A little Jerry note. Most of those who knew Jerry, knew that he had a great love of venison. For as long as he was capable he would actually go deer hunting, belonging to a Hunt Club where they were guaranteed venison from any of the hunters who were able to make a kill. When He was no longer capable of going hunting he never passed up an opportunity to share in the spoils of other hunters when he could. My brother, Wesley, was one of those hunters and my cousin, Bruce, as well as other members of the family. Jerry was able to get venison from them more than once and boy, did he enjoy it immensely! Well, these last few years he hadn't been so lucky in getting any venison, that was until at the Rehab center one of the therapists mentioned her husband going hunting. Of course Jerry was able to talk her into getting himself some ground venison.
Now comes the unhappy part, the plans we'd made were for him to have the venison as hamburgers when we grilled steaks in the middle of June, as JoAnna would still be here.
Tonight in Jerry's honor, I made those venison burgers and both Matthew and JoAnna enjoyed them as much as he would have. Jerry would have been thrilled to know the venison didn't take on time capsule status in the freezer but was actually used and enjoyed. It's these little things that mean so much right now. Yes, there is the Borscht which was like salt poured on my bleeding heart, but today there was venison which was somehow healing to my heart. Yes, I've already made plans for the Borscht to go to my sister, Elizabeth, who enjoys beets- I hope she likes it when she tries it, that would be healing too. And if she doesn't like it, at least she will have tried it and that's something too.
Thank God for today's healing. Tomorrow might bring salt, balm or both, but whatever it is, I know my Savior is going to be there going through it all with me!
******* Two Yokes.
'There are two yokes,—the yoke of sin (Satan’s yoke), and the yoke of Christ. The yoke of sin is hard to bear,—Satan is a hard master; but the yoke of Christ is easy, and His burden is light. He sets us free from sin, that we may serve Him by bearing His mild yoke.' Matthew 11:29-30. (EG Waggoner)
A yoke. Mention the word yoke and people naturally are repelled by it. We prefer the word freedom. Yoke is a word of bondage, not freedom. We hold up the word free and want it to mean we should be able to live without anyone dictating to us in any way. When a person lives in a country where their lives are ruled by a dictator who tells them what they can and cannot do, who they can talk to, what they can read, what they're allowed to watch on TV, and even try to tell them what to think, they can feel oppressed. I don't know this first hand though, because I live in a place they call the 'Land of the Free.' There is a reason America took on this name. People from all different countries who lived under oppression in one form or another- poverty, religious persecution, and the like looked upon the United States as a place to come to be safe from persecution, a chance to live a life outside of poverty, they called it a place to be free, a place without a yoke of bondage.
Jesus even says-
Joh 8:31 Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed;
Joh 8:32 And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.
Joh 8:33 They answered him, We be Abraham's seed, and were never in bondage to any man: how sayest thou, Ye shall be made free?
Joh 8:34 Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin.
Joh 8:35 And the servant abideth not in the house for ever: but the Son abideth ever.
Joh 8:36 If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.
The truth shall make you free, and Jesus was talking about being free from the penalty of sin. The Jews didn't consider they were in bondage to any but Jesus said that they were in bondage to sin if they commit sin. Freedom from that bondage to sin can only be found in Jesus. So when Jesus says…
Mat 11:29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.
Mat 11:30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.
…He is saying that He has a yoke and wants us to share it with Him, He isn't wanting to put us back into bondage. This yoke He wants to share with us is one of us learning of him, and as we learn of Him we will find rest. Yokes usually are not associated with rest, but the opposite. If we say we are under a yoke, we are telling others we feel burdened, not at rest. Christ's yoke is easy, His burden is light- but the FACT remains He has a yoke and a burden for us.
More on this tomorrow by the grace of God! All through Jesus Christ our Lord. I want His yoke, I want His burden.
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