OPEN HEAVENS FOR 28TH OCTOBER, “The Yoke Of Jesus”
MEMORY VERSE: Philippians 3:10
BIBLE TEXT: Luke 14:26-27 (KJV)
26. If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple.
27. And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple.
It takes unfailing determination to go through life with Jesus Christ. Accepting Jesus as the Lord and Saviour includes accepting Him with His yoke – in other words, submitting totally to His will. Indeed, to become a true disciple of Jesus, a person must subject his or her will to Him in totality. The Bible says in Mark 8:34: And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. Identifying with Jesus requires the belief in His standards and the commitment to live by them.
This however also brings the knowledge of truth and genuine freedom (John 8:31-32). Submitting to the Lordship of Jesus Christ however, would also bring about persecution from the world. Our Lord Jesus Christ told us in John 15:18-19 that the world will hate us merely because He chose us to become His disciples. Many so-called born-again Christians and even some leaders in the Church today want to follow Jesus but would not accept any doctrine that preaches “Suffering for the sake of Christ”. One wonders whether such people are serving the same God as Apostle Paul who prayed to know the fellowship of Jesus’ suffering. (Philippians 3:10). Some people will call us fools when we preach the gospel to them (1 Corinthians 1:18).
This however, is a relatively small price to pay to experience the power of God in our lives. Joseph of Arimathaea and Nicodemus came forward to claim the body of Jesus for burial in spite of the fact that he was condemned and killed like a criminal. This is noteworthy because they were important personalities but that did not deter them from identifying with Jesus, even in death (John 19:38-42). Beloved, let us take the yoke of Jesus Christ upon ourselves. We have to deny ourselves and carry our cross daily. His yoke is however easy and light (Matthew 11:29-30). Those that are not in Christ are under the grievous yoke of the kingdom of darkness that would ultimately lead to eternal damnation. Surrender all to Jesus Christ today and He will give you rest.
ACTION POINT: Decide to follow Jesus all the way in spite of the hostility of the world around you.
