Daily Devotional
Is Following Jesus Hard?
“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
May 18, 2024
Ponder This
What does it mean when Jesus says, “Take My yoke upon you?” It is the picture of two oxen pulling together. The yoke is on both, and they are pulling the load. Jesus Christ is saying, “I want you to take My yoke upon you.” It is no longer only you, but it is you and Jesus. Whenever the yoke is on two oxen, one ox is the lead ox; in this case, it’s Jesus. Jesus leads and says, “Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me. . . . For my yoke is easy.”
When He says my yoke is easy, it means it fits right. Following Jesus is not something that you have to do; it’s something you get to do. I hear people say it’s hard to be a Christian but that’s a lie. The Bible says the way of the transgressor is hard. Jesus said His yoke is easy. That doesn’t mean there’s no work to do.
He also said we’re to take His yoke and learn from Him. God will not force you to take this yoke. You are going to have to make the decision to take the yoke of Jesus Christ. But Jesus invites us to take His yoke.
- What is the difference between viewing following Christ as something you have to do versus something you get to do?
- What would look like for you to take Jesus’s yoke? What would change in your life? What would stay the same?
Practice This
Commit to sharing the yoke of following Christ not as something you have to do but something you get to do with Him. Pray and ask Him to lead and guide you as you do.
FOR YOUR GIFT TO THE MINISTRY
Front Porch Moments by Gayle Foster
WITH KEY INSIGHTS FROM HER FATHER, ADRIAN ROGERS
I try to unplug each morning with Jesus with just my rocking chair, my Bible, and a pen.
Having a secret place is very important because I know that Jesus is always there waiting for me. I know where I can find Him! His presence is everywhere, but there are places where it is so thick you can cut it with a knife. You may not even have a front porch, but there is a secret place for you as well. God’s invitations are for anyone who will respond. There is no more important request than the one found in Psalm 27:8: “My heart has heard You say, ‘Come and talk with Me.’ And my heart responds, ‘Lord, I am coming.’”
