A very good morning to you my precious friends and family
Matthew 11 verses 28-30 says “Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 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. For my yoke is easy and My burden is light.”
Do you feel tired, weary, exhausted, depleted and burdened? There are times when the limits of our mortality overwhelm our intentions, commitments, and abilities. In our quest for significance, we chase so many things. But there is only one true quest for significance that leads to rest: we must surrender all of those burdens to our Lord Jesus and trust Him to supply our significance. But why is it so hard to put down our burdens and come to Him?
In Matthew 11, Jesus presents us with an image of two animals sharing the burden of working together. The point Jesus is making here is in reference to coming under His teaching. He asks us, “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.” He isn’t asking us simply to cast our burdens on Him, but also to humble ourselves and submit to His teaching. If we are willing to come underneath Him as our Teacher, then we no longer carry the burden of figuring out life on our own. And in freedom we are able to live life under the power and influence of the Holy Spirit.
God doesn’t want us to live even one day burdened. Every day, we can wake up and choose to yoke ourselves to our heavenly Father and His word.
We are so privileged have a Father who loves us so much that He offers to take our burdens off our own shoulders, place them on His, and give us peace in return.
God’s plan is different than the world’s plan. The world says you can only have peace when you’ve completed the job, become the best, or gained the approval of man. God tells you to stop working in your own strength, yoke yourself to His teaching, and rid yourself of all the stress and pressure of the world.
God says, “My yoke is easy, and My burden is light.” If you will choose God today over the way you’ve done things in the past, if you will choose to obey His word, then “you will find rest for your souls.”
What area of your life needs rest today? In what parts of your heart do you need God’s peace and ease? He’s waiting right now to take our burdens, fears, and stress. Our fragile frame wasn’t meant to bear such pressure.
In what areas do you need God’s peace today? Maybe it is our mind-set, our appearance, friends, family, work, anything that we feel burdened by.
Listen to God and let Him tell you what He thinks about you. Look up verses that reveal His teaching on the subject. Submit yourself to His word. Believe that He sees things truthfully.
By being obedient to His word, is the best way to walk the path God lays out for us to abundant life. Every day attacks will come your way. But every day God has provided the truth we need in His word to fight those attacks.
To learn how to rest in God takes time and it is a process. It’s like an onion. You peel through a layer and think that you have made it and learned what God’s rest is, only to find there is another layer for you to discover, learn and enjoy. It’s a lifelong journey that only gets better and better if you let it.
Where do you feel buried under the burdens of the world? God offers you His peace today if you will take some time to align yourself with Him and “yoke” yourself to the teaching of Jesus. So ask God today what is the first, small step for you to find God’s rest and then do what He tells you to do. Choose the word of Jesus today, walk in obedience to it, and experience God’s “rest for your soul.”
Let us pray:
Lord God Almighty, You are marvellous beyond description and majestic beyond comprehension and worthy of all praise. Thank You Lord Jesus that You came to set us free from life’s heavy burdens. Thank You that I have rest in You. I submit my life into Your hands and care always. Amen.
Much love to you in Christ from Maurice and Margaret
