Yoked

 

Matthew 11:28-30

"Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 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. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”

This passage of scripture is quoted so often, but do you really understand what it means? The Lord gave this scripture to my wife as I was learning how to produce music, she came downstairs into our basement and heard the music and started singing the lyrics and the melody! Truly a song from Heaven! It started out as just a short one minute song, but it turned into a full blown three minute song with a video! I was thinking small, but God was thinking much bigger!

Jesus is telling us take HIS yoke upon you, because His yoke is easy and His burden is light, as compared to a yoke of Oxen, who carry on their shoulders a big eighty pound, or heavier, wooden yoke that binds the two of them together, while many times pulling a big plow behind them! That is certainly hard and burdensome! Now contrast that with the words of Jesus, His yoke is easy, and don't we humans like to have things made easy for us? We sure do! His burden is light, not a heavy yoke to bear, why not? Because the Lord of Glory is walking with us! And even when we grow weary, HE GIVES US STRENGTH, to keep walking! Oh glory!

The Lord Jesus empowers us, and helps us to overcome, sin, satan, this world, our enemies, and our own flesh! He gives us power to become sons and daughters of God! Isn't it much better to be yoked together with Jesus? To carry His burden? Of course it is! Which is why the Lord says that to whosoever will. 

When we are joined together with Jesus through the baptism in water and the Holy Spirit, we become one with Him!

1st Corinthians 6:17

"But he who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with Him."

Your call today is to yoke yourself with Jesus and really walk together WITH HIM, let Him help you, and teach you, allow Him to correct you when necessary, pick you up when you fall, and even carry you when you're too tired to keep walking.

In Jesus Name,

Tyrone

The Light Shines In The Darkness!

 

John 1:4-5

"In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it."

Matthew 4:16

"The people who sat in darkness have seen a great light, And upon those who sat in the region and shadow of death Light has dawned.”

It doesn't matter how much people sit in darkness and soak it up, watch it, and drink it in, becoming completely evil and devoid of light. Darkness will NEVER overcome the light! Glory to God!

God IS LIGHT and in Him their is no darkness at all! Jesus was and IS full of light and when He physically walked this earth the light shined upon men, but people loved darkness rather than light, because they fear their deeds will be exposed. But coming into the light is the ONLY way to be set free from the powers of darkness and the works of the devil, because satan is completely evil and those who serve him, knowing or unknowing, will be full of evil and darkness as well!

Even those who think they know Jesus and don't are full of darkness and deception, just like the first century Pharisees and teachers of the law were, and they only way to remove the veil of darkness from their faces, is to repent and truly come to Jesus, the Light of Life!

That's why Jesus told His disciples be careful what you see, hear, and believe, because the eyes, ears, and mind are entry way's into your soul, if you open up your soul to evil, then evil will enter in! And once it's in, it's hard to get out!

Matthew 6:22-23

“The lamp of the body is the eye. If therefore your eye is good, your whole body will be full of light.  But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great is that darkness!"

But those who believe and follow Jesus will NEVER walk in darkness! Hallelujah!

John 8:12

"Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.”

Walking In The Light!

Tyrone

It Will Cost You Everything - Steve Lawson

Luke 14:25-27

"Now great multitudes went with Him. And He turned and said to them, “If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple. And whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple."

In Jesus,

Tyrone

What Is A Christian?

To answer this question let’s take a look at the Greek definition of the word for ‘Christian’.

5546. Christianos khris-tee-an-os' from 5547; a Christian, i.e. follower of Christ:--Christian.

So a Christian is one who follows Christ.

The word ‘Disciple’ means:

3101. mathetes math-ay-tes' from 3129; a learner, i.e. pupil:--disciple.

Acts 11:25-26

“Then Barnabas departed for Tarsus to seek Saul. And when he had found him, he brought him to Antioch. So it was that for a whole year they assembled with the church and taught a great many people. And the disciples were first called Christians in Antioch.”

A Disciple or Christian is one who is a learner and follower of Jesus Christ.

Jesus gave everyone conditions to meet in order to be His disciple. Let’s take a look at them.

Mark 8:34-38

“When He had called the people to Himself, with His disciples also, He said to them, “Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel’s will save it. For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him the Son of Man also will be ashamed when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels.”

A condition we must meet if we desire to follow Jesus is to deny ourselves, and what does it mean to deny yourself?

It means to disown your very life and surrender it to Jesus. And taking your cross means to willingly die to self, to sacrifice and give up your life everyday to follow Jesus and do the will of God, not your own.

Luke 9:23-26

“Then He said to them all, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it. For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and is himself destroyed or lost? For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words, of him the Son of Man will be ashamed when He comes in His own glory, and in His Father’s, and of the holy angels.”

To follow Jesus requires a daily sacrifice of your life, time, and resources.

Luke 14:25-33

“Now great multitudes went with Him. And He turned and said to them, “If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple. And whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple. For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not sit down first and count the cost, whether he has enough to finish it— lest, after he has laid the foundation, and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish’? Or what king, going to make war against another king, does not sit down first and consider whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand? Or else, while the other is still a great way off, he sends a delegation and asks conditions of peace. So likewise, whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be My disciple.”

Another condition that we must meet in order to be a disciple of Jesus is not to put anyone or anything above Him.

The word ‘hate’ used in the above scriptures means:

3404. miseo mis-eh'-o from a primary misos (hatred); to detest (especially to persecute); by extension, to love less:--hate(-ful).

If we do not abandon, let go of, and forsake every possession we own in this life we cannot be His disciple.

Matthew 10:34:39

“Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword. For I have come to ‘set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law’; and ‘a man’s enemies will be those of his own household.’ He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it.”

John 14:21,23

"He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him.” Jesus answered and said to him, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him. He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine but the Father’s who sent Me."

Jesus made it absolutely clear what a Christian is, and if we don’t meet His conditions and keep His commandments, then we cannot follow Him, we do not love Him, we will not be worthy of Him, and in the end we will lose our very souls.

Here is a link to an excellent message that goes even deeper into what it means to deny yourself and take up your cross.

http://www.buildinghishouse.org/articles/denyself.shtml

With Love,
Tyrone

What Do You Want Me To Do For You?

Today I was cleaning the bathroom and these words came to me: " The Worst Blind Is The One Who Does Not Want To See". And after this I was reminded of the passage of Mark 10 where Jesus Heals Blind Bartimaeus which says:

Mark 10:46-52
Now they came to Jericho. As He went out of Jericho with His disciples and a great multitude, blind Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus, sat by the road begging.And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and say, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” Then many warned him to be quiet; but he cried out all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” So Jesus stood still and commanded him to be called. Then they called the blind man, saying to him, “Be of good cheer. Rise, He is calling you.”And throwing aside his garment, he rose and came to Jesus. So Jesus answered and said to him, “What do you want Me to do for you?” The blind man said to Him, “Rabboni, that I may receive my sight.” Then Jesus said to him, “Go your way; your faith has made you well.” And immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus on the road.

I see clearly in the passage of Mark 10 that Jesus knew that the man wanted to be healed, but why would He ask the blind man this question: What do you want Me to do for you? Why do you think He asked this to the man? Don't you think that He knows everything even before we think? YES. He does! But I believe He was really testing the man's faith and also wanted the man to say what He really desired for his life ,which was to be healed, for he replied: " Rabboni, that I may receive my sight.” So, Jesus not only healed the vision of this man, but He also healed the understanding of that man, the heart of that man, because the Scriptures say that right after he received his sight he followed Jesus, which means he started serving God. So, this man not only received his physical blessing but also the spiritual blessing that the Lord had for him.

And the question here today for me and you is: "What do you want Me to do for you?" Do you have a quick answer as that man had? or you still have to think about what you want from Jesus? If you still do not know what you want from Jesus, start meditating on that and be prepared to listen to Him and be careful not to miss the day of your visitation.

May this word bless your soul today and forever,

In Christ,
Cynthia R. Palmer