His Yoke is Easy.

When staying with my brother Joe in NJ a half a week ago, he shared with me this passage (which I just happened to read again this morning):

Mt. 11:28-30 – “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.” (NKJV)

I then witnessed what Jesus said in two faithful servants of our Lord Jesus this evening. One was my brother in Christ (Clay) who is suffering with double embolisms and a wife (Margie) who has been bravely, in Jesus, battling stage 4 cancer. Then talking to my dear long time friend in Japan, (Bill or maybe it is Billyo?) who gave up one of his kidneys for his dear brother (Richard). Both demonstrate what the Lord had to say in Mt. 11:28-30. They are yoked up with the Lord Jesus and both say things like this. “It was nothing” (Bill), or (Clay) in the hospital with all these lines feeding to his heart and drip bag on wheels with a smile on his face said, “just finished walking my three miles in the hallway of the hospital (like 95 laps in this small building) for the day. “

And I marvel.

They see these as light temporary afflictions as something that is far more worthy – an eternal story to tell – “I was able to yoke up with Jesus Christ (or maybe Jesus Christ yoked up with me) as I walked on this earth. That is a story that will be told throughout eternity. And they use their afflictions now, today to tell the story of our great Savior (they are not waiting till eternity or wasting time here on earth).

So when God calls us to suffer – no closer can we get to Jesus than to be yoked to Him in suffering here on earth.

“Thank you Jesus that you have taken our yoke upon yourself and in exchange, given us rest, given us a great lesson in life, exemplified again to us gentleness and humility, and have made our burdens just down right easy. To the extent that my dear bothers who you have been purchased with Your blood, say, ‘It was nothing’ or ‘Just walked 3 miles, here, you want to sit down?’ (He is still yoked to YOU.) What a great and mighty Savior You are to us!”

(2 Cor. 4:17 -For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, {NKJV})