Fruitcakes reportedly need to rest after baking. Some say, with enough alcohol, a fruitcake can rest for years and still be good. (Are you smiling?) Jesus said in Matthew 11, “Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” Jesus did not say to us, “Take my yoke and I will do all the work.” Or, “Take my yoke and lead us where you want to go.” Jesus said, “Take my yoke upon you and learn from me.” Seems we have to learn from Jesus before we can rest. We can learn from Him because He is gentle with us and humble in heart, treating us as His beloved family. God adds in the fruit of the Spirit, to help us live what we learn, grow into holy fruitcakes, and share His Good News.
Does the Lord require a straight A report card as we learn? No, that’s the point of being yoked with Him, right? When we stumble, skip our homework, get sick, lose our way, we are confident that our Savior is still beside us, connected to us. Jesus earned the perfect grades, yet we get credit for His work. Miraculous how salvation works! When we say, “Jesus, I want to learn from You,” we take on His yoke and our burden is shared right away. He teaches us for a lifetime, equips us with spiritual fruit, and refreshes us with rest. What will we learn from the Lord today? How will our souls rest with our gentle Shepherd this summer? ~Tracy