The Ultimate Deception

The Ultimate Deception <http://intheyoke.com/?p=5>

Jesus' invitation to walk in the yoke with Him is simple, straightforward. He tells us the benefit of walking the yoke: rest for our souls. We might think that accepting the invitation is as simple and straightforward as the invitation itself. It isn't.

Most people who follow Jesus know we have an enemy. We know his name is Satan, and we often call him "the devil." He is a wily foe who has mastered the tricks of deception, misdirection and illusion. He can make truth look like a lie and lies look like truth. He has honed his craft through multiple millennia; we ignore him at our own peril.

If Jesus' invitation to walk in the yoke with Him is the ultimate invitation, Satan's efforts to keep us out of the yoke may qualify as "The Ultimate Deception." He'll use his bag of tricks to convince us that we can't really walk in the yoke. Or, he'll make us think it's just too hard to stay in the yoke. He may make something else look far more appealing and direct our attention from that which has eternal appeal.

In his little book The Seeking Heart Fenelon writes "You do not see the lovely side of following Christ. You see what He takes away, but you do not see what He gives. You exaggerate the sacrifices and ignore the blessings." We may think that way because of our own self-centeredness.
Behind that thinking, the devil lurks. He encourages us to see difficulty, hardship and discipline. He tries to hide the gifts of God and the blessings that come from walking with Jesus.

Jesus calls His followers to "yoke up" with Him. If we find that uncomfortable, we might want to consider the tricks of the devil, the master of "The Ultimate Deception."

Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. (1 Peter 5:8)

(Pastor John Strain - First Baptist - Toms River)

Great quote: The habit of judging is so nearly incurable, and its cure is such an almost interminable process, that we must concentrate ourselves for a long while on keeping it in check, and this check is to be found in kind interpretations. We must come to esteem very lightly our sharp eye for evil, on which perhaps we once prided ourselves as cleverness. We must look at our talent for analysis of character as a dreadful possibility of huge uncharitableness. We are sure to continue to say clever things, so long as we continue to indulge in this analysis; and clever things are equally sure to be sharp and acid. We must grow to something higher, and something truer, than a quickness in detecting evil. Frederick W. Faber