SPECIAL PRÉCIS ON GROWING WEARY IN THE DAYS OF ANTICHRIST: CHRIST’S PERFECT YOKE AS DIVINE RESPITE (WITH VIDEO)

THEOLOGY

SCRIPTURE. “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 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 11:28-30, NKJV

KEY TERM: “REST.”‘Anapauó’ [ἀναπαύσω]: “To repose, be exempt [from fatigue]; to remain and be refreshed; take ease.” NOTE: “Strong’s Greek 373 traces a unified scriptural motif of rest, refreshment, and relief. Whether the setting is bodily fatigue, strained emotions, spiritual weariness, or the hope of final glory, the verb gathers all of life’s burdens into the Promise that ‘God Himself brings true repose.’”

QUOTATION. “‘Work is a Blessing.’ God has so arranged the world that Work is necessary, and He gives us hands and strength to do it. The enjoyment of Leisure would be nothing if we had only Leisure. ‘It is the Joy of Work well done that enables us to Enjoy Rest, just as it is the experiences of hunger and thirst that make food and drink such pleasures.’” ― ELISABETH ELLIOTT,Discipline: The Glad Surrender, 1985; edited

COMMENTARY. “‘Our Saviour has invited all that labour and are heavy-laden, to come unto Him.’ In some senses all men are so. Worldly men burden themselves with fruitless cares for wealth and honours; the gay and the sensual labour in pursuit of pleasures; the slave of Satan and his own lusts, is the merest drudge on Earth. Those who labour to establish their own righteousness also labour in vain. The convinced sinner is heavy-laden with guilt and terror; and the tempted and afflicted believer has labours and burdens.

‘Christ invites all to come to Him for Rest to their souls.’ HE ALONE gives this Invitation; men come to him, when, feeling their guilt and misery, and believing His Love and Power to help, they seek Him in fervent prayer. Thus it is the duty and interest of weary and heavy-laden sinners, to come to Jesus Christ. This is the Gospel Call; Whoever will, let him come. All who thus come will receive Rest as Christ’s Gift, and obtain Peace and Comfort in their hearts.

‘But in coming to Him they must take His Yoke, and submit to His Authority.’ They must learn of Him all things, as to their Comfort and Obedience. He accepts the willing servant, however imperfect the services. Here we may find Rest for our souls, and here only. Nor need we fear His Yoke. His Commandments are holy, just, and good. ‘It requires Self-Denial, and exposes to difficulties, but this is abundantly repaid, even in this world, by inward Peace and Joy. It is a Yoke that is lined with Love.’ So powerful are the assistances He gives us, so suitable the encouragements, and so strong the consolations to be found in the way of Duty, that we may truly say, it is a ‘Yoke of Pleasantness.’

‘The way of DUTY is the way of REST.’ The Truths Christ teaches are such as we may venture our souls upon. Such is the Redeemer’s Mercy; and why should the labouring and burdened sinner seek for Rest from any other quarter? Let us come to Him daily, for Deliverance from wrath and guilt, from sin and Satan, from all our cares, fears, and sorrows. But forced obedience, far from being easy and light, is a heavy burden. In vain do we draw near to Jesus with our lips, while the heart is far from him. Then come to Jesus to find Rest for your souls.” – MATTHEW HENRY, Exposition of the Old and New Testaments, 6 vols., 1708-1710; edited

II. TEACHING

“And he shall speak great words against the Most High, and shall WEAR OUT THE SAINTS of the Most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time.” – DANIEL 7:25, KJV

We are all of us in one way or the other, on one side of it or the other, engaged in a GREAT SPIRITUAL WAR for the souls of men. It is for all intents and purposes what C.S. Lewis called, “The Last Battle” in the seventh book of his classic series, The Chronicles of Narnia (1950-1956).

And it is exhausting!

I know I experience this Great Exhaustion fairly frequently, and were it not for the Lord’s Grand Provision described in this passage, I would not by any means be able to not only succeed in my Mission for Him, but daresay even survive it!

THE RIGHT WAY. As I personally and passionately engage this War on a daily basis, I find myself at the end of a typical 16-hour day saying to Him, out loud: “Father, I am so tired … but it’s a Good Tired!’ MEANING: I have done what He asked me to do that day and am quite spent by the end of it, but I am ‘deeply Satisfied and at Peace’ since I did His Will, the best I could.

‘This is the WAY OF DUTY,’ beloved, so wisely presented by the good Mr. Henry. And there is no replacement for it as we shall need ‘Daily Rest’ for the challenges laying before us all in these, the very Days of Antichrist.

But I have some very good news for all of you that I have discovered in my very long Sojourn with Christ, ‘Un Secreto Divino.’ I did not discover this wonderful insight until my 70^th year on the Earth (I am sometimes slow, but I generally always get there!).

So let’s dive in to see what we shall find.

FINDING YOUR LANE. This is a popular phrase in our culture related to a Question of terrible importance: “What shall I do with my life?” I have found that the FIRST STEP in addressing that Crucial Inquiry is an even more Fundamental Issue:

‘What will give my life SIGNIFICANCE?’

And that is the KEY, beloved, for all people – Saved and Unsaved alike: ‘Toward Being Rightly Yoked for Duty and its Consequent Restfulness.’

To further explore this Grand Quest, I turn to an excellent piece by DR. CRAIG KRAFT, Executive Director of Outreach Canada, and who recently completed his Doctor of Intercultural Studies degree at the Asia Graduate School of Theology. The title of his analysis:

“The Search for Meaning: Five Simple Steps,” published in their online journal, Outreach (ret. Nov. 3, 2025; edited).

BIO. “When Craig Kraft was very young, he wanted to be a policeman or a cowboy. Later in life, he dreamed of being a professional fisherman or the manager of a remote wilderness lodge. Craig served as a Pastor in BC and Alberta for 16 years before joining OC in the area of Church Health and Revitalization. Craig, and his wife Heather, served with OC for three years in Southern Africa before he became the Executive Director of Outreach Canada in 2008. He values that OC is a team of passionate people who work together toward the goal of discipling people into the Kingdom of God and he loves the opportunities he has to work with so many different people across Canada & the world.”

SELF-AWARENESS. Get to Know Yourself, the Way God Knows You. “The Bible is full of passages explaining how much we are loved by God, valued by him, and ‘Created with a Purpose.’ Knowing that God made me and loves me helps me to understand that I am who I am because of His Design. Finding my Purpose in Life is about discovering God’s Purpose for me and learning how to live it out. Here are some good passages to study: Rom. 8:28, Ps. 33:11, Jer. 29:11, Ps. 139:13-14. To dig deeper, study James, 1 Peter and 1 John.”
HUMILIITY. Accept Imperfection. “We may be ‘fearfully and wonderfully made,’ but we are not perfect. We miss out on a lot of great opportunities in life if we are waiting to attain perfection before we try something new. At some point we must all take a ‘Leap of Faith.’ Do you remember how Moses argued with God about leading the Israelites (Ex. 4:1,10,13)? Finding Meaning in Life requires us to accept that we are not perfect, but God is able to use us in spite of our imperfections. (Ph. 3:12). When we ‘Surrender to Him,’ He begins the work of making us perfect. ‘I believe that every great Success in my life began with an exercise in Humility.”
DUTY. Understand Our Mandate. “Jesus gave his followers a mandate, to: “Make disciples of all nations” (Mt. 28:18-20). It’s actually not that complicated. In the same way Jesus introduced his disciples to God the Father, He invites us to introduce our friends to Him. This mandate is lived out in many ways. The Bible identifies different ‘Gifts’ that are given to people and they show diversity. Jesus did not command every follower to become a preacher, evangelist or foreign missionary. He did tell all of us to love one another and to make disciples. I believe that God gives each one of us unique gifts, talents, and interests so that we can engage with our world as productive participants. ‘We may pursue the things which give us Joy while living out Christ’s Mandate to love others and introduce our world to Jesus.’”
PRECEDENCY. Establish Healthy Priorities. “Life is complicated and it throws many curveballs at us. Establishing and maintaining Healthy Priorities guides us in managing events and decisions we face in life. My grandfather taught me some simple suggestions for setting priorities in life. It’s pretty simple, but Ordering our Priorities helps us consider the challenges and opportunities of life through a healthy set of lenses. Here’s his Grid: (1) Our relationship with God. (2) Our relationship with our Spouse. (3) Our relationship with our Family. (4) Our responsibilities at Work.”
SELF-DEVELOPMENT. Our Pursuit of Self. “I don’t advocate for living a careless life, but I suggest that many of us are missing out on great opportunities to serve God because of the ‘RISKS’ involved. The Bible echoes with the words, ‘Fear not’ and ‘Don’t be afraid.’ The Apostle Paul writes, ‘God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control’ (2 Tm. 1:7). Finding Meaning in my life has meant letting go of my fears. ‘Fear of Failure, Fear of Rejection, Fear of Criticism, and Fear of Disappointing Others [but not God! – a form of cowardly ‘Self-Worship’] are just a few of the Fears that I deal with almost every day. ‘Living a Life of Purpose for God is about Overcoming Fear and being available to God.’ When I overcome my fears and make myself available to God, He meets me with affirmation, assurance and invitation to participate with Him in reaching my friends with the Gospel.” NOTE: “You will never live out the Purpose God has for you if you are afraid of people.” – Alee F.

DK’S TAKE. So let me close out this important section with what I have discovered over the decades THREE THINGS JESUS LOVES almost more than anything else among His servants. Scriptures rendered in the Amplified Bible translation.

OBEDIENCE. “The person who has My commandments and keeps them is the one who [really] loves Me; and whoever [really] loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and reveal Myself to him [I will make Myself real to him].” – JOHN 14:21

ENDURANCE. “At that time many will be offended and repelled [by their association with Me] and will fall away [from the One whom they should trust] and will betray one another [handing over believers to their persecutors] and will hate one another. Many false prophets will appear and mislead many. Because lawlessness is increased, the love of most people will grow cold. But the one who endures and bears up [under suffering] to the end will be saved.” – MATTHEW 24:10-13

COURAGE. “I know your suffering and your poverty (but you are rich), and how you are blasphemed and slandered by those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan [they are Jews only by blood, and do not believe and truly honor the God whom they claim to worship]. Fear nothing that you are about to suffer. Be aware that the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested [in your faith], and for ten days you will have tribulation. Be faithful to the point of death [if you must die for your faith], and I will give you the crown [consisting] of life. He who has an ear, let him hear and heed what the Spirit says to the churches. He who overcomes [the world through believing that Jesus is the Son of God] will not be hurt by the second death (the lake of fire).” – REVELATION 2:9-11

FINDING NEVERLAND

‘Finding Neverland is embracing a Childlike sense of Adventure and Creativity even when you’re older.’ – From J. M. BARRIE, Peter Pan and Wendy, 1911; edited

“God made me fast, and when I run, I feel His Pleasure!” – ERIC LIDDELL, Chariots of Fire (Movie, 1981; edited).

During my years working on my Master’s Degree at California State University (Long Beach) in the late 1960s, I worked at Disneyland West piloting 50 ton diesel powered facsimile submarines in what was Tomorrowland’s ‘Submarine Voyage.’

I remember it being a joyous job, and many employees would frequently stay in The Park after their shift in order to lengthen ‘The Fantasy’ that that place provided for young and old alike. But it was an ‘Earthly Joy,’ a Temporary Diversion from the Realities of Life just outside the Walls of Disney’s Vision.

CHRISTIAN HEDONISM. By stunning and magnificent contrast, I was to discover the Real Thing through 5-year Hard Road with Christ, from 2015-2020. Thus do I Conclude with a brief treatment of a theological perspective that helps explain the very LOCUS OF REST, STRENGTH, AND JOY that characterize The Mature follower of Christ.

The following is adapted, appropriately, from DR. JOHN PIPER’S pioneering (and somewhat controversial) essay, “We Want You to Be a Christian Hedonist!” (Aug. 31, 2006; edited).

OPEN. “My shortest summary ofChristian Hedonism is this: ‘God is most Glorified in us when we are most Satisfied in Him.’ We all make a god out of what we take the most pleasure in. Christian Hedonists want to make God their God by seeking after ‘The Greatest Pleasure — ‘Pleasure in HIM.’ By Christian Hedonism, we do not mean that our happiness is the highest good. ‘We mean that Pursuing the Highest Good always results in our Greatest Happiness in the end. We should pursue THIS Happiness, and pursue it with all our might!”

DISTINCTION. “Some people are inclined to believe that Christians are supposed to seek God’s Will as opposed to pursuing their own pleasure. But what makes Biblical Morality different than Worldly Hedonism is not that Biblical Morality is Disinterested and Duty-driven, but that it is interested in vastly greater and purer things. ‘Christian Hedonism is Biblical Morality because it recognizes that OBEYING GOD is the only Route to Final and Lasting HAPPINESS.’ Consider examples of this from the Bible: Luke 6:35 says, ‘Love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return; and your reward will be great.’ It is clear when Jesus says ‘expect nothing in return’ that we should not be motivated by worldly aggrandizement, but: ‘We are given strength to Suffer Loss by the Promise of a Future Reward.’”

DUTY. “But some will say, ‘No, no. These texts only describe what Reward will result if you act Disinterestedly … But Jesus was not foolish. He would not offer Blessings to those who Obey Him and then hold it against us if these Blessings motivated our Obedience. Even more importantly: ‘There are Texts that not only commend that we Do Good in the hope of Future Blessing, but command it.’ Luke 12:33 says, ‘Sell your possessions, and give alms; provide yourselves with purses that do not grow old, with a TREASURE IN THE HEAVENS that does not fail.’”

SATISFACTION. “Hebrews 11:6 teaches, ‘Without faith it is impossible to please [God]. For whoever would draw near to God must believe that He exists and that He REWARDS those who seek Him.’ You cannot please God if you do not come to him looking for Reward! Therefore, Faith that pleases God is the Hedonistic Pursuit of God. As Christian Hedonists, we know that: Everyone longs for Happiness. And we never tell them to deny or repress that desire’. It is never a problem to want to be satisfied. The Problem is being satisfied too easily. We believe that everyone who longs for Satisfaction no longer should seek it from money or power or lust, but should come ‘Glut their Soul-Hunger on the Grace of God!’”

CLOSE. We do not try to motivate anyone with appeals to mere Duty. We tell them that: ‘[Only] in God’s Presence is full and lasting joy.’ Our Duty is to come to Him, seeking [HIS] Pleasure.”

CODA. Whether Dr. Piper has got all this right, he is describing what I began to discover about where I find my fresh ZEAL FOR LIFE. What I now term my somewhat new, “Magnificent Obsession for Jesus Christ.”

Bottom Line: It is that deep structure sense of ‘Endless Satisfaction’ that comes by ‘Obeying God, Risking all for God.’ Not out of Duty, but for the sheer Pleasure I receive by Pleasing the One who gave me a Purpose, and the skills to do it reasonably well!

Selah.

MEDIA

YOUTUBE: https://youtu.be/p1U8XXyMqVA