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Friday,
November 30, 2007
Parallel Parking
Amos
3:3 Can two walk together, except they be agreed? (KJV)
One
of the definitions for parallel is to be placed beside with, or equivalent
to. If you notice in life, who you place yourself with, and who you pattern
your life after is what will determine the lifestyle you live. If you have
ever tried parking your vehicle in a no parking area, it’s not long before
your vehicle will be tagged, and eventually towed away because it is not in
agreement with the standards set for that area. The same holds true with our
spiritual life, if we don’t stay in agreement with the Lord and His
standard for living, it won’t be long before we will no longer be walking
together as a team, but will find ourselves in a prohibited place as well.
Matthew
11:28-30 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will
give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and
lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is
easy, and my burden is light. (KJV)
The
Lord has a wonderful parking place picked out for you, right next to Him.
Take the time on a daily basis to park yourself away from all the fast
moving traffic of this world, get out of the flow so you don’t get ticketed
for reckless driving. How much easier would our lives be if we truly yoked
ourselves with the Lord, and walked together on this path of life, instead
of trying to do everything on our own and end up overburdened with the
cares of this life? How many times do you take on burdens, and yoke
yourself to things the Lord never asked you too, then wonder why you are so
frustrated and worn out? How much simpler would life be if you stayed yoked
with Him? Well according to verse 30, much easier and a lot lighter.
Galatians
5:1 Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free,
and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage. (KJV)
Once
you have started your walk with the Lord, the whole idea was to continue
with Him, not unhooking yourself and ending up tangled up in a web of
deceit and lies again. Once you have parked yourself next to Him, don’t let
anyone talk you out of your parking spot, and find yourself stuck in rush
hour traffic again.
Philippians
4:13 I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me. (KJV)
The
liberty and the strength I have in Christ is unlimited compared to my
carnal way of thinking, and it’s only when I lean to my own understanding
that I start to become unyoked with Christ, and try to carry the load by
myself.
Hebrews
12:1-4 Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud
of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so
easily beset us, and let us run with patience 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. For consider him that endured
such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint
in your minds. Ye have not yet resisted unto blood, striving against sin.
(KJV)
The
writer of Hebrews uses the example of being yoked with the Lord like
running an endurance race. How much excess spiritual baggage do we carry
around at times, like trying to run a race and carry a bowling ball, how
quickly before one will become tired and wearied? Look to the one you have
yoked yourself with to draw your strength from, one who has run this race,
having been crowned and is now seated with God. Before you start all this
whining about persecution from those that oppose you in this race, consider
this, have you resisted temptation to the point of being beaten to a bloody
pulp, let alone crucified? Are you patiently waiting on His answer, and
letting His strength get you through, or have you unhooked yourself and are
trying to take a shortcut? If you are going to run this race of endurance
to the end, would it not be so much easier to run beside someone who has
already done it successfully, having been crowned a winner?
Acts
15:10-11 Now therefore why tempt ye God, to put a yoke upon the neck of the
disciples, which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear? But we
believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved,
even as they. (KJV)
Many
have tried to run this race and failed miserably, because they try and do
it by works and not by grace. Many try and run a spiritual race by yoking
themselves with the works of the old law, thinking that is the course they
need to take, which eventually will lead them astray, and no-where near the
goal they sought to accomplish. The disciples in the early church were
burdened by these laws, and all of the unnecessary weight they were
carrying around by those that kept trying to yoke them with these. So
eventually in chapter 15 of Acts they were able to establish the fact that
salvation is of grace which is a lot simpler than the works of the law, and
it made the burden much easier and lighter.
2
Corinthians 6:14-16 Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers:
for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what
communion hath light with darkness? And what concord hath Christ with
Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? And what
agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the
living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I
will be their God, and they shall be my people. (KJV)
What
are you doing all caught up in the rat race of this world? Who are you yoking
and associating yourself with, and what goals are you trying to accomplish
with those outside the kingdom of God? How can you continue to walk
together unless you be agreed? In others words which one of you switched
sides and compromised so that you could continue to walk together? If you
plan on running the Lord’s race, and receiving His eternal reward, you had
better be yoked with Him and let Him be your coach, otherwise you will find
yourself running in circles and getting nowhere fast. The yoke’s on you,
now a matter of which one you are wearing, one of liberty or one of
bondage.
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