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The Yoke from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo.

People often make promises with no intention of keeping them, but God is not like that. When He makes a promise, it will come to pass. Joshua, the son of Nun, lived forty years as a slave in Egypt, forty years wandering in the wilderness, and thirty years in the promised land. Before he died at 110, he told the Israelites this:

(Joshua 21:45 NKJV)  Not a word failed of any good thing which the LORD had spoken to the house of Israel. All came to pass.

Yet, some promises are not meant for us, as when the Lord told Abram He would multiply his descendants like the stars of heaven and the sand of the seashore (Genesis 22:17). That promise was made to Abraham, and it does not apply to you and me. 

There are other promises with conditions that have to be met in order for them to come to pass, like this one: 

(Psalm 84:11 NKJV)  ...No good thing will He withhold From those who walk uprightly.

So who does this promise apply to? That's right. "Those who walk uprightly." Here is another conditional promise:

(Isaiah 1:19 NKJV)  If you are willing and obedient, You shall eat the good of the land;

Who will eat the good of the land? The willing and obedient. There are many promises like this we can claim when we meet His requirements. Here is another one:

(James 1:12 NKJV)  Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him.

Here, the one who endures temptation and loves the Lord will receive a crown of life. Excellent. It gives us something to work towards. Salvation is absolutely free, but conditional promises are like having an achievement to unlock. They add perks to your life. 

When you gave your heart to Jesus, you were just getting started. You may have thought you got it all, but you merely touched the top 10% of the iceberg while the other 90% is still out of sight. 

There are some unconditional promises. They depend on God alone, and they will absolutely come to pass. In Genesis 3:15, God promised Adam and Eve that the world would have a Savior, and nothing in hell or Earth could stop Jesus Christ, the Messiah, from appearing at the appointed time. These promises affect the entire world and apply to everyone. 

For example, before Jesus ascended, He said He would not leave them as orphans but would send the Holy Spirit (John 14:15). Only ten days after Jesus ascended, the Holy Spirit descended on those gathered in the upper room in Acts 2:2. 

With that in mind, consider who this promise is to:

(Matthew 11:28 NKJV)  Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

All you who labor: means those who work or give effort. To be tired or grow weary, but also to lose heart and be emotionally fatigued and discouraged by your own burdens.

Heavy-laden means those who are loaded down, exhausted from carrying the burdens of others, like a packhorse. 

Rest: means to be refreshed from your tiredness. 

Everyone I know fits and needs that promise today. It does not require you to be a saint or a sinner, rich or poor, healthy or sick, short or tall, saved or lost. You can be the devil's outcast and still be welcome. You can be discarded by the world and accepted by Jesus. 

In fact, the largest complaint against Jesus Christ was that He loved sinners. The ultra-religious would not allow them to enter their temple, and this Jesus went and ate with them while the Pharisees stood outside and sulked. They were too holy to dine with God and preferred to sit with those who looked like themselves. In 2,000 years, we haven't changed much.

(Luke 5:30–32 NKJV)  And their scribes and the Pharisees complained against His disciples, saying, "Why do You eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?" Jesus answered and said to them, "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance."

(Luke 15:1–4 NKJV)  Then all the tax collectors and the sinners drew near to Him to hear Him. And the Pharisees and scribes complained, saying, "This Man receives sinners and eats with them." So He spoke this parable to them, saying: "What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he loses one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness, and go after the one which is lost until he finds it?

(Luke 7:33–34 NKJV)  For John the Baptist came neither eating bread nor drinking wine, and you say, 'He has a demon.' The Son of Man has come eating and drinking, and you say, 'Look, a glutton and a winebibber, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!'

Jesus Christ came to seek and save the lost, yet many of us bear the weight of yesterday's baggage intertwined with the anxieties of tomorrow, which in turn burdens us to the point of staggering. Rest and peace have become rare treasures that cannot be acquired with currency. From elementary schools to the White House, conflict and strife prevail. 

Mayors aspire to become governors, while governors aspire to be senators. Even supermodels are exploring facelifts. Fashion models are only as good as their next dress, and preachers are only as good as their last sermon. Discontent and dissatisfaction are the world's standard. Solomon said it this way:

(Ecclesiastes 1:14 NKJV)  I have seen all the works that are done under the sun; and indeed, all is vanity and grasping for the wind.

Yet, Jesus Christ promised to refresh the weary that came to Him. Jesus continued on in Matthew:

(Matthew 11:29–30 NKJV)  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."

The yoke is a wooden device designed for load balancing. It allows multiple animals to pull one plow and share the load between them. An impossible task becomes possible when the strength is multiplied. The beauty of this is that Jesus will share the load with you. 

The yoke is obedience, while the burden is the cross. When you are yoked with Him, you can no longer go your own way. He decides what field we will work in today, but He will share the load with you. Here is another beautiful promise that is for everyone who confesses Jesus:

(Matthew 10:32–33 NASB)  "Therefore everyone who confesses Me before men, I will also confess him before My Father who is in heaven. But whoever denies Me before men, I will also deny him before My Father who is in heaven."

You can pray this with me if you like: 

Prayer: Heavenly Father, I thank You today for sharing the load with me. Lord, I want to experienceYour rest. Please refresh my Spirit and restore my strength. Help me see the big picture. I am Your servant. You are the Master. Please fulfill Your will in my life. In the name of Jesus Christ, I pray. Amen!