Take My Yoke

"Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy-laden and overburdened, and I will cause you to rest. [I will ease and relieve and refresh your souls.] Take My yoke upon you and learn of Me, for I am gentle (meek) and humble (lowly) in heart, and you will find rest (relief and ease and refreshment and recreation and blessed quiet) for your souls. For My yoke is wholesome (useful, good – not harsh, hard, sharp, or pressing, but comfortable, gracious and pleasant), and My burden is light and easy to be borne" (Matthew 11:28-30).

Whenever reading these verses, I have wondered: what is the yoke of Jesus? What is this yoke that causes us to rest when we are overburdened? That so lightens our load that it is “easy to be borne”?

I think the key to understanding is in verses 25-27:

"At that time Jesus began to say, I thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and clever and learned, and revealed them to babies [to the childish, untaught, and unskilled]. . . . All things have been entrusted and delivered to Me by My Father; and no one fully knows and accurately understands the Son except the Father, and no one fully knows and accurately understands the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son deliberately wills to make Him known."

Jesus is praising God that revelation is hidden from the wise and given to the childlike (see also Matthew 19:14). He states that only the Son can make the Father known, and then issues the invitation: “Come to Me . . . .” Because of the continuity of the context of this passage, I believe that the yoke Jesus is talking about is the revelation of the knowledge of God! (See also Ephesians 1:17-19.) Here is a paraphrase of Matthew 11:27-30 in my own words:

"My Father has given me all knowledge and understanding. I hold it in trust for those who are childlike and eager to be taught. I am the only one who has true revelation, and I alone have the authority to reveal Him to whomever I choose. So I choose you! Anyone who is tired and weary, come to Me. As you come to Me, I will give you new understanding of God, and in this knowledge your soul will rest. The experience of My gentle and humble heart will so lighten your heart that all else will be easy to bear. Upon the revelation of the knowledge of God will hang all the burdens you carry. You will no longer bear them in your own strength, but in Mine."

I am blessed that God brought this understanding to my heart several days before finding out that our expected fourth child, Selah Joy, has gone to Heaven to be with Him. My heart can rest, knowing that He has invited me to come to Him in the midst of my trouble. I will set my eyes on Him, not on my circumstances, and let Him reveal His heart to me in a deeper way. God is love. God is good, and everything He does is good. I will rest in Him.

Long-Term Goals

When God has not given you his dream and vision – if you do not have a goal on which you have your eyes fixed (as if you are climbing toward the peak of a mountain) – then you will be exposed, uncovered and made naked. You will not get anywhere, but will fruitlessly spin your wheels. But if you can keep God’s precepts and statutes, you will be blessed and happy (Proverbs 29:18, paraphrase based on a word study by Christal Stroup).

This week let’s take our overall life vision and apply it to the seven major areas of our life (from “The Power of a Focused Life” by Mike Bickle):

1. Spiritual (prayer time, fasting days, Bible study, etc.)
2. Relational (family, friends, etc.)
3. Vocation (marketplace calling, etc.)
4. Ministry (in the church, outside the church, etc.)
5. Financial (spending, giving, saving, investing, etc.)
6. Physical (exercise, health, diet, etc.)
7. Rest (recreation, vacation, play, entertainment, sports, etc.)

Think of how your vision could be applied in each of these areas. What do you imagine your life to look like in ten years? Be as specific as possible. Think of what age you will be in ten years. What vision has God put in your heart for where you will be spiritually, relationally, etc., when you are that age?

As an example, I have written as my long-term (10-year) goal in the area of rest:

To have a regular, established bedtime and wakeup time. To have a Sabbath day each week. To be well-read in classics, spiritual, and devotional literature. To have many fun memories with kids and Paul of creative outings and vacations.

Let this be a fun exercise. Dream and imagine the best God has for you! This is an incentive to live our lives with focus. It will give us a context for our schedules so that we focus on areas which we may otherwise miss in the busyness of everyday life. It is not a list of resolutions to be made and broken, but a picture of the dreams God has given us. As God gives us bigger, better dreams, we can go back and reevaluate this vision so that it conforms to the reality He has prepared for us.

. . . in Your book all the days of my life were written before ever they took shape, when as yet there was none of them (Psalm139:16).

Defining Our Life Vision

“Where there is no revelation [or prophetic vision], the people cast off restraint . . .” (Proverbs 29:18).

I have been thinking a lot about the process of defining our vision. It can take some time to identify your overall purpose statement. It cannot be made up off the top of your head, or it will not be authentic. It is not wishful thinking, either. It is a statement that recognizes who you are as an individual. Of course, we can say that we want to follow God all the days of our lives, but perhaps that is too general. Each of us is a mirror designed to reflect God in a totally unique way. And He has unlimited facets to reflect! So, before God in prayer, consider what makes you uniquely you. What aspect of God totally fascinates you? Is it love? Wisdom? Justice? Compassion? Faith? Intimacy? Healing? The list could go on and on. (Make your own!) This can be a clue to help you understand the way God desires to express Himself in and through you. Ask God to reveal His vision to your heart.

Keep it as simple as possible. One thing I have noticed about others’ vision statements is that they are first directed toward who I am, and then toward how God wants to use me to impact others. Jesus didn’t say “Sit at my feet and soak it all in for your enjoyment alone.” No, He said “Go into all the world . . .” (Mark 16:15). “Love each other” (John 15:12). So our vision statement should take us outside ourselves into the lives of others as well.

Here is my vision statement as an example: To live a life of intimacy with God such that others are inspired to pursue Him in a deeper way. Here’s another example (my husband’s): To live a life of faith so that my children, grandchildren, and others see that it’s the best way to live.

What excites me about my vision statement is that it gives me a context for understanding how God is working in my life. In ten years, I will be able to look back and see how God has sovereignly orchestrated my life toward intimacy and to see how others have deeper relationships with Him as a result. It can be applied to my relationships with my husband, children and others.

In addition, your vision statement is helpful because it will help you to remember what you are here for. When temptation comes or life becomes mundane, it is easy to lose focus. We forget or neglect to do the things that once propelled us toward our destiny in God. Let your vision statement be God’s perspective of you, and let it challenge you to keep pursuing Him even when it’s hard or boring.

"Once we lose sight of God, we begin to be reckless. We cast off certain restraints from activities we know are wrong. We set prayer aside as well and cease having God’s vision in the little things of life. We simply begin to act on our own initiative. If we are eating only out of our own hand, and doing things solely on our own initiative without expecting God to come in, we are on a downward path. We have lost the vision. Is our attitude today an attitude that flows from our vision of God? Are we expecting God to do greater things than He has ever done before? Is there a freshness and vitality in our spiritual outlook?" (Oswald Chambers, My Utmost for His Highest, entry for 5/9).

The Power of a Focused Life

by Mike Bickle

I. The need for vision and focus

Where there is no vision, the people perish. (Pro. 29:18) KJV

Where there is no revelation, the people cast off restraint (Pro. 29:18) NKJV

II. Components of a focused life

A. Overall life vision – primary purpose in life

B. Life goals – applying my life vision to each specific area of my life.
Long-term goals (over 10 years) and short-term goals (3 months – 3 years)

1. Spiritually (prayer time, fasting days, Bible study, etc.)

2. Relationally (family, friends, etc.)

3. Vocation (marketplace calling, etc.)

4. Ministry (in the church, outside the church, etc.)

5. Economically (spending, giving, saving, investing, etc.)

6. Physically (exercise, health, diet, etc.)

7. Rest (recreation, vacation, play, entertainment, sports, etc.)

C. Action plan – for each long and short-term goal in each area of your life.

D. Schedule – for each action plan, i.e., focuses us to prioritize. This is where our life vision most easily is derailed and lost.

The Lord says: "Awake, you who sleep, Arise from the dead, And Christ will shine on you." 15 See then that you walk wisely, not as fools but as wise, 16 redeeming the time, because the days are evil. 17 Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is. (Eph. 5:14-17)