Saturday, November 03, 2012

Embrace my yoke and you will find the peace you crave for


"Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart; and you will find rest for your selves."  (Matthew 11: 29)

What is this yoke of Christ to which He invites us?

Below is the yoke of Christ.  It is also called the Beatitudes:

“Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are they who mourn,
for they will be comforted.
Blessed are the meek,
for they will inherit the land.
Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they will be satisfied.
Blessed are the merciful,
for they will be shown mercy.
Blessed are the clean of heart,
for they will see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they will be called children of God.
Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you and utter every kind of evil against you [falsely] because of me.
Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in heaven.h Thus they persecuted the prophets who were before you.  (Matthew 5: 3 - 12)

The beatitudes reflect the character of Jesus Christ. This is who He is.  This is how He lived.

"For my yoke is easy, and my burden light.” (Matthew 11: 30)

What makes the yoke easy and the burden light is grace.  The grace of God makes easy what is most difficult and revolting to nature.  It makes light what is most burdensome.  This is the secret of the saints.  Saints suffer imprisonment, persecution and even death because they have the grace of God to help them.  Without this grace, it is impossible for human nature to embrace these crosses.

Jesus Christ has promised us His grace if we embrace Him and His teaching.  With His grace on our side, all things become possible.  With our daily bread of this grace given at the beginning of each day, we are equipped to live fully for Christ in these areas of human struggle:  health, family, finances, job, tools, food and future.  Lord, give me this day my daily bread of your grace.  Amen!

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