Blog Post: Co-Laboring with Jesus: Discovering How to Work Yoked Up to Him

Where does the limit of our own human ability end and where does God’s power to do the impossible begin? The line oftentimes is not clear. You may struggle with finding that line because, one, you may be so used to doing it yourself, always are pushing forward no matter what. But that leaves no space for Jesus to do anything. Or you are, two, on the other side of the pendulum where you may believe that Jesus will handle everything and all you need to do is wait and receive. But that doesn’t leave space for you to actively partner with God on what He wants you to do. So what is that balance? How do we successfully co-labor with Jesus without either striving in our own efforts or neglecting the participation He asks of us? 

Let Jesus Teach You

Matthew 11 is a good place to start. In Matthew 11:29-30 in the New Living Translation, Jesus says:

“Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.” 

One of the keys to this balance is to let Jesus teach you. Whether we have a default of doing too little or too much where this is concerned, the only one who can show you the right way is Jesus himself. He is the best teacher, who is eternally patient and always willing to show you how to do it.

Jesus teaching you may look like you reading through the gospels and reading the red letters of His words. Or it may look like you taking time to journal and seek what the voice of God sounds like in your heart. Whatever it is that it may look like, Jesus will teach you and show you how to never under-pace or out-pace Him.

Walking in Step with Jesus through His Yoke

The next important thing to do is to take Jesus’ yoke on you. Being yoked up to Jesus means that you can’t go too far ahead or fall too far behind. If you have heard this verse before, then you most likely have imagined what a yoke looks like. It is a mechanism that keeps two farm animals, usually oxen, tied together when they are plowing a field. While that may sound like hard work and incredibly exhausting, Jesus also says that His yoke is easy and His burden light.

How can that be so? One of my mentors described it like this: Jesus is the big strong ox and we are the baby ox next to Jesus (which is what they do to train oxen). Jesus actually takes most of the load while we walk step in step with him with our contribution. It’s a lot lighter of a contribution than we would think, yet we are still doing the work by metaphorically walking up and down the field. 

Paul describes how being yoked up to Jesus looked like to him:

“…No, I worked harder than all of them—yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me.” (1 Corinthians 15:10 NIV)

Co-laboring requires work, hard work at times, as Paul points out. Yet that hard work is done in grace, not in strife – and you will feel the difference. Perhaps that hard work is what is holding you back into stepping into that grace because you have burned yourself out in the past from over striving. Let me tell you, there is fresh grace for you to step back out with Jesus’ light and gentle yoke to try again. 

Trust God’s Timing

In most times, the idea of co-laboring is that we can partner with God to bring something to life here on earth, whether it be a business or a passion project or something in ministry. But what if, after you feel like you’ve done everything I’ve listed, you don’t see the kind of harvest you expected?

Galatians 6:9 reminds us:

Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” (NIV)

Even if what you are co-laboring with Jesus in is taking a lot longer of a time than you expect, do not give up – you will reap a harvesting due time!

Learn Jesus’ Unforced Rhythms of Grace

For me, there are times where I have dragged my feet and not done enough to partner with God in co-laboring to make something for His Kingdom happen. Other times, I have out strived for something I shouldn’t have. Oftentimes, it takes time to learn that right balance and a reflection of past mistakes. I love how the Message translation translates Matthew 11:30 – “walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace.” Wherever you may find yourself on the spectrum, know that God is right there with you, teaching you and speaking to you so that you can be the most effective co-laborer for His kingdom!

Reflection Questions:

• Which side of the pendulum do you typically find yourself in, under pace or out pacing Jesus?
• Have you ever had an experience where you felt fully in the grace of co-laboring with Jesus? How did that feel?