American settlers in the 1800s had a lot of stuff to carry west. They had to pack enough for months on the road. Flour, sugar, dried meat, and sundry supplies weighed their wagons down. To move all that gear required massive teams of oxen yoked together.
For the oxen to pull successfully, the yoke had to be able to flex from side to side. Otherwise it would chafe the animals, and they would rebel against their drivers.
One other important thing about a successful team of oxen? They weren’t driven with reins and a whip. Rather, the driver walked at their side, and the animals learned to respond to the sound of his voice. Put a strange driver in place, and the oxen no longer knew which way to go.
Five passages in Corinthians speak to the yokes we wear as we travel through this life.
2 Corinthians 6:15 talks about the devil:
“What accord has Christ with Belial? Or what portion does a believer share with an unbeliever?”
Belial is literally translated as ungodliness, and is generally taken to mean the devil. If we are yoked to the devil, we’ll go the wrong way every time.
2 Corinthians 6:14 refers to our attachments with our fellow man:
“Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness?”
If we allow those who choose wrong ways to link with us, our yoke will begin to bind, and we will rebel against God.
1 Corinthians 15:33 tells us we are more likely to be pulled away from good than towards it:
“Do not be deceived: Bad company ruins good morals.”
We can’t date with disaster, hoping to pull others our way. Instead, they will lead us astray.
1 Corinthians 6:18 says temporary yokes can be deadly devices:
“Flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body.”
Telling ourselves our indulgement is just for the moment, and that no one will know leaves the imprint of our misguided yoke on every part of our lives.
1 Corinthians 6:9 gives us our final destination if we continue to wear the yoke of sin:
“Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived…”
We wear the yoke of Christ with an endpoint in mind. When we let the flexibility of Jesus’ requirements become the liberty of wrong living, he will no longer guide us, and we will never reach our heavenly home.
Christ our Savior walks at our side, guiding us safely toward our westward home. If we pay attention to his voice, our yoke will feel light upon our shoulders, and those at our side will lighten our burden. We will arrive as a team, achieving heaven as our destination.
Jesus is our leader, and he guides us to our final resting place with his heavenly words of wisdom.
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