My Yoke is Easy and My Burden is Light

I recently read this devotional from Streams in the Desert and I was blessed and encouraged by it because there is a lot truth here.  We must be broken to be used and for the Kingdom of God to advance.  On thinking about this devotional my mind went to Matthew 11:28 -30 and I have added my thoughts at the end of this post.

Broken Things

"By reason of breakings they purify themselves" (Job 41:25).

God uses most for His glory those people and things which are most perfectly broken. The sacrifices He accepts are broken and contrite hearts. It was the breaking down of Jacob's natural strength at Peniel that got him where God could clothe him with spiritual power. It was breaking the surface of the rock at Horeb, by the stroke of Moses' rod that let out the cool waters to thirsty people.

It was when the 300 elect soldiers under Gideon broke their pitchers, a type of breaking themselves, that the hidden lights shone forth to the consternation of their adversaries. It was when the poor widow broke the seal of the little pot of oil, and poured it forth, that God multiplied it to pay her debts and supply means of support.

It was when Esther risked her life and broke through the rigid etiquette of a heathen court, that she obtained favor to rescue her people from death. It was when Jesus took the five loaves and broke them, that the bread was multiplied in the very act of breaking, sufficient to feed five thousand. It was when Mary broke her beautiful alabaster box, rendering it henceforth useless, that the pent-up perfume filled the house. It was when Jesus allowed His precious body to be broken to pieces by thorns and nails and spear, that His inner life was poured out, like a crystal ocean, for thirsty sinners to drink and live.

It is when a beautiful grain of corn is broken up in the earth by DEATH, that its inner heart sprouts forth and bears hundreds of other grains. And thus, on and on, through all history, and all biography, and all vegetation, and all spiritual life, God must have BROKEN THINGS.

Those who are broken in wealth, and broken in self-will, and broken in their ambitions, and broken in their beautiful ideals, and broken in worldly reputation, and broken in their affections, and broken ofttimes in health; those who are despised and seem utterly forlorn and helpless, the Holy Ghost is seizing upon, and using for God's glory. "The lame take the prey," Isaiah tells us.

***

O break my heart; but break it as a field

Is by the plough up-broken for the corn;

O break it as the buds, by green leaf seated,

Are, to unloose the golden blossom, torn;

Love would I offer unto Love's great Master,

Set free the odor, break the alabaster.

O break my heart; break it victorious God,

That life's eternal well may flash abroad;

O let it break as when the captive trees,

Breaking cold bonds, regain their liberties;

And as thought's sacred grove to life is springing,

Be joys, like birds, their hope, Thy victory singing. --Thomas Toke Lynch

After reading this I thought about I how need to be broken before the Lord and let go of all things that I hold so important that they might not come before Him.  It also made me think of Matthew 11: 28 - 30 that says, "Come to Me all who are weary and heavy-laden 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."

I thought back to when I was a kid and what I thought these verses meant. I thought that Jesus would make your life easier and he would comfort you.  These verses were never fully explained to me in Sunday school or church.  It was always used in the context of comfort when you were sad.   As I grew up I experienced somethings that tested my faith, I walked through some dark valleys, I read the Bible a lot more and thought about what Jesus went through and also the lives of Paul and Peter and the other followers of Christ.  Their life was not easy. Why did Jesus say his yoke was easy?  I then thought about what yokes were used for before there were cars or trucks.  They were put on oxen for pulling material possessions and goods and it was for agriculture to produce crops which brought income.  A light yoke meant you wouldn't be pulling a lot of stuff and needing a big crop or income to follow Christ and serve Him.  I thought, "Did Paul and Silas have a big wagon of stuff they were pulling with them when they came into the different cities? No.  Did they set up booths handing out food and clothing to draw people in so they could tell them the good news of Jesus Christ? No.  Paul wrote this to the believers at Corinth.

"And when I came to you, brethren, I did not come with superiority of speech or of wisdom, proclaiming to you the testimony of God.  For I determined to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified. I was with you in weakness and in fear and in much trembling, and my message and my preaching were not in persuasive words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that your faith would not rest on the wisdom of men, but on the power of God."           
 I Corinthians 2: 1-5

As I was reflecting on these verses that Paul wrote, I thought about his ministry.  The thing that made the unbelievers, whose hearts were hard towards the gospel, upset and mad, was not the material stuff they had, but the power of the Holy Spirit the apostles demonstrated.  In one city the people were going to worship them as gods because of the power that was demonstrated through them in healing and casting out of demons.  Paul didn't send out offering plates for people to give to his ministry when a miracle occurred. He asked nothing of them and worked hard among them, earning money when he could.  He occasionally got a gift from people to meet his needs but it was not a regular thing.  Paul was experiencing Jesus light yolk and easy burden.  He was traveling light but his impact on the communities was not light.  He walked in faith and God provided for him because he was obedient to the words of Christ.  I also thought of when Jesus sent out the 70 to minister to cities in Israel and said to them, "Carry no money belt, no bag, no shoes..."  When I study the ministry of the apostles I find it very different from the activities of the churches I grew up in and were a part of until about a year ago.  

The churches I was a part of had lots and lots of stuff, buildings, sound equipment, office equipment, salaried employees, bookstores and the list goes on.  They said they needed all those things to reach people for Christ but my Bible does not say that.  That was something they tacked on.  They put heavy burdens on the people to maintain all their stuff and said that if you didn't have all that stuff you could not effectively minister to people in this country. I know now that this is false.  

What a disciple needs is to obey the words of Christ, all of them, even the hard ones and you will have the power of the Holy Spirit. One of the things that Christ teaches is that we are not to trust in the material.  This is a very humbling thing and goes against our nature.  When you trust in the material things, it is not faith in God. I think this is one of the reasons we do not see the great works of power among the believers today as in New Testament times in the churches, is that God is not going to confirm any group of believers or Christian Organizations that are depending on the material. Saying they need certain salaries, certain buildings, certain equipment to do the job of bringing the Good News.  Bringing the Good News should be followed by the transformation in lives by miraculous healing and breaking the bonds of sin such as addictions and demon possessions.  I have seen very little of this in the ministry of the organized churches and other Christian organizations, that are not churches, that are depending on the material things to reach people.   

I would encourage you to read the New Testament in a new light, in the focus of being non-material.  See how many times Christ encouraged people to sell things and give to the poor, trusting Him each day for what we need, not want.  Be humble, be poor that we might be rich in spiritual things.  I think it will amaze you and help you see what it means to follow Christ.