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Inspirational Article
From
Joanne Lowe
Index of Writings by Joanne Lowe on Gospel Web
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Inspirational Article
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The first thing that I realized when I was writing this devotional is that Jesus does not put us in His yoke like we put oxen in a yoke. He wants us to make the choice to willingly serve Him. I have seen movies and pictures of oxen that were in a yoke pulling something. There were always at least two oxen in the yoke. The same should be true in our service to Jesus. We should be working together as a team for our yoke of love who is Jesus.
Yet, all too often, we try to serve Him alone. Think what would happen if all the people in every church were to go on visitation together. I believe people who aren’t saved would see such a joy, happiness and excitement that Jesus gives to people who have surrendered their hearts and lives to Him that they would want to have the same joy, happiness and excitement in their own lives. I think that we would see hearts and lives changed through the atoning, cleansing blood of Jesus and through His power. We must never forget that we can’t save anybody. We lead them to Jesus, but He is the one who saves them.
It is time that churches start working together as a team in the yoke of Jesus, our yoke of love, instead of saying “You don’t go to my church so I can’t associate with you”. Someone made that statement to me several years ago. I had been a member of the church but had moved to a different city and had moved my membership to a church in my city.
I think Jesus is saying to us that not only should we be working together as a team to serve Him; but that we should also be an encouragement to one another. We need Jesus and we need each other. Jesus is our great encourager but He hasn’t been here for over two thousand years. He has left us to encourage one another. There are times when all of us need to be encouraged.
Joyce Landorf, a speaker and author, said on one of her teaching tapes “We should be balcony people to one another.” We need to lean over the balcony when we see someone who is discouraged and say “You can do it. I believe in you.” Joyce said that we should be balcony people especially to our pastors. There have been several times in the last two years since God gave me the ministries of encouraging pastors and writing devotions that I have needed someone to lean over the balcony and say “You can do it.”
Jesus said “Take my yoke upon you.” Have you allowed Jesus to put His yoke of love on you? Are you serving Him with all of your heart and with all of your time and talents or are you just giving Him what is left over at the end of the day? If you haven’t surrendered all of your time and all of your talents to Jesus, then you need to search your heart and be certain that you have allowed Him to put His yoke of love on you. Have you surrendered your entire life to Him or have you only given Him a portion of your life?