Try This On For Size!
Sermon
SERMONS ON THE GOSPEL READINGS
Series I, Cycle A
One church has an organ that many sweated, sacrificed, and slaved to buy. Its cost was astounding! But when one hears its tone, sits under the influence of its quality, one begins to believe it was worth it all. It is a special musical instrument. It will serve God and man for many decades.
But what will happen when something goes wrong with this musical instrument? Who will be called in to repair it? Perhaps there is one of you who tinkers with old organs and antique pianos. Would we allow him to fix the organ? No! You would want the best organ repairman you could find. You would probably call the organ manufacturing firm itself and say, "Send us your master repairman. Our organ needs fixing."
Many of you have gold watches that have great sentimental value for you and your family. Your great--grandfather brought it from Ireland perhaps. It is a priceless heirloom. When it stops ticking for some reason, you wouldn't even touch it, even though you yourself have tinkered with old clocks and watches. In fact, you wouldn't even take the back off. You want an expert craftsman to examine this watch and fix it professionally.
Similarly, when your wife is ill and needs surgery, you take her to the best specialist locatable. Oh, you may have biology or anatomy as a sideline hobby. Maybe you successfully dissected a frog in high school biology, made an A in college anatomy. Still you would not even think of performing surgery in the kitchen on your wife. You will trust her only to a specialist.
But how about us! How about ourselves! When something goes wrong with our lives, whom do we turn to for repairs? When our lives are damaged or broken and we are left lonely, depressed, bitter, or divorced and afraid, whom do we take our lives to for the fixing? Do we go to the master, to a specialist, a professional? No! We go to Bob or Jim or Sue or Carol across the street. We trust some amateur's advice or the stars or a television psychic or Dear Abby.
Jesus said, and still says, "Come to me! Come to me all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest."
If your life is broken, if you are hurting and in need of repair, bring your life to Jesus. He is the divine physician who can heal. He is the master repairman representing your manufacturer. He will examine your life. He will fix it.
The poem, "The Touch of the Master's Hand," shows us what can happen when we commit ourselves to stronger, more skilled hands than our own:
'Twas battered and scarred
And the auctioneer thought it scarcely worth his while
To waste much time on an old violin,
But he held it up with a smile.
"What am I bid for the old violin?
Who will start the bidding for me?
A dollar, a dollar, then two, only two?
Two dollars, and who'll make it three?
Three dollars. Three dollars, once, do I hear four?
Three dollars twice ... going, going," and almost gone, but no;
For from the room far back, an old gray--haired man arose,
And coming forward and taking the bow,
And wiping the dust from the old violin
And tuning the loosened strings,
He played a melody sweet and pure as the caroling angel sings.
The music ceased and the auctioneer with a voice
That was quiet and low, said,
"Now, what am I bid for the old violin?"
And he held it up with its bow.
"A thousand dollars," someone cried.
"Two thousand" and "Who'll make it three?
Three thousand once, three thousand twice, and gone!"said he.
And the people cheered and oh, how they cried,
"What changed its worth?'"Quick came the reply,
"'Twas the touch of the master's hand."
Many a man with life out of tune, all battered and scarred by sin,
Is auctioned cheap to the thoughtless crowd
Much as the old violin.
A mess of soup, some cheap advice, a game and he travels on.
He is going once, going twice, going, almost gone.
But then the Master comes, and the foolish crowds,
They don't understand, the worth of a man's soul
And the change that's wrought by the touch of the Master's hand.
- Myra Welch
Yes, Christians, our hurts, our brokenness, all our problems are best taken care of by the Master. Others may give us encouragement, a listening ear, or a word of truth, but it is to Jesus, to the Master, that we primarily go. He says, "Come to me!"
Let The Weary Come!
Let us look a second time at our text for today. It says, "Come unto me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest."
A German tourist was asked, "What impresses you most about the United States?" He answered, "The fact that you are a tired people impresses me a great deal; clerks, wives, friends, teachers, youths, leaders - you are all so tired!"
Could it be that he was right? Is America tired? Have we stewed and schemed and studied and slaved only to win the badge of guilt and fear, ulcers and psychiatric appointments? Let us look at our society and see if he was right.
First, let us look at our homes. Here we find divorce destroying thousands of homes a day. Marriages that began as optimistically as a running romance end in hate or indifference and two quitters. It would seem that we are not too easy to live with. Other homes that manage to remain intact display no real zest or creativity or pizzazz! The mother and father both work so they can give their family the best, so they can have all the "extras." But they come home at the end of the working day tired and ill. There is a loss of communication. The home begins to deteriorate into just another laundry, hotel, and filling station. Arguments occur more and more frequently. Children run away. Suddenly all those "extras" that the Joneses have do not mean so much anymore.
The drugs we take also accuse us of being tired. "Pick--me--ups" are a morning must, a little "toddy for the body" in the afternoon, and, of course, the "tension reliever" at night. Did you know that it takes about 51 million sleeping pills to put America to sleep each night? Tired of coping with ourselves, we rely on pills to see us through. Or bored and worn out with reality, we escape with heroin or marijuana or some other chemical.
Isn't it a paradox that Americans now have more leisure time than ever before, and yet we are so bone--weary we cannot face life, get involved and reach out to others? Our prisons are filled to overflowing. But our society has no time for the rehabilitation of problem people. We neatly stuff them away in cages. We throw away the key! We are busy riding our motorcycles, fishing, vacationing at our second home, golfing. Yes, we are busy, and we are tired!
A more affluent society has never existed. A healthier people has never lived. And a more tired race has probably never breathed. Suicide is probably the most extreme form of national criticism. And did you know that suicide is now the number three killer of teenagers? It ranks high in adult deaths, too. Listen to the words of a young college student - a suicide.
Dear America,
I'm tired. Tired of puppets instead of people, of people with green hair and pierced tongues, rave parties and casual sex, people who drop soliloquies carefully labeled intelligence. I'm tired of people who play the dating game like tips at the racetrack. I'm tired of seeing people used because its only a game, of people who turn love into a social grace and woman into a piece of beef, of watching sincerity fester into smoothness. I'm tired of cynics who label themselves realists, tired of minds rotting into indifference, of people bored because they are afraid to care, of intellectual games of ring--around--the--rosy. I'm tired of people who have to be entertained; tired of people looking for kicks with a bottle in one hand and a condom in the other; of girls proud of knowing the score and snickering about it, of girls intent on learning the score. I'm tired of sophisticated slobs, tired of drunkards and dopeheads who are never more than spaced or tight, of people who tinker with sex until it's smut, of people whose understanding goes no deeper than neat, sharp or cool. I'm tired of people who scream they hate it, but won't leave it because they are lazy, tired of people with nothing better to do than glue their days together with alcohol or dope. I'm tired of people embarrassed at honesty, at love, at knowledge. I'm tired, yeah, very tired. So long, America.
Could it be that any of us are tired like the young man in the letter? How about you? Are you tired? Are you hard to live with? Too tired to get involved, to do your work well, to live righteously? Then come to him! Come to Christ! He will replenish your strength. In the text today he promises, "Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest."
The prophet Isaiah was speaking to people much like us when he said,
Have you not known? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary, his understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength. Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; but they who wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint. - Isaiah 40:28--31
Yes, it looks like America is tired. Our homes, excessive alcohol, drug abuse, suicide, and short tempers all point an accusing finger at us. The question is, will we realize that we have a problem? Will we admit that we are tired and need help? A psychiatrist recently stated that man's greatest problem is in realizing that he has a problem. We are so proud. We try to be so self--sufficient. Yet on the inside we are weak and trembling. It is true that no one can help an alcoholic until he admits he has a problem and he asks for help. It is also true that God will not help you until you admit your need and ask him for help.
This is why in the text for today Jesus asks only those to come to him who admit they are tired. He did not say, "Come to me all who are self--sufficient." He did not say, "Come to me all who are getting along quite well without me." He asks only that those come who recognize their need. He says, "Come to me all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." Who does he want to come? "All who labor and are heavy laden!" Do you fit into this category? Do you admit that you have a need? Then come to him. "I will give you rest," he promises.
"Take My Yoke!"
Now let us look at the text again, especially the last part. Jesus said, "Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."
Here, Jesus is speaking as a skilled tradesman. He is flashing back to his boyhood days. You see, Christ was a carpenter for twenty years or more before he turned preacher. His father Joseph taught him the carpenter's trade. Together they ran a little shop in Nazareth. It was located in the poor side of town, down some inconspicuous dusty little avenue. It was a pleasant shop, however, well kept and nestled beneath the shade of olive trees. From it could be heard frequent peals of laughter amid the sound of hammering and sawing. The smell of fresh cut lumber filled one's nostrils as one entered the vicinity. Out front, according to legend, there hung a sign that read, "Our yokes fit well."
Legend has it that Joseph and Jesus made the best yokes to be found. Even though their shop was inconspicuously located, people came from villages all around just to have their yokes made by Joseph and Son. They would tie their big oxen to a tree, step inside for a few moments, and soon emerge with a young boy named Jesus. He would walk over to the oxen and take careful measurements. Then a lightweight wood was chosen, carving and filing was done. Finally there would be trial fittings. The yoke must fit just right. It could not be too tight, too small, or heavy or rough. Otherwise, it would gall the oxen's neck. That would never do, for it would cause the oxen to suffer; it would inhibit their work. With Joseph and Jesus, you see, it was a matter of reputation, a matter of quality. The yoke must fit perfectly.
And now in the last years of Christ's life, we find the carpenter no longer fashioning yokes for animals. He now fashions them for men. Likewise, these yokes still fit well. They are smooth and light of weight. In fact, they, too, are tailor--made.
All of us have known the discomfort of ill--fitting garments. When a shirt is too tight, it restricts us. Trousers that are too large get in the way. "Hand--me--down" shoes seldom fit perfectly, but when you are small and in need, you must suffer the looseness or tightness that pinches or blisters your feet.
Jesus has a special kind of garment for you to try on for size. It is called the yoke. He promises that it will not be a hand--me--down. It is especially made for you. It is tailor--made. Therefore, it will fit just right. It will not be too large or too confining. He challenges you, "Take my yoke upon you." He promises you, "My yoke is easy, and my burden is light."
This yoke that Christ wants you to wear represents your calling in life. It is true that God has work for you to do. Better than anyone else in the whole world you are qualified to do it. God takes into consideration your strengths and weaknesses and he matches you with a calling, a vocation in life. This becomes your yoke. It is well fitting in that it will not under--challenge nor overbear you. To carry this yoke means to carry out God's divine plan for your life. And when you carry out God's plan for your life, when you are submissive to his will, you experience the peace and joy and freedom known among Christians as "the abundant life" (John 10:10).
When I was a freshman at Furman University I played football. The coach issued me the necessary pieces of equipment. Each protective pad fit well except for my helmet. It was too small. After several days of practice I began to get headaches and performed poorly. I asked for a new helmet, one that would fit properly. I was told, "That's the best we can do. We have no more." Several days later I suffered a concussion. My football career was ended.
Professional football teams take better care of their athletes than do small college teams. When a player reports, he is suited up with pads that fit perfectly. Helmets are especially important. Many times an athlete's helmet is tailor--made just for him. Such helmets can cost as much as a thousand dollars. The cost is worth it, however, because the well--fitting uniform insures the player's maximum safety and performance.
God is likewise concerned with your safety and performance. He wants you to achieve your maximum capability as a person. This is why he offers you a yoke that is a perfect fit. He knows that if you work the right job, marry the right person, make the right salary, live in the right neighborhood, and so on, you will be at your best physically, emotionally, intellectually, and spiritually.
We look at America today and see tired people. They are under--challenged or overborne by their walk in life. Sexual perversion, financial stress, self--contempt, and divorce are but a few of the symptoms that life is being lived out of the will of God. Their yokes do not fit well and they suffer. Like my college football helmet or a hand--me--down, their jobs are not right for them. Their vocation is too tight and confining or loose and callous. They are getting hurt.
America needs to come to Jesus! You need to come to Jesus! You need to take his yoke. Here, try this on for size! See if it doesn't fit just right. Hundreds of years ago, Saint Augustine tried God's yoke for his life and he remarked, "In his will is our peace." We of the Christian faith are still finding God's will for our lives. See our joy! Feel our peace. Witness our smiles. Attest to the fact that we are loved and can ourselves love. We are not tired. We have strength for every task. We have tried his yoke on for size, and behold! It fits just right!
A young dog was spinning round and round in circles when an older dog sauntered up. "What are you doing?" he asked. "I'm chasing my tail," the young dog replied. "You see, happiness is in my tail. When it wags, I'm happy. When it drops, I'm sad. Happiness is in my tail. If I catch it, I will always be happy!" So again he spun round and round trying to bite hold of the elusive tail. Finally, all out of puff, he sagged to the ground, tired out. The old dog, still watching all this, said, "You know, I used to chase my tail. But one day I found that if I just went on about my business, happiness followed right along behind."
Today, God's Word calls out to any and all tail--chasing, happiness--seeking, worn--out people. Jesus says, "Come unto me. If you are tired, I will give you rest. But I will also give you a yoke. Do not worry. It will fit you just right!" Yes, Jesus will not only save you from your sins, he will save you to your yoke. God knows that man needs to be saved from something to something. He wants to deliver you from the things that make you tired, those things you are doing which are outside his will. They are sins, and he will save you from them. He wants also to give you a yoke, to busy your life with the things of his will. When you follow God's will, happiness will follow along right behind!
Stephen M. Crotts
But what will happen when something goes wrong with this musical instrument? Who will be called in to repair it? Perhaps there is one of you who tinkers with old organs and antique pianos. Would we allow him to fix the organ? No! You would want the best organ repairman you could find. You would probably call the organ manufacturing firm itself and say, "Send us your master repairman. Our organ needs fixing."
Many of you have gold watches that have great sentimental value for you and your family. Your great--grandfather brought it from Ireland perhaps. It is a priceless heirloom. When it stops ticking for some reason, you wouldn't even touch it, even though you yourself have tinkered with old clocks and watches. In fact, you wouldn't even take the back off. You want an expert craftsman to examine this watch and fix it professionally.
Similarly, when your wife is ill and needs surgery, you take her to the best specialist locatable. Oh, you may have biology or anatomy as a sideline hobby. Maybe you successfully dissected a frog in high school biology, made an A in college anatomy. Still you would not even think of performing surgery in the kitchen on your wife. You will trust her only to a specialist.
But how about us! How about ourselves! When something goes wrong with our lives, whom do we turn to for repairs? When our lives are damaged or broken and we are left lonely, depressed, bitter, or divorced and afraid, whom do we take our lives to for the fixing? Do we go to the master, to a specialist, a professional? No! We go to Bob or Jim or Sue or Carol across the street. We trust some amateur's advice or the stars or a television psychic or Dear Abby.
Jesus said, and still says, "Come to me! Come to me all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest."
If your life is broken, if you are hurting and in need of repair, bring your life to Jesus. He is the divine physician who can heal. He is the master repairman representing your manufacturer. He will examine your life. He will fix it.
The poem, "The Touch of the Master's Hand," shows us what can happen when we commit ourselves to stronger, more skilled hands than our own:
'Twas battered and scarred
And the auctioneer thought it scarcely worth his while
To waste much time on an old violin,
But he held it up with a smile.
"What am I bid for the old violin?
Who will start the bidding for me?
A dollar, a dollar, then two, only two?
Two dollars, and who'll make it three?
Three dollars. Three dollars, once, do I hear four?
Three dollars twice ... going, going," and almost gone, but no;
For from the room far back, an old gray--haired man arose,
And coming forward and taking the bow,
And wiping the dust from the old violin
And tuning the loosened strings,
He played a melody sweet and pure as the caroling angel sings.
The music ceased and the auctioneer with a voice
That was quiet and low, said,
"Now, what am I bid for the old violin?"
And he held it up with its bow.
"A thousand dollars," someone cried.
"Two thousand" and "Who'll make it three?
Three thousand once, three thousand twice, and gone!"said he.
And the people cheered and oh, how they cried,
"What changed its worth?'"Quick came the reply,
"'Twas the touch of the master's hand."
Many a man with life out of tune, all battered and scarred by sin,
Is auctioned cheap to the thoughtless crowd
Much as the old violin.
A mess of soup, some cheap advice, a game and he travels on.
He is going once, going twice, going, almost gone.
But then the Master comes, and the foolish crowds,
They don't understand, the worth of a man's soul
And the change that's wrought by the touch of the Master's hand.
- Myra Welch
Yes, Christians, our hurts, our brokenness, all our problems are best taken care of by the Master. Others may give us encouragement, a listening ear, or a word of truth, but it is to Jesus, to the Master, that we primarily go. He says, "Come to me!"
Let The Weary Come!
Let us look a second time at our text for today. It says, "Come unto me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest."
A German tourist was asked, "What impresses you most about the United States?" He answered, "The fact that you are a tired people impresses me a great deal; clerks, wives, friends, teachers, youths, leaders - you are all so tired!"
Could it be that he was right? Is America tired? Have we stewed and schemed and studied and slaved only to win the badge of guilt and fear, ulcers and psychiatric appointments? Let us look at our society and see if he was right.
First, let us look at our homes. Here we find divorce destroying thousands of homes a day. Marriages that began as optimistically as a running romance end in hate or indifference and two quitters. It would seem that we are not too easy to live with. Other homes that manage to remain intact display no real zest or creativity or pizzazz! The mother and father both work so they can give their family the best, so they can have all the "extras." But they come home at the end of the working day tired and ill. There is a loss of communication. The home begins to deteriorate into just another laundry, hotel, and filling station. Arguments occur more and more frequently. Children run away. Suddenly all those "extras" that the Joneses have do not mean so much anymore.
The drugs we take also accuse us of being tired. "Pick--me--ups" are a morning must, a little "toddy for the body" in the afternoon, and, of course, the "tension reliever" at night. Did you know that it takes about 51 million sleeping pills to put America to sleep each night? Tired of coping with ourselves, we rely on pills to see us through. Or bored and worn out with reality, we escape with heroin or marijuana or some other chemical.
Isn't it a paradox that Americans now have more leisure time than ever before, and yet we are so bone--weary we cannot face life, get involved and reach out to others? Our prisons are filled to overflowing. But our society has no time for the rehabilitation of problem people. We neatly stuff them away in cages. We throw away the key! We are busy riding our motorcycles, fishing, vacationing at our second home, golfing. Yes, we are busy, and we are tired!
A more affluent society has never existed. A healthier people has never lived. And a more tired race has probably never breathed. Suicide is probably the most extreme form of national criticism. And did you know that suicide is now the number three killer of teenagers? It ranks high in adult deaths, too. Listen to the words of a young college student - a suicide.
Dear America,
I'm tired. Tired of puppets instead of people, of people with green hair and pierced tongues, rave parties and casual sex, people who drop soliloquies carefully labeled intelligence. I'm tired of people who play the dating game like tips at the racetrack. I'm tired of seeing people used because its only a game, of people who turn love into a social grace and woman into a piece of beef, of watching sincerity fester into smoothness. I'm tired of cynics who label themselves realists, tired of minds rotting into indifference, of people bored because they are afraid to care, of intellectual games of ring--around--the--rosy. I'm tired of people who have to be entertained; tired of people looking for kicks with a bottle in one hand and a condom in the other; of girls proud of knowing the score and snickering about it, of girls intent on learning the score. I'm tired of sophisticated slobs, tired of drunkards and dopeheads who are never more than spaced or tight, of people who tinker with sex until it's smut, of people whose understanding goes no deeper than neat, sharp or cool. I'm tired of people who scream they hate it, but won't leave it because they are lazy, tired of people with nothing better to do than glue their days together with alcohol or dope. I'm tired of people embarrassed at honesty, at love, at knowledge. I'm tired, yeah, very tired. So long, America.
Could it be that any of us are tired like the young man in the letter? How about you? Are you tired? Are you hard to live with? Too tired to get involved, to do your work well, to live righteously? Then come to him! Come to Christ! He will replenish your strength. In the text today he promises, "Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest."
The prophet Isaiah was speaking to people much like us when he said,
Have you not known? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary, his understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength. Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; but they who wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint. - Isaiah 40:28--31
Yes, it looks like America is tired. Our homes, excessive alcohol, drug abuse, suicide, and short tempers all point an accusing finger at us. The question is, will we realize that we have a problem? Will we admit that we are tired and need help? A psychiatrist recently stated that man's greatest problem is in realizing that he has a problem. We are so proud. We try to be so self--sufficient. Yet on the inside we are weak and trembling. It is true that no one can help an alcoholic until he admits he has a problem and he asks for help. It is also true that God will not help you until you admit your need and ask him for help.
This is why in the text for today Jesus asks only those to come to him who admit they are tired. He did not say, "Come to me all who are self--sufficient." He did not say, "Come to me all who are getting along quite well without me." He asks only that those come who recognize their need. He says, "Come to me all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." Who does he want to come? "All who labor and are heavy laden!" Do you fit into this category? Do you admit that you have a need? Then come to him. "I will give you rest," he promises.
"Take My Yoke!"
Now let us look at the text again, especially the last part. Jesus said, "Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."
Here, Jesus is speaking as a skilled tradesman. He is flashing back to his boyhood days. You see, Christ was a carpenter for twenty years or more before he turned preacher. His father Joseph taught him the carpenter's trade. Together they ran a little shop in Nazareth. It was located in the poor side of town, down some inconspicuous dusty little avenue. It was a pleasant shop, however, well kept and nestled beneath the shade of olive trees. From it could be heard frequent peals of laughter amid the sound of hammering and sawing. The smell of fresh cut lumber filled one's nostrils as one entered the vicinity. Out front, according to legend, there hung a sign that read, "Our yokes fit well."
Legend has it that Joseph and Jesus made the best yokes to be found. Even though their shop was inconspicuously located, people came from villages all around just to have their yokes made by Joseph and Son. They would tie their big oxen to a tree, step inside for a few moments, and soon emerge with a young boy named Jesus. He would walk over to the oxen and take careful measurements. Then a lightweight wood was chosen, carving and filing was done. Finally there would be trial fittings. The yoke must fit just right. It could not be too tight, too small, or heavy or rough. Otherwise, it would gall the oxen's neck. That would never do, for it would cause the oxen to suffer; it would inhibit their work. With Joseph and Jesus, you see, it was a matter of reputation, a matter of quality. The yoke must fit perfectly.
And now in the last years of Christ's life, we find the carpenter no longer fashioning yokes for animals. He now fashions them for men. Likewise, these yokes still fit well. They are smooth and light of weight. In fact, they, too, are tailor--made.
All of us have known the discomfort of ill--fitting garments. When a shirt is too tight, it restricts us. Trousers that are too large get in the way. "Hand--me--down" shoes seldom fit perfectly, but when you are small and in need, you must suffer the looseness or tightness that pinches or blisters your feet.
Jesus has a special kind of garment for you to try on for size. It is called the yoke. He promises that it will not be a hand--me--down. It is especially made for you. It is tailor--made. Therefore, it will fit just right. It will not be too large or too confining. He challenges you, "Take my yoke upon you." He promises you, "My yoke is easy, and my burden is light."
This yoke that Christ wants you to wear represents your calling in life. It is true that God has work for you to do. Better than anyone else in the whole world you are qualified to do it. God takes into consideration your strengths and weaknesses and he matches you with a calling, a vocation in life. This becomes your yoke. It is well fitting in that it will not under--challenge nor overbear you. To carry this yoke means to carry out God's divine plan for your life. And when you carry out God's plan for your life, when you are submissive to his will, you experience the peace and joy and freedom known among Christians as "the abundant life" (John 10:10).
When I was a freshman at Furman University I played football. The coach issued me the necessary pieces of equipment. Each protective pad fit well except for my helmet. It was too small. After several days of practice I began to get headaches and performed poorly. I asked for a new helmet, one that would fit properly. I was told, "That's the best we can do. We have no more." Several days later I suffered a concussion. My football career was ended.
Professional football teams take better care of their athletes than do small college teams. When a player reports, he is suited up with pads that fit perfectly. Helmets are especially important. Many times an athlete's helmet is tailor--made just for him. Such helmets can cost as much as a thousand dollars. The cost is worth it, however, because the well--fitting uniform insures the player's maximum safety and performance.
God is likewise concerned with your safety and performance. He wants you to achieve your maximum capability as a person. This is why he offers you a yoke that is a perfect fit. He knows that if you work the right job, marry the right person, make the right salary, live in the right neighborhood, and so on, you will be at your best physically, emotionally, intellectually, and spiritually.
We look at America today and see tired people. They are under--challenged or overborne by their walk in life. Sexual perversion, financial stress, self--contempt, and divorce are but a few of the symptoms that life is being lived out of the will of God. Their yokes do not fit well and they suffer. Like my college football helmet or a hand--me--down, their jobs are not right for them. Their vocation is too tight and confining or loose and callous. They are getting hurt.
America needs to come to Jesus! You need to come to Jesus! You need to take his yoke. Here, try this on for size! See if it doesn't fit just right. Hundreds of years ago, Saint Augustine tried God's yoke for his life and he remarked, "In his will is our peace." We of the Christian faith are still finding God's will for our lives. See our joy! Feel our peace. Witness our smiles. Attest to the fact that we are loved and can ourselves love. We are not tired. We have strength for every task. We have tried his yoke on for size, and behold! It fits just right!
A young dog was spinning round and round in circles when an older dog sauntered up. "What are you doing?" he asked. "I'm chasing my tail," the young dog replied. "You see, happiness is in my tail. When it wags, I'm happy. When it drops, I'm sad. Happiness is in my tail. If I catch it, I will always be happy!" So again he spun round and round trying to bite hold of the elusive tail. Finally, all out of puff, he sagged to the ground, tired out. The old dog, still watching all this, said, "You know, I used to chase my tail. But one day I found that if I just went on about my business, happiness followed right along behind."
Today, God's Word calls out to any and all tail--chasing, happiness--seeking, worn--out people. Jesus says, "Come unto me. If you are tired, I will give you rest. But I will also give you a yoke. Do not worry. It will fit you just right!" Yes, Jesus will not only save you from your sins, he will save you to your yoke. God knows that man needs to be saved from something to something. He wants to deliver you from the things that make you tired, those things you are doing which are outside his will. They are sins, and he will save you from them. He wants also to give you a yoke, to busy your life with the things of his will. When you follow God's will, happiness will follow along right behind!
Stephen M. Crotts
