The yoke of Jesus
Jesus said,
"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.
Let me make one thing clear. God never promised to make the life of a believer in Christ Jesus easy in this life. You only have to look at the lives of the apostles to see that.
Jesus was crucified.
Matthew: killed by the sword in Ethiopia
Mark: died in Alexandria Egypt after being dragged by horses until he was dead.
Luke: hanged in Greece.
Peter: crucified upside down.
James: thrown a hundred feed down from the southeast point of the temple. Then when found alive was beaten to death.
James: the Son of Zebedee, beheaded in Jerusalem
Bartholomew (also known as Nathaniel): flayed to death by a whip in Armenia.
Andrew: crucified on an X-shaped cross after being severely whipped.
Thomas: stabbed to death with a spear while evangelizing in India.
Matthias: (the one chosen to replace Judas Iscariot) stoned then beheaded.
Paul: imprisoned in Rome, tortured then beheaded on orders from the evil emperor Nero.
John: according to church tradition, he was boiled in oil but was miraculously delivered from death. Then sentenced to the prison mines on the island of Patmos. He would later be freed and serve as Bishop of Edessa. He is said to have died and old man. The only apostle to die peacefully.
What all these men shared was their belief that Jesus was the Son of God. The Saviour of mankind. As such they accepted their fate.
And I think its not a stretch to say they truly believed the words of Jesus who said,
"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.
If you consider yourself a Christian have you taken upon you the yoke of Jesus. Have you truly found rest for your soul?
Please think about it.
