Take His Yoke
Matthew 11:29, 30 (NKJV) “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. 30 For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”
Have you ever read this scripture thinking that it was about controlling the things in your life? Jesus used the illustration of a yoke to help explain an important way of life. A yoke was originally created to support farmers in agriculture. The yoke was a wooden device placed around the necks of livestock (horses, oxen, cows, etc.) that was strong enough to pull a plow. The key to using the yoke is to ensure both animals pull in the same direction. If you have two animals going in different directions, you will not plow a straight line so that you can plant your crops.
Jesus said to Take My Yoke and Learn from Me! Christians go in different directions because they are wearing the label of a Christian; they wear crosses around their necks, even wear their rhinestone Jesus pins to church, but do not submit and put on Jesus’ yoke. Their yoke is a joke!
I can think of three types of Christians who read this scripture and approach it differently.
- The Title Christian: There is the Christian who wears the title “Christian” but hasn’t made the decision to put on Jesus’ yoke because they still enjoy doing what they choose to do. They will do mostly the right things, but they still have that one little sin that nobody knows about. Or maybe their lifestyle is still aligned with the world, so there are no distinguishing attributes that set them apart from worldly things. Jesus clearly stated that the cares of the world will choke and kill the good seeds that are planted.
- The Workaholic Christian: This is the type of Christian is the one who wants to follow Jesus, but they are extremely frustrated because they are trying to steer where they are going their own way instead of letting Jesus do the steering. They are looking for a step-by-step list of tasks, but they are doing all the work. Next, they become frustrated, wondering why what they have read in the Bible is not working. The Bible says obedience is better than sacrifice.
- The Obedient Christian: This is the Christian who is properly yoked to Jesus and has surrendered their lives to be led by His direction, His leading, and His guidance. They don’t try to get ahead of Jesus and pray to ask if He will bless their works. Instead, they are the ones who pray daily to the Lord, saying, “Lord, not my will but your will be done.” They worship and humble themselves before the Lord. They wait on the Lord knowing He will renew their strength. They are the ones who don’t get impatient when they don’t see the results they want and try to make things happen without God.
Take Jesus’ yoke; He wants to lead you in the right direction. Put the reins down, give them back to Jesus, and stop trying to control everything. You’ll be glad you did.
Be Blessed!
Ron
Ron Cobbs Ministries © Copyright June 12th, 2026, All Rights Reserved
