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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. (29)
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. (30) 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, and 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, (2) 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. (3) For consider him that endured such
contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in
your minds. (4) 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? (11) 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? (15) And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what
part hath he that believeth with an infidel? (16) 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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