we are yoked with Jesus we must submit to His direction and His speed. We don’t set the direction or the pace—He does. This reduces our stress, worry, and anxiety. 

As we walk through life yoked to Jesus, He teaches us. Through the presence of the Holy Spirit within us we are being given direction and instruction each day. We are learning every day. New insight and revelation are ours each day. 

We can live in life without worry, fear, or anxiety dragging us down. We must come to Jesus, accept His yoke, and listen to His voice of instruction. 

I pray that today You choose to do exactly that.

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TODAY’S PRAYER

Holy Spirit help me to come to Jesus with an open heart and mind. Help me to stay yoked at Your pace and headed in Your direction. Help me to learn to listen to Your voice. 

“Scroll down to share what you feel God is saying based on today’s reading.”