“Take My yoke upon you . . . for I am gentle and . . . My yoke is easy . . .” (Matthew 11:29).
Some of the “heaviest” people I know are also some of the busiest. Why? Because to them Christ is a demanding taskmaster who is never quite satisfied with them. They seem to have forgotten that Christ said, “I am gentle” and “My yoke is easy.” Don’t misunderstand, God wants us busy, but busy with the “easy” yoke of showing our gratitude for what He has done for us, rather than the heavy yoke of trying to earn His love for us. Do not miss the subtle but critical difference between those two yokes, because one is a burden and the other can be a blast!
Our Father did not adopt us reluctantly or ignorantly, but rather, chose us with great pleasure, knowing how imperfect we would be until He perfects us (Ephesians 1:4-5; 1 John 3:2-3).
You will know you have dropped your condemning yoke and put on Christ’s gentle yoke when you can honestly confess, “My Father in Heaven is proud of me.” Can you say that? If you can’t, don’t assume it’s because you are not doing enough, but it may be because you are not believing enough about the kind of Dad that rejoices to reward you for even giving someone a cup of cold water (see Matthew 10:42).
If you want to lose “weight,” today start believing that you have a Dad who “keeps no record of wrongs” (1 Corinthians 13:5), but rather, a record of rewards. Do you know that when you see your Dad, you will be blown away by how little He thought and cared about your sin, and how much He noticed and enjoyed your service? For Him, the one has already been dealt with, the other remains to be celebrated!