January 22, 2019

TAKE UP OUR YOKE

Lamentations 3:24-27

It is good for a man when he takes up
A yoke in his youth.
“He will sit alone and be silent,
Because he bears it on himself.
He will give his cheek to the one who strikes him,
And he will be filled with insults.
Yet the Lord shall not reject him forever.”

Personal Challenge

Once again, the imagery of farm life is lost on those who have never had the opportunity to spend some time on a farm. We are told by the writer of Lamentations that it is good to take up a yoke in one's youth. What does this mean? Taking up a yoke is to voluntarily put on the mantle which binds us to our lifelong vocation. By vocation, I do not mean my job. By vocation, I mean that action that I will follow and grow in the remainder of my days. It could be the habit of reading my Bible and praying every day, or giving a tithe of my earnings or serving in my local church. If we choose to take up this yoke early in our lives it will shape us for the remainder of our lives. If our yoke is the yoke of Jesus, it will shape us to be like Him. Glory be to God!