Daily Morning Message 4/2/2021

Morning Message
April 2, 2021
from Gayle Gordon

"Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” (Matthew 11:28-30)

This invitation directly from our Savior offers all comfort, all mercy, all patience, and accomplishes all hopes we invest in Him. It answers the questions and works out the solutions we crave.

First, He calls us to Himself - "Come to Me". Every day, He says "Come to Me" before you get busy with anything else; seek the Lord with your first awakened thought. Set yourself in Him; let Him have this day in which He will take charge and direct your path.
"O God, You are my God; early will I seek You; My soul thirsts for You; My flesh longs for You in a dry and thirsty land where there is no water." (Psalm 63:1)

Then, Jesus acknowledges our condition. It is always comforting and healing to find someone who knows and understands what we're going through - Someone who has experienced labor and heavy burdens Himself, throughout His ministry. He knows where you are in your journey and He knows your struggles, and He lovingly calls you to Himself. He has something for you, to bless you and give you relief;

"I will give you rest." In this usage, 'rest' is a refreshing. It calls for stopping and leaving. The refreshing remains. The rest we give ourselves is sometimes called "a break" and is taken with full intention to continue after a brief time. Jesus doesn't give us 'breaks'. When Jesus gives rest, it is ongoing and permanent. It remains in our souls even when we're busy and distracted; His rest heals and renews on a continual basis. It is peace and production at the same time. Take His gifts and treasure them!

And now He offers another gift, another blessing. His yoke. A yoke harnesses two animals together to pull a big load, a plow or other burden too large for one animal. Without a yoke, two animals cannot haul the load together; they will drift and lose their united, joint effort. One animal is "the lead" and sets the example of where to walk and how hard to pull to get the job done. The gift of Jesus is not to remove the burden, but to pull with you; to guide you and show you how.

His assurance is that He will never cause you stress or tension, in the bearing of the load. He is not a control freak; He's not a jailor. He will help you solve dilemmas and through them, you will bring forth much fruit. Include Him; take His yoke upon you. His yoke is easy (gracious and kind) and His burden is light (weighing less than what we face in this world alone).

When the yoke of the Master is in place - Him in and with us - we are never alone. "...He is not far from each one of us; for in Him we live and move and have our being..." (Acts 17:27-28)
The yoke ensures that we will never be far from His presence. Decide to stay and pray; take the peace and rest He offers.
"Teach me thy way, O Lord; I will walk in thy truth: unite my heart to fear thy name." (Psalm 86:11)
The yoke of Christ unites us together with Him from the first moments of our day until we fall asleep - from our birth to death and then throughout eternity. Let's pray that we draw closer and closer to Him.
"Teach me to do Your will, For You are my God; Your Spirit is good. Lead me in the land of uprightness." (Psalm 143:10)