The Wrong Yoke

How many things are you doing that you aren’t called to do? Are you weighed down with the expectations of others? Are you in places of ministry or work that “don’t fit?” Do you feel burdened?

Now I get that we’ll all do some things to help the body of Christ operate smoothly—things we may not feel “called” to do. It’s a way to serve others; to help. That’s not what I’m taking about here. Are you consistently burdened with what everyone else thinks you “should” do? Do you have trouble telling people no? Do you always step into positions because there’s an empty spot and no one else is filling it? Those things become burdens. We’re stepping into positions that are not ours, they don’t fit, and they weigh us down. 

You will never feel less fulfilled than when you step into someone else’s yoke. It’s a yoke that’s not fitted for you. It’s a burden.You’ll begin to dread the future and lose hope. 

You know when you’re doing what God has called you to do.  It’s easy, fun, energizing, manageable, and it makes you feel creative and fulfilled. You lose track of time when you’re doing it because you enjoy it so much!

Remember: God’s yoke is easy and light!

“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.”  

Matthew 11:28-30

The Elders

40 days. How did it get so bad so quickly? The elders had just been on the mountain with God. They saw Him. They ate with Him! They ATE with GOD!!

I can’t help but think of Saul of Tarsus. He met Jesus in a blinding light on the road to Damascus—and he was never the same! Why weren’t these elders changed just as dramatically after meeting with God?

As my cousin pointed out, these elders had been slaves. They had a slave mentality. In fact, God had allowed Moses to be adopted by Pharaoh’s daughter so he wouldn’t grow up with a slave mentality—He knew a slave wouldn’t be able to lead slaves out of Egypt. So Moses grew up in the palace understanding royal protocol.   

Moses told the people that Aaron & Hur were in charge while he went back up the mountain to get instructions from God. He was gone 40 days. In less than 40 days, the people decided Moses wasn’t coming back and they asked Aaron to build them a god to lead them. They brought their gold jewelry and Aaron crafted a golden calf. And they worshiped it in the biggest, wildest, most debased party (sex orgy) there had ever been.  

How did they go from eating with God to a sex orgy in less than 40 days? 

Forty days is a symbol of testing. These people didn’t pass the test. But remember Jesus? He was tested for 40 days in the wilderness—but he passed the test because of his dependence on his Father. 

The elders’ meal with God was a covenant meal. Our covenant with God begins at salvation—when we choose to follow Jesus. I think this story is a warning to us. We can just as easily fall into depraved sin if we don’t meet with God consistently and trust Him. If you remember, the people had been afraid at their first meeting with God. They told Moses to meet with God and tell them what He said. So even though they ate a covenant meal with God…they weren’t meeting with God. And their first response when fear set in was to create another god and have a wild, perverted Mardi Gras. 

Are we meeting with God daily? If we’re not, we may just as easily choose a wild party over God. 

Working from Rest

Rest is probably the #1 thing people crave today and yet the least possessed commodity.  In the beginning, God worked for 6 days creating all that exists and declared the 7th day for rest.  On the 6th day, God created man.  So the first full day of man's existence was spent in rest and then he worked the next 6 days. God rested after His work...and man worked from his rest.  That is grace.

That's something we need to understand--how to work from our rest.  But first, we have to REST.  Webster describes rest as:  freedom from activity or labor, state of motionless or inactivity, repose, peace of mind or spirit.

When is the last time you stopped all activity and were motionless?  When is the last time you enjoyed peace of mind or spirit?  If you couldn't come up with a quick reply to those two questions, you seriously need to stop...and rest.  Without guilt!!  It's Satan's plan to keep us so busy and going in such circular motions that we are exhausted and don't even have the energy to spend time with God or our families.  Rest is also a weapon to fight the enemy.  When we're "at rest," it proves to the enemy we don't fear him.  Philippians 1:28.  I think resting is like a tithe of your time to God.

Do whatever you need to do.  Hire a babysitter, escape to your favorite spot, make some coffee, get alone with God and find that peace of spirit and mind.  Rest your body, soul, and spirit.  Be still. 

Rest.  I give you permission.

"Then Jesus said, Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls."

Matthew 11:28-29

The Holiness of God

There are moments in my life when I’m confronted with the holiness of God, and all I can do is fall on my face!!

The children of Israel came into God’s presence at Mt. Sinai and afterwards they told Moses that they never wanted to do that again. It was terrifying. Isaiah saw God in his temple and declared God’s holiness and his own uncleanness. Saul met God on the road to Damascus and fell to the ground. John saw a vision of Jesus and passed out!

I don’t think we know what we’d actually do in God’s physical presence. I think it will be utterly and completely overwhelming and we’ll be awestruck. I think we’ll be consumed with God’s holiness. We’ll know the vast difference between us and Him. We won’t be standing and demanding anything. We will fall on our faces before our holy God. 

We need to begin practicing being in the presence of a holy God—now. 

The Vacuum

We’ve created a vacuum in our society. 

noun vac•u•um 

      a space entirely devoid of matter. 

How have we created a vacuum? By leaving out God. We teach our kids everything—how to play sports, how to sing, how to play an instrument, how to handle peer drama, how to study, etc.. But what are we, as families, teaching them about God? Anything? Or nothing?

God told Moses to prepare the people because He was going to come and speak to them. They had to consecrate themselves, wash their clothes, abstain from sex, and be ready on the third day (significant?) to meet God. They did. And God showed up with thunder, lightening, smoke, fire, a ram’s horn blaring, and a thunderous voice!! They were awestruck by God’s presence, His holiness. It was so intimidating that the people begged Moses to never have to do that again!  “YOU go meet God and tell us what He says.”

And that’s what happened. And a vacuum was created. The people no longer met with God. They saw God from a distance. They heard messages about what God had said to Moses. But they no longer drew near and experienced the awesome holiness of God.  

And soon…they built a golden calf to worship. 

You don’t have to live in a vacuum. Your kids don’t have to live in a vacuum. You can meet with God right now. Open your Bible.  Hear His voice. You meet with God and then bring your kids into His presence. Just be prepared to be awestruck. 

Jethro’s Advice

If you talk to a group of pastors today, they are likely stressed. Covid uncovered a lot of problems and brought a lot of division. It feels as if we’ve turned a corner in the grand plan of God. Times are hard. People are concerned and fearful. There is a lot more to do of what has been the norm—counseling, taking care of the sick, teaching, helping, coming alongside others, etc. 

As I read Jethro’s advice to Moses this morning in Exodus 18, I wanted to encourage all of us to heed the same advice. Divide the work.  Delegate. Appoint faithful leaders who won’t let leadership go to their heads. Mentor and disciple them. Let others help carry the load. 

We are not Superman or Superwoman.  God hasn’t called us to kill ourselves with stress or exhaustion. He’s all about raising up new leaders and dividing the work.  And He may just want to teach us how to courageously lead the leaders.  

And as Jethro wisely counseled…go to God and ask Him if this is His plan.  Follow His leadership.  He’s creative enough to give every pastor their own individual plan.

DISTRACTIONS!!!

There are more distractions than ever in our lives, aren’t there?  I think this is our new normal. How do we cope?  How do we FOCUS??

This is what helps me. I sit in the same place every morning with a cup of coffee, a piece of toast, my Bible, and my journal. I’ve created a routine. Routines bring continuity and just help me focus better. I spend time with God—reading His Word, asking Him questions, and journaling. And then I bring my needs and the needs of others to Him. 

This is how I journal: I write down anything at the front of my mind. This gets it out of the way, brings it to God, and clears my mind. Then I begin talking to God about what I’ve read in the Bible that morning. I ask Him questions and write the answers He speaks to my heart. Sometimes it’s a flow of conversation back and forth. Other times, He leaves me hanging so I’ll meditate on it for awhile. I journal my prayer requests and write down how He’s answered other requests. Journaling is what helps me focus. It brings everything right before me and helps me lay it all at Jesus’ feet. It’s a constant in my life. 

We’re going to have distractions. We need to accept that Satan has stepped up his game and distractions are a great trap. But we can stay focused if we try! I highly encourage you to buy a good journal and give journaling a try. I think a good routine brings peace, continuity. and focus.