Are you Yoking with the Lord? (Part One)

Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.  Matthew 11: 28-30 KJV

Come to me, all you that labour, and are burdened, and I will refresh you. Take up my yoke upon you, and learn of me, because I am meek, and humble of heart: and you shall find rest to your souls. For my yoke is sweet and my burden light.  Matthew 11: 28-30 Douay Rheims

All ye that travail, and be charged, come to me, and I shall fulfill you  Take ye my yoke on you and learn ye of me, for I am mild and meek in heart; and ye shall find rest to your souls. For my yoke is soft, and my charge is light.  Matthew 11: 28-30 Wycliffe

The word "Yoke" appears 65 times in the King James, 73 times in the Douay Rheims,and 19 times in the Wycliffe (New Testament only) and 63 times overall.  A yoke was used in farming or as a mode of transportation which would place a wooden bar across two oxen to plow the field or as a cart carrying people or things.  

What does a bar called a "yoke" have anything to do with people?  I have wondered if the Cross was a sort of "Yoke" that Jesus would carry for us to the Cross for our sins.  What we do know is the Cross gave us a pathway directly to Jesus Christ.  This yoke aligns us to Jesus Christ as we carry the burdens together by taking His "yoke" where our souls can rest.  Jesus says His yoke is Easy, Sweet, and Soft as described in each of the three versions.  

There is a verse that we can't miss.  Jesus says "learn of me", I am meek (mild) and humble (lowly) in My heart.  Are you meek, mind, humble and low in your heart?  Or do you brag, pretentious, arrogant, think highly of yourself, harsh to or demean others, proud, haughty, etc... I can normally tell whether a Christian is yoked with Jesus or not  within a few minutes or even sometimes right away before they even speak.  

The most obvious is their fruit, are the walking the fruits of the Spirit or the works of the flesh (Galatians 5).  The other is found in Colossians 4:6 where a person speaks.  Is it with grace?  The unfortunate part it is not with grace.  

Which brings me to a close.  Jesus died on the Cross and rose again so that any and all sins, pains, and evil that has happened in our lives is Forgiven.  Not some, all are forgiven.  Many of you have huge burdens or pains that are weighing you down.  Give it to Jesus, take His "yoke" upon your shoulders to lessen the burden.  He will make it light.  The sin and pain will always be there but Jesus washes it away making the pain dull instead of piercing our soul every waking moment.  

It has been 20 years since my baptism when Jesus washed away my pain, my sins, my evil life of lust, vainness, vileness, and every thing that is against Jesus.  I still remember my past but am truly thankful the Lord has forgiven me and allowed me to be "yoked" to His love.  There is nothing Jesus won't forgive, nothing you have ever done that Jesus won't be 'yoked" to you.  It is up to you to trust Jesus by "yoking your soul' to His Love which he bore on the Cross.  Come to Jesus, take His "yoke" in your life.  Once you do, you will never be the same.