Strength through Jesus Archives

Philippians 1:6 A Tough Life Redeemed

“…being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it out to completion until the day of Christ Jesus” (NIV).

What a gnarled and twisted tree this is. It must have endured a difficult life. Its scars show the results of the difficulties it has endured. And then it died, and it will rot and go back to the soil from which it came.

We all know people who show scars of a difficult life. Their bodies may be twisted and bent, and their hearts may be downcast. Depression can be seen on their faces; hope is nowhere to be seen. The tree, after enduring storms throughout its life, died and fell to the ground. There is no chance of making the tree straight, green, and beautiful again. It is done, finished. Not so with the man who has endured pain and difficulties throughout his life. At some point, his body will die, but if He has received Jesus as Savior, the verse above is applied. “…He who began a good work in you will carry it out to completion….” So what’s this good work? It is a renewed spirit that began when he accepted Jesus. God has a plan for each individual, a special plan just for that person. When a person has accepted Jesus, that plan can begin to unfold. Growth in the Christian life occurs and the individual will begin to get a glimpse of what God’s plan is for him or her. Once the individual learns his or her mission in life–be assured that each person has a mission–life can get exciting. The range of missions range from the well-known public speaker to the most menial task in the local church. But, make no mistake, the mission is important to both God and the Church. There are no second-class citizens or workers in God’s kingdom .

And after death, each individual will live a life of no fear, no pain, no anxiety. He will abide with His Savior eternally in a place prepared for him, his own special place in heaven. Some may ask, “But what about his gnarled and twisted body?” Once his old earthly body has finished living, his new, perfect, eternal body will take over and live in joy for eternity.

It helps me to look at this gnarled and twisted tree, and picture it as my earthly body being straightened and filled with green leaves by my Savior and Lord. God can do that, and He does do it on a regular basis.

Matthew 11:29-30 Share A Yoke with Jesus

“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. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.” (NLT)

In a yoke the two animals bear the work load together; they share it. The two animals are not necessarily of the same strength, but they must be of the same kind of animal. We can be yoked to Jesus because we were made in the image of God, so it is proper for Jesus to ask us to be yoked with Him, and what a privilege that is. Often in a pair of yoked animals, one is more experienced, stronger, more aware of the work to be done, and is able to help the other one learn how best to carry the load. While the more experienced animal may determine the pace and the distribution of the load between the two, he cannot work well if his partner hangs back, is unwilling to work, or tries to make his own way. The less experienced must accept the lead of the more experienced so the maximum load can be carried without overburdening either of the pair.

When Jesus asks us to take His yoke, He is telling us that He knows the way, He knows how to distribute the load, He knows the pace to keep, and He accepts the responsibility of leadership. As the follower we must accept His lead and trust Him to know the way. By accepting leadership, Jesus makes our load easier. (We don’t have to figure it all out.) He shows what to do and how to do it. We are expected to do our part, accept the role we are given, and pull our share of the load. We are also expected to learn from our leader, Jesus, so that we can become leaders of others and help them to receive the benefits of being yoked with Jesus, help them also become leaders, but each one must then become yoked with Jesus to learn for himself the joy of being yoked with the Master, learning how to become a leader. In this way the Kingdom of God advances exponentially. As each one becomes a leader and shows others the way, growth occurs at a phenomenal and ever-increasing rate. Yes, Jesus, I accept Your yoke, and I know that You will give me rest so that I can gain the energy needed to continue to grow the Kingdom of Heaven. Thank you, Lord, for the privilege of sharing a yoke with You.