WESTERN WISDOM, Season 5, Episode 1, "The Wonders of a Neck Horse" audio podcast by award-winning western author Stephen Bly. Circa 1995. Sponsored by BlyBooks.com Legacy Series.
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THE WONDERS OF A NECK HORSE
Stephen Bly
Circa 1995
A friend of mine named Jim lives down on the grade a few miles from us. I was driving by his place last week and noticed a three-year-old paint gelding necked up to his big old black mare. Jim bought that paint horse a couple months ago and has been having trouble with him. Seems like he likes to wander off and bust fences and get lost and stray into the neighbor’s field and such. I’ve got a feeling being necked to that mare will teach him some manners mighty fast.
Sometimes when you have an unruly horse or one that has a roving disposition, you tie it to a more disciplined horse. After a time of trying to wear each other down by going in opposite directions, they begin to work together and move along in company with each other.
A good neck horse is a valuable asset and Jim’s black mare isn’t going to take much guff from that young gelding. Knit them together until the new one learns the discipline of the older one.
You know, I figure that wouldn’t be too bad an idea among Christians either. A new Christian forced to follow the disciplined behavior of a seasoned veteran of the faith would not be a bad pattern at all.
Paul calls on a “loyal yoke-fellow” to help him out with a dispute among some members of the church in Philippi. This man is viewed to being in a wooden yoke pulling alongside the great apostle Paul himself. We all know, of course, we should be yoked to Christ. And he has said, “Take my yoke upon you and learn from me for I am gentle and humble of heart and you will find rest for your soul. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
In addition to this spiritual yoke, a personal pact between a spiritual believer and a rookie, just might be the best pattern for learning discipline. It would have a good effect in keeping a new believer from wandering off into spiritual danger and getting himself hurt.
Of course, not every believer is mature enough to make a good yoke-fellow. But any church that has a number of men and women like this will be able to speed spiritual growth of new believers by leaps and bounds.