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 NIV)
Have you even wondered why so many Christians live defeated or, at minimum, partially dissatisfied lives?
For far too many believers, the biblical concept of “abundant life” is something you read about in the book, not something you experience. (John 10:10) New believers tend to fall back into their old problems, and a sizable percentage of long-term believers struggle with stress, frustration, depression, and family problems as much as non-believers.
In short, a great many Christians are not very happy, not very peaceful, not very fulfilled, and not very hopeful things will improve this side of heaven. Why?
Our fundamental problem may be our failure to get past the theology of salvation by grace as “a free gift of God” and understand Jesus calls for those He saves to take on His yoke and learn from Him.
To “take on His yoke” means we submit to Jesus as Lord. We live each day the way He wants, not the way we think we want. (John 14:6)
To learn from Jesus means we continually let Him teach us about this new way of life so we can live it better and better. As we mature as Christians, we see our lives gradually transformed from glory to glory. (Ephesians 4:13; 2 Corinthians 3:18; Hebrews 5:11-14)
Our ticket to heaven may be a gift we receive by faith and not by works, but “rest for our souls” on earth comes through this process of submitting and learning. The blessings that come from living life God’s way is a principle proclaimed throughout scripture. (Exodus 33:13; Deuteronomy 5:32-33; Psalm 119; Isaiah 30:18-21; Matthew 28:18-20; John 14:21-23)
Please, therefore, let me suggest a brief list for living the way Jesus wants:
- Start each day with at least 15-30 minutes of prayer. Submit your day to the Lord. Tell Him you love and trust Him, remembering you are a child of your heavenly Father indwelled by God’s Holy Spirit. Pray for your loved ones, your community, your workplace, your nation, the Church, and whatever God puts on your heart.
- Seek to remain attentive to God’s Presence throughout your day. Bless places you go in the name of Jesus because every blessing you speak pours out living water onto this world. Refrain from harsh and judgmental words because they pour out curses on people who God loves. (James 3:3-10)
- End each day in prayer. Review the day. Repent and receive forgiveness where necessary. Submit your sleep and dreams to Him.
- Own a study bible in a translation you can understand. Read it often. Read it cover to cover so you know the whole of it, not just parts.
- Commit to living a life of unconditional love. (1 John 4:7-21) Focus on humbly serving others, not yourself. (Philippians 2:3-11) Consistently forgive those who hurt or disappoint you, including yourself. (Ephesians 4:30-32)
- Spouses – pray together every day. If you do this one simple thing, less than 1% of you will divorce.
- Parents – pray with your children every morning, including prayers for blessing and protection. Spend one half hour with them every day sharing prayer and bible stories. You will grow closer to God and each other – something much more important than sports or academics.
- Do not neglect gathering for corporate worship. Expect to encounter God. (Hebrews 10:19-25)
- Actively share your faith – what Jesus has meant in your life – with family, friends, and the struggling people God puts in your path. Invite others to know Jesus and encourage fellow Christians to know Him better.
- Stay involved in a ministry that trains you in Christian discipleship. Be involved as well in a team ministry to others: food pantry, prison ministry, hospital visitation, intercessory prayer, etc.
- Have at least one or two friends in Christ with whom you can be transparent, and who can encourage you and hold you accountable.
Your first reaction to this list may be, “That’s too hard,” or “I don’t have time.” But Jesus calls this yoke easy and light. It is just radically different because it is His way, not the world’s way we have always known.
And as to time, do not let the devil deceive and distract you with your busy-ness, TV, and social media. Simply reprioritize your time and energy according to what God says is important.
There is a better way to live. In truth, He is the only “Way” to go. (John 14:6; Matthew 7:13-14)
God bless you, and God bless our community.