Command 25 : Take My Yoke | Day 173

Get in Step With Life!

It was a discouraging routine. I would wake up each morning knowing I should immediately get up and spend time in God's Word. However, I was just too tired to crawl out of bed, so I would decide to have my Scripture reading after school and get a little more sleep with the rationalization that I would be more alert for the day if I slept just a little longer.

I would peek at the clock every few minutes to make sure I did not oversleep. It would read like the numbers of Boeing aircraft: 707, 727, 747. Finally, I would jump out of bed, rush around to get ready for the day, and dash off to my high school a few blocks away, so that I would be sitting at my desk before the bell rang at 8:30.

All day long I felt as if I was trying to catch up after my bad start. Obviously I was not yoked to Christ's schedule but to my habit of being late to bed and late to rise. For years I got extra sleep for my body but lived with a tension of defeat in my soul.

Taking on Christ's yoke means embracing His priorities for each day.

We can begin to learn Christ's priorities by asking ourselves, "What was a normal day like in the life of Jesus?" The answer is that He had no "normal days." Every day was a new series of great works that God ordained for Him to carry out. This is consistent with our call as believers. We are saved by grace through faith unto good works, which God predetermined for us before we were ever born. (See Ephesians 2:8-10 and Titus 2:14.)

We know that Jesus respected the night as the time to sleep and the day as the time to work (see John 9:4). However, His fellowship with His heavenly Father and His ministry to others was of greater importance to Him than sleep. Thus, Jesus rose a great while before day and went into a solitary place for prayer (see Mark 1:35). In John 8:2 we read, “Early in the morning he came again into the temple" and taught the people. Jesus also chose to set aside sleep in order to counsel with Nicodemus, who came to Him at night (see John 3:1-2). Prior to choosing His disciples, Jesus prayed all night long (see Luke 6:12-13).

Jesus had a clearly defined mission that involved personal visits to all the key cities and villages (see Matthew 9:35). Yet, He knew the importance of adequate rest when He beckoned His disciples to rest a while after a time of ministry (see Mark 6:30-31).

We become bored with life when we view it as a series of dull routines rather than a series of good works.

Putting on Jesus' yoke does not mean that we neglect our daily responsibilities. Instead, it means that in fulfilling them, we look for opportunities to live out the commands Christ gave us and to teach them to others. Not only will we enjoy life, but we will also discover Christ's secret of a victorious life. Jesus said, “I do always those things that please him [the Father]” (John 8:29). Can we say the same?