Hope in the Hard: Missouri Christian Convention

HOPE in the Hard:  Matthew 11:28-30 Easy Yokes and a Light Burden

By Bobbie Schaeperkoetter

bobbie@capitalcitychristian.net

www.bobbieschae.com

Matthew 11:28-30

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

How does a yoke become easy and a burden become light?  

The Invitation to Come to Jesus  

                        PRAY- Step one for hope in the hard is PRAY.  Come to Jesus in PRAYER. Bring the hard to him.  Lay it at his feet.  Ask him to meet you there.  Invite him in.  He will not force you to come to him, but he invites you to and when you do, he promises to meet you there. 

The Invitation to Take His Yoke

                        PARTNERSHIP- Step two for hope in the hard is PARTNERSHIP.  We come under his yoke.  We partner with him in the work.  We join with him in his kingdom work here.  We set aside our agenda and choose his.  Even in the hard,                            we can hold onto hope by choosing to come under the yoke of Jesus and partner with him in what he is doing here and now.

                        PURPOSE- Step three for hope in the hard is PURPOSE.  We know JESUS is always only ever redeeming.  He is good and he is love.  Jesus’ purpose was to bring the kingdom of God here and offer the hope of restoration to a broken                         world. He invites us into that purpose as we bring his kingdom here through our words, thoughts, and actions. 

The Invitation to Learn From Jesus

                         PRESENCE- Step four for hope in the hard is PRESENCE. Jesus wants us to learn from him in the same way his disciples did, by being with him.  He wants us to spend time with him in his word and in prayer.  He wants us to focus our minds and our hearts on him.  He wants to be invited into our everyday moments every day of our lives.  Jesus is our Immanuel God, God with us.  We have the Holy Spirit indwelling us now, God in us.  If we want to truly hold onto hope in                            the hard, we have to take time to be in the presence of Jesus.

The Invitation to Rest in Jesus

                        PROMISE- Step five for hope in the hard is PROMISE.  If we believe that Jesus is who he says he is and can do what he says he can do, then we can trust the promise that in him we can have true rest for our souls.  That doesn’t mean we won’t have hard situations and circumstances to walk through, but it does mean that we can cling to the promises of Jesus and find our strength, peace, and hope in him no matter what we face.

How does a yoke become easy and a burden become light when by their very nature a yoke means hard work and a burden is something heavy that we carry?

Matthew 11:28-30

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

Jesus said that when we come to him, like we do through PRAYER, and we take his yoke by PARTENERING with him in his work here and joining in his PURPOSE here, and we learn from him by being in his PRESENCE, we can trust in the PROMISE that we will find true rest for our souls.

Morning Practice:

1.  Be Still and Worship- Take a moment to worship God for who he is.  What attributes of God are you thankful for today?  Consider the ABCs of God’s character.  You might also listen to a worship song or enjoy his creation. 

2.  How Do I Come?- Where am I right now physically, emotionally, spiritually, relationally?  Bring your whole honest self to Jesus.

3.  What Do I Desire?- What are my deepest spiritual longings right now? 

4.  Who/What Am I Praying For?-  Who are the people and what are the situations am want to bring to Jesus in prayer today?

5.  Gratitude- What are three things I am thankful to God for right now?

6.  Scripture Reading- Take time to read a passage of scripture and reflect on it with God.

7.  What is God Saying About Himself?- As you read scripture, what do you notice about God? 

8.  What is God Saying To Me?- As you read scripture and spend time with God, do you feel any invitations or Holy Spirit promptings?

9.  Prayer- This is a time to offer a prayer of commitment, confession, to pray for help, or to offer a prayer of thanksgiving.