Sunday, April 15, 2018

Reflection - Submission and Obedience Needed - Taking up Jesus' Yoke

Source (book): "Finding rest for the soul", Chapter Five, Question 2, Page 92.
By Robert M. Solomon, Bishop of the Methodist Church in Singapore from 2000 - 2012


What does it mean for you personally to take up Jesus' yoke?
PHOTO: What does it mean for you personally to take up Jesus' yoke?
Accept: Taking up the yoke of Jesus means coming under His authority. It means abiding in Him, doing only what He wants us to do, and going only where He wants us to go.
Learn: Taking up the yoke of Jesus means learning to obey Him perfectly, following His example. For this to happen we must learn to deny ourselves, take up our cross, and follow Him (Luke 9:23).
Follow: To take up Jesus' yoke is to follow Him without reservation. It means giving up our selfish ambitions and submitting ourselves fully to Christ in all circumstances.

Why is submission and obedience necessary to remain under His yoke?
We cannot hope to grow in our Christian lives or make progress in our faith journey without submitting to Jesus. As Christ submitted himself to the Father, so too must we submit ourselves to Christ. Submission to Christ and obedience is the key to true fruitfulness and satisfaction.

How can you find true rest as you follow Him?
Obeying Jesus and doing His will produces a deep inner restfulness, peace, and a spiritual ease that cannot be found elsewhere, Just as the Father loves the Son, the Son loves us. When we respond to that love in obedience, we will find that His yoke is a redeeming one. It comes with true rest for our soul.
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What does it mean for you personally to take up Jesus' yoke? Why is submission and obedience necessary to remain under His yoke? How can you find true rest as you follow Him?

What does it mean for you personally to take up Jesus' yoke?
Despite knowing what awaited Him at the cross, Jesus went ahead to Calvary. He knew that it was necessary for Him to be sacrificed for the sins of the world, for us to be saved. He knew that was the divine plan, and so He told the heavenly Father, "Yet not as I will, but as you will" (Matthew 26:39). In saying this, Jesus was acting in line with His life's mission on earth. Earlier, He had told those who were following Him, "I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me" (John 6:38).


Jesus went ahead to Calvary despite knowing what awaited Him at the cross
PHOTO: Jesus went ahead to Calvary despite knowing what awaited Him at the cross
He knew that it was necessary for Him to be sacrificed for the sins of the world, for us to be saved. He knew that was the divine plan, and so He told the heavenly Father, "Yet not as I will, but as you will" (Matthew 26:39).
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This was amazing because Jesus is the Son of God, equal with God the Father, yet He submitted himself to the Father's divine plan for saving us. In doing so, Jesus gave us a model for Christian living; if the Son of God would submit himself to God in this way, how much more should we sinful human beings submit ourselves to God?


Jesus submitted himself to the Father's divine plan for saving us.
PHOTO: Jesus submitted himself to the Father's divine plan for saving us. He gave us a model for Christian living; if the Son of God would submit himself to God in this way, how much more should we sinful human beings submit ourselves to God?
While no mortal can presume to understand the thoughts and feelings of the incarnate Son of God at such a time as this, we know that he endured great anguish and suffered untold sorrow, for the perspiration rolled off his face in great drops.
Painting by Carl Heinrich Bloch - Agony in the Garden in Gethsemane alone
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What does it mean to take up Jesus' yoke
Taking up the yoke of Jesus means coming under His authority. It means abiding in Him, doing only what He wants us to do, and going only where He wants us to go; the yoke of Christ prevents us from going wherever our heart or feet want to take us, or wherever we are summoned by others. [1]


Taking up the yoke of Jesus means coming under His authority.
PHOTO: Taking up the yoke of Jesus means coming under His authority. It means abiding in Him, doing only what He wants us to do, and going only where He wants us to go.
Picture posted by BB WM on 07 May 2016
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Taking up the yoke of Jesus means learning to obey Him perfectly, following His example. Under His yoke, we plough His fields in the same direction. For this to happen, however, we must learn to deny ourselves, take up our cross, and follow Him (Luke 9:23). [2]


Taking up the yoke of Jesus means learning to obey Him perfectly, following His example.
PHOTO: Taking up the yoke of Jesus means learning to obey Him perfectly, following His example. We must learn to deny ourselves, take up our cross, and follow Him
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To take up Jesus' yoke is to follow Him without reservation. It means giving up our selfish ambitions and submitting ourselves fully to Christ in all circumstances. [2]


To take up Jesus' yoke is to follow Him without reservation.
PHOTO: To take up Jesus' yoke is to follow Him without reservation. It means giving up our selfish ambitions and submitting ourselves fully to Christ in all circumstances.
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Obedience: What it Really Means [2]
Submission to Christ is shown in the way we obey Him - and obedience is the key to true fruitfulness and satisfaction. But like submission, obedience is out of fashion today; people tend to equate it with weakness. But that cannot be farther from the truth, for Jesus himself is portrayed as the perfectly obedient Son of God. When He came to earth, He said, "I have come to do your will, my God" (Hebrews 10:7). We can learn about obedience from the example of Jesus, as well as from the example of another man in the Bible - the "man of God" described in 1 King 13.


People tend to equate obedience with weakness.
PHOTO: People tend to equate obedience with weakness.
But that cannot be farther from the truth, for Jesus himself is portrayed as the perfectly obedient Son of God. Submission to Christ is shown in the way we obey Him - and obedience is the key to true fruitfulness and satisfaction.
Picture created by Paul Combs
Picture posted by Shawn Edwards@ChiefEddie201 on 25 Jan 2017 at 9:46 AM
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What does it mean for you personally to take up Jesus' yoke
Taking up the yoke of Jesus means:
Accepting His authority
Learning to obey Him perfectly
Follow Him without reservation


aking up the yoke of Jesus means accepting His authority, learning to obey Him perfectly, and follow Him without reservation.
PHOTO: Taking up the yoke of Jesus means accepting His authority, learning to obey Him perfectly, and follow Him without reservation.
Picture posted by  Pilgrim on 30 March 2018
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Why is submission and obedience necessary to remain under His yoke?
We cannot hope to grow in our Christian lives or make progress in our faith journey without submitting to Jesus. As Christ submitted himself to the Father, so too must we submit ourselves to Christ, for "at the name of Jesus every knee should bow . . . and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord" (Philippians 2:10-11). [1]


We cannot hope to grow in our Christian lives or make progress in our faith journey without submitting to Jesus.
PHOTO: We cannot hope to grow in our Christian lives or make progress in our faith journey without submitting to Jesus. Submission to Christ is shown in the way we obey Him - and obedience is the key to true fruitfulness and satisfaction.
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There are many examples of people in the Bible who did this, Mary, the mother of Jesus, submitted herself to God's will when she was told that she would miraculously give to the Messiah, even though it was biologically impossible. Even though it did not make sense to her - for she was a virgin - and there must have been countless questions in her mind about how she was going to explain the whole thing to others and how she would have to suffer public humiliation (and possibly even death by stoning), she trusted in God's wisdom and presence and submitted herself. "I am the Lord's servant," she said. "May your word to be fulfilled" (Luke 1:38). This attitude of submission made it possible for Mary to bear the Son of God in her womb. [1]

 
Mary, the mother of Jesus, submitted herself to God's will when she was told that she would miraculously give to the Messiah, even though it was biologically impossible.
PHOTO: Mary, the mother of Jesus, submitted herself to God's will when she was told that she would miraculously give to the Messiah, even though it was biologically impossible. she was a virgin - and she trusted in God's wisdom and presence and submitted herself. "I am the Lord's servant," she said. "May your word to be fulfilled" (Luke 1:38). This attitude of submission made it possible for Mary to bear the Son of God in her womb.
Picture posted by Fides et Ratio on 24 December2017
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The apostle Paul, too, put his self-will on the cross. After he came to know and acknowledge the living Christ, he no longer lived to please himself, but did everything with the aim of pleasing Christ. He wrote, "I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me" (Galatians 2:20). As a result of his obedience and his efforts to preach the gospel, many people came to see the will of Christ and the beauty of Jesus. [1]


As a result of Paul's obedience and his efforts to preach the gospel, many people came to see the will of Christ and the beauty of Jesus.
PHOTO:  As a result of Paul's obedience and his efforts to preach the gospel, many people came to see the will of Christ and the beauty of Jesus. He no longer lived to please himself, but did everything with the aim of pleasing Christ.
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Submission to Christ and obedience is the key to true fruitfulness and satisfaction.
Many think of taking up Jesus' yoke as a loss of independence. On the contrary, in "losing" our lives for the sake of Jesus, we will discover real living (Matthew 16:25). When we resolve to submit to God fully, we will find the greatest joy in our souls. Jesus' yoke is not a form of slavery, for He is not a cruel taskmaster; rather, He is "gentle and humble in heart" (Matthew 11:29). He knows our weakness and disabilities, and will be there to help us as we follow Him. That's why His yoke is easy and His burden light (Matthew 11:30). [2]

  Submission to Christ and obedience is the key to true fruitfulness and satisfaction.

PHOTO: Submission to Christ and obedience is the key to true fruitfulness and satisfaction.
When we resolve to submit to God fully, we will find the greatest joy in our souls. Jesus knows our weakness and disabilities, and will be there to help us as we follow Him. That's why His yoke is easy and His burden light (Matthew 11:30).
Picture posted by Linda Graf on 31 October 2017 - Obedience Brings Joy
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How can you find true rest as you follow Him? [2]
American missionary Frank Laubach, who brought the gospel and literacy to many, talked about discovering a radical change in his life when he committed himself fully to doing God's will:

As for me, I had never lived. I was half-dead; I was a rotting tree . . . until I reached the place where I wholly, with utter honesty, resolved and re-resolved that I would find God's will, and I would do that will, though every fibre in me said, "No." It is as though some artesian well had been struck in my soul, and strength came forth. You and I shall soon blow away from our bodies - money, praise, poverty, opposition - these make no difference, for they will all alike be forgotten in a thousand years, but this spirit which comes to a mind set upon continuous surrender, this spirit is timeless. [21]


How American missionary Frank Laubac finds true rest as he follow Jesus, and committing himself fully to doing God's will.
PHOTO: How American missionary Frank Laubac finds true rest as he follow Jesus, and committing himself fully to doing God's will. Money, praise, poverty, opposition will be forgotten in a thousand years, but the spirit which comes to a mind set upon continuous surrender is timeless.
Photo by Lucien Aigner - Frank Laubach, NH Winni CFO
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Like Laubach, obeying Jesus and doing His will produces a deep inner restfulness, peace, and a spiritual ease that cannot be found elsewhere, Just as the Father loves the Son, the Son loves us. When we respond to that love in obedience, we will find that His yoke is a redeeming one.


How can you find true rest as you follow Jesus?
PHOTO: "Dear Lord, Please help us to accept Jesus' authority, learn to obey Him perfectly, and follow Him without reservation when we take up His yoke. We need all these because submission to Christ and obedience is the key to true fruitfulness and satisfaction. Only by obeying Jesus and doing His will produces a deep inner restfulness, peace, and a spiritual ease that cannot be found elsewhere. Help us to respond to His love in obedience so that we can find true rest for our soul. Through Lord Jesus Christ we pray. Amen!"
Picture posted by Dona Gelsinge - The path with Jesus
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Reflection - Submission and Obedience Needed - Taking up Jesus' Yoke
Question from Source (book): "Finding rest for the soul", Chapter Five, Question 2, Page 92.
By Robert M. Solomon, Bishop of the Methodist Church in Singapore from 2000 - 2012



Reference
[1] From "Finding rest for the soul" Responding to Jesus' Invitation in Matthew 11:28-29, Copyright © 2016 by Robert M. Solomon, ISBN 978-1-62707-709-5, Part II: Take My Yoke, Chapter Five "Christ's Yoke: Submission and Obedience Needed", Page 77-79.

[2] From "Finding rest for the soul" Responding to Jesus' Invitation in Matthew 11:28-29, Copyright © 2016 by Robert M. Solomon, ISBN 978-1-62707-709-5, Part II: Take My Yoke, Chapter Five "Christ's Yoke: Submission and Obedience Needed", Page 83-91.

[12] Frank Laubach, Letters by a Modern Mystic (Syacuse, NY: New Reader's Press, 1955), 14.


New International Version (NIV), Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.


Luke 9:23 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke+9%3A23&version=NIV

Matthew 11:28-29 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+11%3A28-29&version=NIV

Matthew 11:29 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+11%3A29&version=NIV

Matthew 11:30 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+11%3A30&version=NIV

Matthew 16:25 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+16%3A25&version=NIV

Matthew 26:39 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+26%3A39&version=NIV

Philippians 2:10-11 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Philippians+2%3A10-11&version=NIV
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