Who are you following?

 Devotion: Are You Truly Following the Teacher?

“Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” – Matthew 11:29–30 (ESV)

When I first came to faith, I thought discipleship meant simply believing in Jesus and going to church. It wasn’t long before I realized that following Jesus wasn’t just about attendance or agreement—it was about surrender. And that meant I had to wrestle with this idea of Jesus' “yoke.”

In Jesus' time, to take a rabbi’s yoke meant to fully accept his teaching, lifestyle, and way of interpreting Scripture. It meant following him so closely that you began to think like him, walk like him, and ultimately live like him. So when Jesus says, “Take My yoke,” He is inviting us into something much deeper than casual faith—He is calling us to total submission.

This is where modern Christianity often misunderstands the grace of God. Grace doesn’t cancel God’s instructions—it empowers us to live them out through Christ. To say Jesus did away with the Torah is to misunderstand who He was and is. As a faithful first-century Jewish teacher, He lived out the Torah perfectly and taught His disciples to do the same—not for salvation, but as a response to God’s love and holiness.

If I claim to follow Jesus, then I must also embrace His yoke—His way of life and obedience. That means I don’t just fit Him into my schedule or add Him to my list of priorities. It means I lay down my own willand take up His. And here’s the beauty of it: Jesus says His yoke is “easy” and His burden “light.” It’s not a crushing load of rules—it’s the joy of walking with the One who loves us most.

Contemplation:

• Am I truly following Jesus, or just fitting Him into my life?

• Have I embraced His yoke—His way of obedience and instruction?

• Do I see His teachings as burdensome, or do I find joy in living the way He lived?

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, I confess that I’ve often tried to keep You at the edges of my life—calling myself a disciple without truly following You. Forgive me. Today, I take Your yoke upon me. Teach me Your ways. Help me to walk in obedience, not from fear but from love. I want to be like You—not just in belief, but in every action, thought, and motive. Thank You for the rest You promise to those who follow You wholeheartedly. In Your name,
Amen.