Psalm 35:27 – Let those who delight in my righteousness shout for joy and be glad and say evermore, “Great is the Lord, who delights in the welfare of his servant!”

THEME OF THE DAY. UNDER THE MASTER’S CARE. The safest place; the most joyful of places; the most satisfying place; and the most purposeful place in all of life is to place oneself under the yoke of Jesus Christ, walking with Him as our Lord and Master. To be able to say, “Yes” to these words of Jesus provides the most exciting and liberating experience we will know in this life – “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 11:29-30). As we seek to daily obey this command of Jesus to “Take His yoke upon us”, there are two things we need to know which will make our obedience real and a delight.

First, we cannot wear two yokes. The whole purpose of animals being yoked was for them to surrender to their master to be guided and used as he directed. Oxen or cattle wore one yoke so that they might be directed and most productive to the farmer owning them. How odd it would be to see a team of animals or a single one trying to wear two yokes. It would be a constant distraction and battle between the animal and their master leading to nothing getting done in the fields. It is the same in our lives with the Lord Jesus. When it comes to yokes in our lives, they are metaphors for wills; the human will and the divine. As followers of Christ, the battle of yokes or wills is a constant requiring a diligence to fight of the sinful yoke of self-will and surrender to the holy and always good yoke of the Lord Jesus. And this is very important in our understanding of what it means to be a Christian. If we profess “Jesus is Lord”, the evidence will be clear to ourselves and all those around us by whose yoke we wear. To be yoked to Christ means His will overrides ours. He will be Lord beyond our profession. He will be Lord in our relationships; in the use of our time; in the stewardship of our money; in the choices of our entertainment and recreation; in commitment to His church; in the work of the Gospel; and in serving His people. Yes, if we profess ‘Jesus is Lord’, there is no area in our life that will not be under the direction of His Lordship (Luke 6:46-49).

The second thing to know about wearing the yoke of Christ in our daily lives of total submission to His will is in today’s scripture – “Great is the Lord, who delights in the welfare of His servant”. Wearing the yoke of Christ is not a burden. It is freedom. It is joy. It is a delight because the One who holds the reigns on His yoke delights in us. And this delight extends to His wonderful shepherding care for those who willingly choose to wear His yoke or do His will.
The word “delights” is so encouraging. It means “to be pleased with”, “to love”, “to show favor” and “to have pleasure in.” Think about this with me till it warms our hearts. The Lord Jesus is pleased with us, loves us, shows favor to us, and takes great pleasure in us and all those lead to Him caring for us as His servants. To not want to wear the yoke of such a glorious Master is spiritually troubling. It reveals a lack of knowledge of the heart of the Master. And to choose the yoke of self over the yoke of the Lord Jesus is simply to choose sinful pleasure over eternal joy. That decision will always produce regret, remorse, and if not altered, leads to shipwrecked faith and destructive life.

We have a good Master. Actually a great Master in the Lord Jesus whose yoke is easy and liberating. May He help us to see His great delight in us, His servants, and daily, gladly, put on the yoke of His will, not ours.

PRAYER: “Lord, I praise You for being my Master who is always good, always loving, and an always providing Master.”

QUOTE: “There is no safer or more joyful place to be than under the yoke of the Lord Jesus; our Master in all things”