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It was for freedom that Christ set us free;

therefore, keep standing firm

and do not be subject again 

to a yoke of slavery.

~Galatians 5:1

 

Good morning dear sister!

How is your walk going, having been yoked with Jesus? 

When Jesus said “Come to Me, all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest”, He was asking us to trade our yoke of slavery for His yoke of freedom! 

Remember, a yoke is useful for sharing a burden, but it is also a tool for guiding direction. Jesus setting us free while yet being yoked to Him seems counter-intuitive. If we follow His lead, going the way He goes, how does the concept of freedom apply? 

Jesus wants to share our burdens and guide us on the path that will keep us in fellowship with Him. He knows the way to eternal life! Part of counting the cost of walking with Him is to be willing to trust Him. Trust Him with your life!

When we acknowledge our weaknesses and fears to the Lord, His yoke will allow us to stand firm in His power to resist sin! Do you remember your struggles before you were yoked with your Savior? Or are you still struggling, entangled in the yoke of slavery?

Before I accepted the yoke of Jesus, I remember fearing the loss of my freedom. The freedom to make my own choices and direct my own path. Although I was ashamed of the sinful life I was leading, I clung to it because it was the only life I had. I feared losing my self-identity and my independence; being reduced to one of those happy people carrying around a big Bible, trying to talk to people about God! At that time, they seemed like the enslaved ones to me! 

Finally, in God’s great mercy, He opened my eyes so that I could see that I was the one enslaved! Enslaved to sin! I repented, cried out for His help and He set me free, just like that! No years of therapy, no long, drawn out process. When Jesus sets you free, you are free indeed! (John 8:36) (and yes, now I have joined the happy throng, carrying around a big Bible, talking to people about God!)

Jesus, in our title verse, is offering a choice for every person. Each one of us is presented with the choice to walk in His freedom or to be enslaved by sin. Does the yoke really make a difference? 

Yes, it does! Yoked with Jesus, I traded my irrational fear of losing my freedom to gain true freedom, even from fear itself!

In Him, I traded my insatiable hunger to be loved for the blessed satisfaction of loving others!

I traded the yoke of slavery to sin that led to chaos in my life for His yoke which yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness in all that I do. Only because I am yoked with Him.

No matter who we are, we never walk this earth alone. We are spiritual beings, and being yoked to Jesus brings us into the great big family of God! The Apostle Paul says of the children of God, “For none of us lives for ourselves alone, and none of us dies for ourselves alone. If we live, we live for the Lord; and if we die, we die for the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord.” (Romans 14:7-8)

Jesus describes our life with Him as being yoked with Him; walking through our days alongside Him. With Jesus beside us, we can indeed stand firm! Apart from Him, we can do nothing (John 15:5), but with Him, we will never again be entangled in the yoke of bondage! Hallelujah! 

Will you be yoked with Christ, dear sister? May I pray for us all? Please feel free to join me!

Dear Jesus, Thank you for the love You have put in our hearts for each other! When we pray for one another, please allow more and more of your truth to take root in our lives! Increase our desire to walk alongside you, for your yoke never chafes or wearies us. With Your help we will keep standing firm and be not subject again to any yoke of slavery! We love you Lord, be glorified in our lives today! Hallelujah Amen!

Keep loving Jesus and moving forward!

With love, your sister, Celeste