Rest for the Soul: 8 Days With JesusSample

Day 5 – “Walk with Me and Work with Me—Watch How I Do It”

When Jesus invites us to follow him, he doesn’t promise a life without work or challenges. He promises something better: to walk and work beside him. “Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” (Matthew 11:29, NIV). The key isn’t avoiding work but learning to do it at Jesus’ pace.

A yoke joined two animals to pull together. With this image, Jesus isn’t adding more weight to life; he’s inviting us to be joined to him, who bears the true load. It means learning to synchronize our steps with his. Run ahead and you burn out; lag behind and you stagnate. Rest is found at his side—not ahead of him or behind him.

Jesus teaches not only with words but by example. “To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps.” (1 Peter 2:21, NIV). Following Jesus means watching how he did it: loving the rejected, slipping away to pray, choosing the Father’s will over his own. Every facet of his life becomes a model for ours.

Modern life drives a frantic pace—achieve more, produce more, prove more. Jesus teaches us to work from peace, not anxiety. “Remain in me, as I also remain in you… If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” (John 15:4–5, NIV). Kingdom productivity flows from proximity to Jesus.

This means reordering priorities. Am I working for others’ approval or to please the Lord? Am I walking at his pace or at the pace of my ambition? The difference between exhaustion and rest is who shares the yoke with us.

Jesus doesn’t leave us alone. He promises to be beside us, showing us how to live. If we follow closely, we’ll learn not only to work for him, but to work with him—and in that, we’ll find rest, purpose, and true fruitfulness.

For Today

• Where am I working in my own strength instead of depending on Jesus?
• What would it mean to match Christ’s pace in my daily responsibilities?
• How can I watch Jesus more in the Gospels to learn from his example?