The Easy Yoke Of Sanctification

For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. Matthew 11:30

My whole Christian life I have heard preachers and churches put huge burdens on their members. Sermon after sermon they talked about how weak the flesh is, how sin reigns in our bodies, how people need to pray more, read more, work more, give more, it is never enough. Condemnation and fear may have not been openly flaunted; yet, they were always the underlying message. The only time a person received any positive feedback for the way they lived was when they were dead. During their life they were constantly told that they were falling short, yet when they were lying in a coffin, we were told to pattern our lives after their godly example. This never seemed to make any sense to me. Then God showed me through His Word who we are in Him and it all fell into place.

I knew I could never work enough, pray enough, witness enough, or believe enough to walk like Jesus. I would read in the Word that I should be perfect even as our Father in Heaven is perfect, Matthew 5:48. I would read that I can be used by God to do the same works as He did through Jesus and even greater works, John 14:12. I would read that I should walk even as Jesus walked, 1 John 2:6. I remembered all of the sermons that taught there was no way that we could because we were just men. It was preached that we are weak in the flesh; we could never do greater works than Jesus, or even the same works. I thought to myself, be perfect as God, you've got to be kidding, I can't even make it one day without messing up. But then God showed me all of these scriptures that we have studied together, and the many more we are going to study, and then our Father empowered me to see His Truth, and the Truth that God’s Word alone has sanctified us.

There is now no condemnation for us, through the power of the Holy Spirit our Father has led me into His rest. I am no longer being destroyed by a lack of knowledge. My life is no longer hindered because of me, because of my actions, my life is now enriched because of the power of our Father, Dad has led me into the paths of His righteousness. The Holy Spirit has taught me and the Word that He used sanctified me. Now our Father’s has truly begun to work through me, not because I willed them into being, but because the Word has set me apart for God’s holy use. Our Father is now able to work through me because I know that I can’t do anything on my own! I have been shown that works do not sanctify us. The Truth has set me free and I now know that we are sanctified by Jesus so that we can be used by God to work! The yoke of sanctification is easy because it is our Father sanctifying us and He knows exactly how to do it! We are now and forever more strong in the power of His might, not our own!