Another reason a farmer would harness an older, stronger, trained ox with a younger, inexperienced one was to help set the pace for the work day. If the younger ox didn't have the older one setting the pace for him, he would use all his energy early in the day and would then be unable to finish the work the farmer needed him to accomplish. This is what Jesus is referring to in Matthew 11:29 when He tells us to take His yoke upon us and learn from Him. He wants to set the pace for us.
So many of us fail to allow Him to do that. Consequently, we burn out quickly and we don't finish the work He's given us to do. Galatians 5:25 says, "Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit." So often we are either running ahead of God or lagging behind, but Christ wants to set the pace for us so we can keep in step with the Spirit.
When my family and I go skiing, Chase and I enjoy skiing the more challenging blue runs together. The problem is, Chase and I have two completely different methods of skiing. I use my skis to dig into the snow and make 's' turns all the way down the slope so I don't pick up too much speed. Chase, on the other hand points his skis down the mountain and just takes off 90 to nothing! Sometimes, along the trail we're on, their are side trails that lead to other parts of the mountain. Some even lead to lifts that take you to higher elevations. I often get frustrated when I can't access those trails because by the time I get to them Chase is past them on his way on down the mountain at break-neck speed! There's a spiritual lesson here. If we don't let Christ set the pace for us through the yoke of the Holy Spirit, we will try and get ahead of God. We will miss the turns He wants us to take and there are parts of the 'mountain' we will never see. There are elevations we will never reach.
Today, let's step into the yoke and let Christ set the pace!
