F
To be meek, or gentle, means not to resist opposition, and to be lowly means not to have self-esteem; throughout all the opposition the Lord was meek, and throughout all the rejection He was lowly in heart.
G
He submitted Himself fully to the will of His Father, not wanting to do anything for Himself or expecting to gain something for Himself; hence, regardless of the situation He had rest in His heart; He was fully satisfied with the Father's will.
H
The rest that we find by taking the Lord's yoke and learning from Him is for our souls; it is an inward rest; it is not anything merely outward in nature.
I
We learn from the Lord according to His example, not by our natural life but by Him as our life in resurrection—Eph. 4:20-21; 1 Pet. 2:21.
J
The Lord's yoke is the Father's will, and His burden is the work of carrying out the Father's will; such a yoke is easy, not bitter, and such a burden is light, not heavy.
K
The Greek word for easy means "fit for use"; hence, good, kind, mild, gentle, easy, pleasant—in contrast to hard, harsh, sharp, bitter.
L
If we take the Lord's yoke (the Father's will) upon us and learn from Him, we will find rest for our souls; the yoke of God's economy is like this; everything in God's economy is not a heavy burden but an enjoyment.
Morning Nourishment
Eph. 4:20-21 But you did not so learn Christ, if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught in Him as the reality is in Jesus.In Matthew 11:29 the Lord told us to learn from Him. He is meek and lowly in heart. To be meek, or gentle, means not to resist any opposition, and to be lowly means not to esteem oneself highly. Throughout all the opposition the Lord was meek, and throughout all the rejection He was lowly in heart. He submitted Himself fully to the will of His Father, not wanting to do anything for Himself or expecting to gain something for Himself. Hence, regardless of the situation He had rest in His heart; He was fully satisfied with His Father’s will.
The Lord said that if we take His yoke upon us and learn from Him, we will find rest for our souls. The rest we find by taking the Lord’s yoke and learning from Him is for our souls. It is an inward rest; it is not anything merely outward in nature. (Life-study of Matthew, pp. 372-373)
Today’s Reading
Christ is not only life to us but also an example (John 13:15; 1 Pet. 2:21). In His life on earth He set up a pattern, as revealed in the Gospels. Then He was crucified and resurrected to become the life-giving Spirit that He might enter into us to be our life. We learn from Him (Matt. 11:29) according to His example, not by our natural life but by Him as our life in resurrection. To learn Christ is simply to be molded into the pattern of Christ, that is, to be conformed to the image of Christ (Rom. 8:29). (The Conclusion of the New Testament, p. 3426)The rest from the Lord…is an inward rest, not something merely outward in nature. The harassment and the troubles are in our soul. Paul tells us to be anxious in nothing and to tell the Lord all our requests. Then the peace of God will guard our hearts and our thoughts in Christ Jesus (Phil. 4:6-7).
The Lord assured the disciples that His yoke is easy and His burden is light (Matt. 11:30)…The yoke of God’s economy is like this. Everything in God’s economy is not a heavy burden but an enjoyment. People lose sleep because their soul is bothered. The rest that we find by taking the Lord’s yoke and learning from Him is for our soul. We share in our soul His rest in satisfaction (Matt. 11:28b, 29b, 30). (CWWL, 1994-1997, vol. 3, “The God-man Living,” pp. 550, 557)
Who are the ones that are the most heavily burdened? It is the wise and intelligent ones, the religious ones, and the cultured ones. The kingdom people, on the contrary, are the unloaded ones…If you will be simple and single instead of religiously wise and intelligent, you will be unloaded, and you will have rest. The yoke you bear will be very light. This is the kingdom life. The kingdom life is a life of feasting, a life of enjoyment, and a life of rest.
Whenever you lose your rest, it is an indication that you are not experiencing the kingdom life. Whenever you are not in the kingdom life, you will certainly be heavily burdened. Your yoke will be the yoke of slavery. However, when you exercise the principle of forsaking your religious wisdom and intelligence and of being simple, you will be immediately unburdened. You will be released and emancipated and completely at rest.
Sometimes people come to me and say, “Brother Lee, you have many burdens. How can you bear them?” I answer, “Brothers, I have no burdens. I only know how to do a little work. After working, I go home and rest.” This is the kingdom life—some work but no burden. There is a yoke, but the yoke is not heavy. Actually, the yoke is also a kind of rest because without it we might depart from the Lord’s way. If we would attempt to depart from the Lord’s way, we would find that the yoke is there. This is the kingdom life.
We do not care what other people say about us. We only care for the rest in Christ. When we are heavily burdened, Satan is happy; but when we are resting, he trembles. This is the kingdom life. (CWWL, 1972, vol. 2, “The Kingdom,” pp. 194-195)
Further Reading: CWWL, 1972, vol. 2, “The Kingdom,” ch. 22