bible-truths.com/forums

=> General Discussions => Topic started by: Musterseed on August 13, 2019, 09:31:54 PM

Title: Take my yoke
Post by: Musterseed on August 13, 2019, 09:31:54 PM
Matt.11:28
Come to me , all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
29,,, Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am lowly and gentle
in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
30,, for my yoke is easy and my burden is light.

From the transcript,, The will of the Father.

So what do I do when I come to you ? “ take my yoke”.... Wait a minute, I am heavy laden
and you want me to take a yoke, isn’t that work?
You don’t pay attention to the words. How many have heard this scripture, come unto me.....
take my yoke....learn from me.... You have all read that. What is a yoke? It’s a connector
bar with two loops that go down around the necks of oxen. Two, it’s for two. Christ didn’t say
“ put a yoke around your neck and drag it around all day and you’ ll do fine.” He said
“ take my yoke . There are two places on a yoke, there are two oxen pulling. The yoke
connects the two oxen and they pull together because there is more power that way.
Christ said “ take MY  yoke and put it on. So if your in one and it’s Christ’s yoke, who is
going to be on the other side? He is pulling the other side. He is right there with you, your
not doing it yourself. Again, when He talks about the yolk, He says” I am meek and humble.”

Thank you Lord. We love you.
In Christ, Pamela
Title: Re: Take my yoke
Post by: Prune Soleiado on August 13, 2019, 10:32:23 PM
Pamela,
Thank you for this great reminder.
What a comfort!
Amen
Title: Re: Take my yoke
Post by: Wanda on August 14, 2019, 12:28:15 AM
Jesus not only layed down his life for ours, but he continues to take our burdens upon himself.to lighten our load. A love like no other.  We are never alone.

Praise to his glory.
Title: Re: Take my yoke
Post by: Prune Soleiado on August 14, 2019, 04:29:13 AM
I thought about 2 Corinthians 2:2 where God tells us, through this letter written by Paul:
"If I make you sad, then who will make me happy? Only you can make me happy - you"
We must rejoice, get rid of the sadeness we could carry in us as a much heavier burden than the one Jesus gives us.
So that we will be able to please God, strenghtened by His word and His grace He gives us in Christ.
Let's be happy, so we can walk lightly on this narrow path, despite the obstacles and holes we could meet on our way.
Because we want to make Our Father happy. For only us can make Him happy, and we Believe His Word.
Title: Re: Take my yoke
Post by: Heidi on September 13, 2019, 06:31:26 PM
Pamela, I truly marvel at Gods timing in our lives.  I have read your post before but for some reason today was led by His spirit to reread it again.  I was in need of hearing and applying it for just such a time as now! 

Further to it, before we can take His yoke, we have to take off the one we have been carrying with whatever idol of the heart was on the other side.  This morning He showed me that and just as He said I am meek and humble, I was truly humbled by this lesson to me.  Hopefully this testimony can mean something to others on the forum.

We are a work in progress, thank God that we are!  Take off your yoke that is burdening you ask Him to show you how and put on His yoke!

Love you my sister  :)
Heidi
Title: Re: Take my yoke
Post by: Musterseed on September 13, 2019, 10:07:04 PM
Isn’t our Lord God so amazingly amazing. Yes , His timing is perfect .
I am blown away by His awesomeness. To Quote Ray ,” if I didn’t believe it,
I wouldn’t believe it.”😀

We have so much to look forward to.

Gen.12:3
And in you, ALL the families of the earth will be blessed.

I love you too  Heidi, and all of my brothers and sisters . I know we are all longing for our Lord
God to be all in all.

In Christ, Pamela❤️
Title: Re: Take my yoke
Post by: Prune Soleiado on September 14, 2019, 07:28:45 AM
Those verses I really important for me.
When I made my testimony right before the baptism while I was in the worldwide Church, I quoted them.
I made a translation of this testimony (if you are interested) (Don't think I ever shared it here on the forum..#LackOfMemory#pride?#HopeItsNotPride) (I obsviously first wrote it in french as I'm french, so I apologize for any spelling mistake).
I share it with you but PLEASE remember I didn't know the real gospel at this moment. So there are things in this testimony that Don't correspond to my thoughts today. I was a fetus. I was at the very begining of the path. Hope it doesn't go against the forum's rules. Please moderators let me know if it doesn't fit in. I wrote it in january 9th 2015.

"« God has a plan, for each one of us. And nobody is set aside.

Less than one year ago, I was Calling, for the very first time, Jesus, with all of the strenghts I had left, after willing to quit from this world that destroyed me, that had Nothing to give me, neither in its illusionary pleasures of alcohol, drugs, money, even less in the love humans pretended to offer.
I went throught multiple depressions, hospitalizations, medical treatments, therapies…
For me, there was Nothing more to expect from life, Nothing soothed me. I had lost my daughter’s custody, no more connection with my family, my friends, my coworkers. I was finding myself totally alone. I only wanted one thing : put an end to this nightmare.
After I failed at this umpteenth attempt I found myself recovering again to the hospital. I didn’t Believe in anything at all.

But God has a plan.

Ten years ago, my mother, a little while before her decease, gave me this advice : « Talk to Jesus in your prayers, approach Him. »
I didn’t listen to this advice. For me, Jesus was a tale told to children, a legend, and even if He had been alive, He was undoubtedly dead today, so what could He possibly do for me now !
But the seed was sown. And God made it grow.

Almost one year ago, mid February, when I came back from my last hospitalization, one night when I was in bed, completly prostrated, words of my mum came back to mind. Jesus. I told myself Why not ? What did I have left to lose ? So I decided to talk to Jesus.
I told him : Jesus, hug me tight in your arms so that I can breath again. And I repeated those words, every night, for almost a Week.
I looked for Him. And He granted me to find Him.
He put in my heart this question : how do I address a prayer to God ?
By looking out the answer on the internet, I stumbled upon a website which, in twelve points, intented to explain why God doesn’t Always answer to our prayers.
I found the answer to my question : I didn’t know the True God, even less His Son, Jesus Christ.
The website let me know that if I wanted to know the Lord, I had to read the Bible. I had never read it. For me it was an obscure book, incomprehensible. I had already throw an eye on it, but at this moment, my heart was too hardened and I had quickly gave up.

But God has a plan.

Trusting the Twelve website’s points, I firstly prayed the Lord’s forgiveness for my sins. They had all came back in my mind and I felt an intense shame about it.
Then, owning no paper version of the bible, I downloaded it on my smartphone. I started to read the gospel of Matthew. And the plant started to give fruit.
By reading the Word of God my faith appeared. I was each time touched right in the middle of the heart. My heart really was bounding when reading words and deeds of Jesus.
In march 2014, my life totally changed. I read Matthew chap 11 :27-30 :
«  “All things have been committed to me by my Father. No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.  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.  For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” »
I read avidly the new testament and the old testament. I was thirsty for Learning to know Jesus. Once again He leaded me towards other websites which brought more Clarity to His Word. I was asking to the Lord to reveal Himself to me, and the more He was revealing Himself, the more my Faith grew up.

God has a plan.

At the end of June, He gave me the need to get closer to a Church. I turned myself to the catholic Church then the Protestant Church. But one thing was missing : I couldn ‘t find a genuine attachment to the Word of God. So I decided to wait for the Lord to guide me.
In the beginning of August, He put in my heart the need of being baptized with the true baptism in Christ. But I didn’t know anymore to which Community I should turn myself to. End of august, while I was reading on the internet a wikipedia page about the protestant reformation, I came to learn more about evangelical Church. And it was Matching with what I expected. And there was exactly one in Rambouillet [the city where I was living at this time].
In september, I then took contact and on the 23rd, I came here for the first time.

God has a plan.

He guided me here by His Spirit. I realize the necessity of every test I went throught in my life, they brought me to Jesus. For He is the Path, the Truth and the Life.
Not that the Lord Always intents to reach us throught tragedies. There are much christians who convert themselves merely because their hearts were touched. But my heart was rough and it needed Something to break it.

Jesus came to get me, while I was in my sins up to the hilt and well above, so how much more now that He got me out of all these and established myself in His Kingdom, and washed by His blood, taking care of me, how much more does He want His plan to be accomplished in my life, keeping my heart at peace, because He holds my life in His hands, and if I keep the faith, all that He said, all That He planned in His heart for me will come to a realization.

God has a plan for us all.
And I thank the Lord for granting me this grace to become part of His plan, offering a place in the body of Christ for His Glory.
Thank you, Lord for this Justice, this Joy and this Peace you put in the hearts of those who love You, You who loved us first.
Alleluia. Amen. »

Love In Christ.
Title: Re: Take my yoke
Post by: Rocco on September 14, 2019, 05:34:10 PM
Amen
Title: Re: Take my yoke
Post by: Musterseed on September 14, 2019, 07:16:24 PM
Thank you Prune for your testimony. You and I have been walking on similar paths it seems.

From the LOF, Gehenna Fire Judgement

God doesn’t rapture people out of tribulation, He puts them through tribulation.

God is ONE We are to keep the unity of ONE.All believers are to be ONE in God. The
scriptures are ONE. The parables are all ONE parable. And now I want to show that all
of these words ( in the final analysis) mean the same thing.CHANGE

ROM.8 :29,,, For whom He did foreknow, He also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of the Son , that He might be the Firstborn among many brethren.

There is the entire plan of God for the human race succinctly expressed in one single
verse of scripture.

And creat- ing is God humanity in His image.(CLOT)
Not an easy task , however. Paul did not exaggerate when he declared.

“ Confirming the souls of the disciples , and exhorting them to continue in the faith and that
We MUST  through MUCH TRIBULATION ENTER INTO THE KINGDOM OF GOD. Acts.14:22

When God calls one to be a son in His Kingdom , He puts them in a spiritual pressure cooker.

Whenever I feel the pain, I remember,,,,, they spit on Him.

“,,,,, let us run the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher
of our faith; WHO FOR THE JOY THAT WAS SET BEFORE HIM endured the cross, despising
the shame and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Ray says” Don’t think that I am immune or indifferent to the trials and pain that my readers
are enduring to become obedient unto death to our Lord. I am not teaching things of which I have no personal experience. This spiritual fire business is real. I experience it daily. I don’t like it,,,
it is extremely emotionally trying and difficult. But it is necessary. There’s is a saying in body
building,” no pain, no gain” It is equally true for building spiritual muscle.”

I hope we all have a gym membership.
In Christ, Pamela
Title: Re: Take my yoke
Post by: Wanda on September 15, 2019, 03:30:06 PM
Dear Michelle.
Your testimony touched me deeply, as I've seen that kind of mental anguish up close and personal. my sister's life was very much like your own, as well as my brother who took his life years ago. Even so, "« God has a plan, for each one of us. And nobody is set aside. I've been given great peace through it all, knowing they both have a future where love, joy and happiness will replace all of their desperation and sadness.

Their faces,  once filled with so much pain, at times it hurt to look at them,  has visually been replaced  with faces glowing in the light of God's love and glory.  I've been freed from the harsh painful memories, for God has replaced them with the hope of his plan for All to prosper richly in the abundance of his great love. Thank you God, for your unlimited mercy and grace for us all.

Praise be to our Heavenly Father and our Lord Christ Jesus,  for this amazing gift of such an inconceivable love.

Paul's words of encouragement in these verses,  have given me much inspiration to keep looking forward to this hope that awaits us all.
Philippians 3:12-15 New International Version (NIV)
12 Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. 13 Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead,14 I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

15 All of us, then, who are mature should take such a view of things. And if on some point you think differently, that too God will make clear to you.

Much love dear sister and may God's peace continue to comfort you.
Title: Re: Take my yoke
Post by: Prune Soleiado on September 16, 2019, 11:02:32 AM
Thank you beloved sisters for your warming words 🙏
And yes Praise and Glory be to our Heavenly Father and our Lord Christ Jesus 🙌
Title: Re: Take my yoke
Post by: Nelson Boils on September 16, 2019, 01:42:56 PM
Mat 11:30" For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light."

"For my yoke is easy.." is this the correct translation?
Title: Re: Take my yoke
Post by: indianabob on September 16, 2019, 03:57:28 PM
Hi Rolihlahla,

Yes it is correct.
Being in yoke or in partnership with the lord Jesus is easy.

Being on your own in this life, without Jesus is much harder.

Indiana Bob
Title: Re: Take my yoke
Post by: Dave in Tenn on September 19, 2019, 12:58:24 AM
Mat 11:30" For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light."

"For my yoke is easy.." is this the correct translation?

Maybe in 1611 it was a "correct" translation.  I am not so sure that the meaning of "easy" today expresses the thought quite so well.

 G5543
χρηστός
chrēstos
Thayer Definition:
1) fit, fit for use, useful
1a) virtuous, good
2) manageable
2a) mild, pleasant (as opp. to harsh, hard sharp, bitter)
2b) of things: more pleasant, of people, kind, benevolent
Part of Speech: adjective
A Related Word by Thayer’s/Strong’s Number: from G5530

Some variations:

  Matthew 11:30
(ABP+) For my yoke is gracious, and my load is light.
(BBE)  For my yoke is good, and the weight I take up is not hard.
(CLV)  My yoke is kind and My load is light."
(DRB)  For my yoke is sweet and my burden light.
(Murdock)  for my yoke is pleasant, and my burden is light.
(WNT)  For it is good to bear my yoke, and my burden is light."
(YLT)  for my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.'

Can I suggest a different way of looking at this (especially considering all of these)?  It's not OUR YOKE to begin with, nor are we told that OUR BURDEN is light.  It is HIS YOKE and HIS BURDEN. 

He didn't deliver to Saul/Paul a life of "easiness", nor does He promise such to us.  If "easy" is a "correct" modern translation, then HE is the One Who finds it "easy".  By faith we "yoke up" and by faith we endure hardships.  And by faith we recognize that HE is the Potter...it is HIS YOKE AND BURDEN.  Take HIS YOKE.  Learn of HIM.  He is meek and lowly.
Title: Re: Take my yoke
Post by: Nelson Boils on September 19, 2019, 10:41:28 AM
Hi,

Dave ---Spot on!You killed it!

I believe the way they have inserted the word "easy" it will probably deceive the many.After all,they already believe following Christ in this world is "easy," and WE know it ain't such.

Fit for use, virtuous, are terms I am lead to believe than "easy."

JMNT "You see, My crossbeam (or: the yoke which is Me; the balance beam that comes from and pertains to Me) is useful and kindly obliging, and My load (the burden that is Me and which pertains to Me) continues being light (not heavy)."
Title: Re: Take my yoke
Post by: Dave in Tenn on September 20, 2019, 07:35:08 AM
Rolihlahla, first--thanks for reminding me of that translation (JMNT).  I'd encountered it before, but didn't follow through.  I've got it now in .pdf form and am looking forward to using it carefully.  It's in large part what I try to do myself in study with my own limited tools (bible dictionaries, concordances especially) to get to a more nuanced and "colored" understanding apart from theology.

Second, I want to be clear.  The KJV translators did not "insert" the word "easy".  They translated a Greek word that is in the text "easy".  The English language changes, however, and our modern conception of "easy" doesn't any longer seem to be a particularly "good" translation.  That said, there likely IS no absolutely accurate translation using a single word.  It seems to be a fairly "broad" word, which makes sense if we remember that even in English, words that describe states-of-being are usually not precise in every way.

Fortunately, there are not many other uses of the Greek word in the NT.  Just using the KJV, here they are:

 G5543
χρηστός
chrēstos
Total KJV Occurrences: 7

kind, 2 Luk_6:35, Eph_4:32

better, 1 Luk_5:39

easy, 1 Mat_11:30

good, 1 1Co_15:33

goodness, 1 Rom_2:4

gracious, 1 1Pe_2:3

I'll leave you to look those up if you've a mind to, but doing so may help 1.  see the breadth of the word itself, and 2.  See some comparisons of its usage so that you're not forced to choose a single narrow definition, but get a better sense of what that one Greek word means/implies. 

Even so, Scripture does not contradict itself.  It ALWAYS takes the spirit of God to compare spiritual with spiritual.   

Title: Re: Take my yoke
Post by: Wanda on September 20, 2019, 04:53:55 PM
Rolihlahla and Dave, thanks for the insightful share.

Quote
Can I suggest a different way of looking at this (especially considering all of these)?  It's not OUR YOKE to begin with, nor are we told that OUR BURDEN is light.  It is HIS YOKE and HIS BURDEN.


As usual Dave, you always inspire a different way of looking at something. It reminds me of Rays teaching that being saved is the hardest thing we will ever experience. There is truly nothing  easy about this process.
Title: Re: Take my yoke
Post by: Nelson Boils on September 23, 2019, 04:43:07 AM
Exo 6:6 Say then to the children of Israel, I am Yahweh, and I will take you out from under the YOKE of the Egyptians, and make you safe from their power, and will make you free by the strength of my arm after great punishments.
Title: Re: Take my yoke
Post by: Wanda on September 23, 2019, 05:24:27 PM
Galatians 5:  (NIV)

5 It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.

Title: Re: Take my yoke
Post by: Musterseed on September 23, 2019, 08:49:03 PM
Matt 23:4
They tie up heavy burdensome loads ,and lay them on men’s shoulders, but
they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them.

Isaiah 58:6
Is not this the fast that I choose ,to loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the straps of the yoke,
to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke.

Matt 18:6
  But whosoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin it would be better for him to have a great millstone fastened around his neck to be drowned in the depth of the sea.

Millstone,,,, Oxford AWT

Burden, dead weight , cross to bear,load, duty

Each of two circular stones used for grinding grain.
A heavy and inescapable responsibility.

Ray had said about this scripture that tying a millstone around the neck and throwing into the sea
is the equivalent of killing a mosquito with a baseball bat.😲

Matt 18:10
See that you do not despise one of these little ones. For I tell you that in heaven, their
angels always see the face of my Father who is in heaven.

Gal.6:2
Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.

I followed up on the word easy as in MY yoke is easy and it led me to the word breeze.
A gentle wind.

In Christ Pamela 💕





Title: Re: Take my yoke
Post by: indianabob on September 24, 2019, 01:14:40 AM
A gentle breeze...I liked that Pamela.

Jesus' yoke is breezy because we don't do the work, but rather benefit from the comfort of a loving arm on our shoulder encouraging us every step along the way to salvation.

Indiana Bob
Title: Re: Take my yoke
Post by: friendofJC on October 05, 2019, 02:16:33 PM
In the original Greek, the word for "yoke" is zygos(from the root of zeugnumi, meaning to join, especially by a "yoke").  It is found in 6 places in the New Testament(Matthew 11:29,30: Acts 15:10; Galatians 5:1; 1 Timothy 6:1; Revelation 6:5).  Interestingly, the word zygote-used in the terminology of reproductive science-derives from this Greek word.  It is defined as "a diploid cell resulting from the FUSION OF TWO haploid gametes; A FERTILIZED OVUM."

Now, think about that for a moment: a "fertilized ovum" = a "fertilized egg" = the beginning of the life of a new individual person.  In other words, "two (individual) haploid gametes" are joined so intimately that they become one.  Thus, we find in this word "yoke" a direct link to the essence of marriage as defined by Jesus Christ himself: "For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife and they twain shall be one flesh.  Wherefore they are NO MORE TWAIN, BUT ONE FLESH.  What therefore GOD HATH JOINED TOGETHER let not man put asunder." (Matthew 19:5-6)

In the late 4th century, Jerome translated the entire Bible(Hebrew OT = Greek NT) into Latin- commonly referred to as the Vulgate(meaning "commonly used") edition.  It is interesting to note that Jerome used the word jugum to translate the Greek word zygos.  The word jugum is not only the Latin equivalent of "a yoke" (used with cattle) but it carries also the spiritual connection with marriage.  Our English word "conjugal" (as in "conjugal(ie-sexual, spousal) relations") derives from the Latin prefix "con-" (= "together") + Latin jugum(="yoke")

So, when Jesus says "take my yoke upon you,"  He is actually inviting us into a relationship of total intimacy with Him-a marriage, if you will-in which He and His Bride are united as one (body & spirit!) for the express purpose of bearing fruit for the glory of God, "Wherefore, my brethren, you also are become dead to the law by the Body of Christ, that you should be MARRIED TO ANOTHER, even to Him who is raised from the dead, that we should BRING FORTH FRUIT UNTO GOD" (Romans 7:4)
Title: Re: Take my yoke
Post by: Musterseed on October 05, 2019, 05:08:34 PM
Yes, I remember Ray speaking about the sexual intimacy between husband and wife
being and I quote Ray “ inside each other” . Can’t remember which audio though.
But
It’s also the highly spiritual connection. Jesus wants a pure bride, spotless.

Thank you friendofJC awesome .

In Christ
Pamela

PS. Is this like a prearranged marriage.? Just curious.😁



Title: Re: Take my yoke
Post by: Musterseed on October 06, 2019, 10:46:56 AM
Isa.61;10-11
I will greatly rejoice in the Lord; my soul shall exult in my God for He has clothed me
with the garments of salvation, He has covered me with the robe of righteousness,
as a bridegroom decks Himself like a priest with a beautiful headdress and as a bride
adorns herself with her jewels.
For as the earth brings forth its SPROUTS , and as a garden causes what is sown in it
to SPROUT up, so the Lord God will cause righteousness and praise to SPROUT  up
 before all the nations.


The earth brings forth, the garden causes. ( Gen.1:11-12)


I checked out embryogenesis and it led me to blastomeres ( blastos) which is Greek for
SPROUT.
When 8 blastomeres have formed they begin to develop in an integrated way and coordinate
their response  to physiological signals and environmental cues. 🤔

Also led to cells and their surrounding matrix.
It’s so fascinating how you can take a word and it leads to never ending information.

I usually use Merriam Webster dictionary but sometimes I just google and it takes me all over the place. Anyway . I heard Ray say in one of his studies that there are heavenly counterparts to
everything on earth. I’m not sure but does this mean of the physical and the spiritual.

This reminds me of when as young girls we used to have crushes on boys and taunt each other
with this saying
“ First comes love, then comes marriage, then comes mommy with the baby carriage.😁

I read Rays e- mails to the forum yesterday. Even though he sleeps , he has left words and
advise to encourage and lift us up. He suffered so much but he described his pain as terrific
which I thought was odd or a mistake but I know there is a holiness to pain when you are yoked
together in it. He spoke of himself and his wife in pain together, not able to do much but sat
together and laughed together. They were there for each other in love.

God is Love
In Christ Pamela💕