Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, 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.”

                                                                                                               Matthew 11:28-30

Today: Read Matthew 11

Living in this world can sometimes be difficult. Life can wear you down and discourage you. But the church is to act as a sanctuary, a place where one can find forgiveness and redemption. The church is a physical representation of heaven on earth and a place where love, joy, and peace are to be experienced and enjoyed. Jesus invites all who are weary and burdened to come to Him. This invitation is echoed throughout scripture. “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink” (John 7:37). “And let the one who is thirsty come, let the one who wishes take the water of life without cost” (Revelation 22:17). This invitation to “come” is confirmed by the Holy Spirit and the church is to act as the conduit through which it is transmitted. And this invitation goes out to all who are weary and burdened.

To be weary is self-explanatory. We have all had times in our life when we are physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually drained. These are times when we need a fresh encounter with God. To be burdened is to have a load placed upon you. Burdens come in all shapes and sizes and can be placed on us by others or even ourselves. You might find it interesting that the word used in today’s passage includes burdens dealing with religious rites or unwarranted precepts. In other words, the burden can come from religion. This was a problem in the 1^st century church. We learn that there were some who continued to direct people to observe the Law of Moses as a part of salvation (Acts 15:5). The people were placing religious burdens on others that they were not even able to keep themselves (Acts 15:9-10). Jesus spoke against this type of religious oppression by saying, “Woe to you lawyers…for you weigh men down with burdens hard to bear, while you yourselves will not even touch the burdens with one of your fingers” (Luke 11:46). We are also warned, once set free in Jesus, not to allow anyone to weigh us down with religious burdens, rather we are to stand firm in our faith and not be placed again under a yoke of slavery (Galatians 5:1).

And the promise for all who come to Jesus is that He will give them rest, spiritual rest. To rest is to ease, relieve, and refresh our souls. The word “rest” literally means to create an intermission. We could all use a respite from time to time. If you’re not in the habit of carving out some time in your day, focusing on God in prayer and His Word, I want to encourage you to make that a priority. This site is designed to assist you in that endeavor. So the invitation is to come to Jesus and receive rest.

Jesus also invites us to take on His yoke (as opposed to religious yokes) and to learn from Him. Rest comes when we fully understand who God is and how He has revealed Himself to us through His Son Jesus (Hebrews 1:2). One of my favorite pictures of Christ is His washing the feet of the disciples as an example of how we are to treat those around us (John 13:14-17). I want you to take that in for a moment. The Creator of the universe, the One and only, all-powerful God, took on human flesh, and was kneeling to wash the feet of those He created. I believe that is what Jesus means to take His yoke and to learn from Him. He is gentle and humble in heart. Again, He makes the statement that taking on His yoke and learning from Him, will result in our finding rest for our souls. Humanity longs to know that they are loved and that there is hope for them in the future. Jesus embodies the good news. God is love and there is hope for all who come to Jesus, take on His yoke, and learn from Him.

Finally, Jesus describes why rest is the natural by-product for those who trust Him rather than embedding themselves in religious activity. He describes His yoke as easy and light. The word “easy” can be translated “pleasurable.” It means useful, pleasant, and kind (as opposed to harsh, hard, and bitter). This is the same word translated “kindness” in the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23). It is also used in our instruction to be kind to one another (Ephesians 4:32). Jesus’ yoke is pleasurable, kind, and easy. It is not harsh, hard, or bitter. Jesus’ yoke is light and will not weigh us down. Jesus paints a picture quite the opposite of what much of religion offers, in which God is portrayed as a harsh taskmaster, waiting for His subjects to falter, ready to punish.

So if you’re tired, confused, desperate, restless, depressed, or burdened, come to Jesus. Trade in your religious burdens and rituals for an authentic, genuine relationship with the God who loves you more than you could ever know. Take on the yoke of Jesus and learn from Him. This world can be harsh. Religious yokes merely add to what is already a difficult road to navigate. Come to Jesus and He will give you rest!

Now to the one who works (for his salvation), his wage is not credited as a favor, but as what is due. But to the one who does not work, but believes (trusts) in Him (Jesus) who justifies the ungodly, his faith is credited as righteousness,

                                                                                                                 Romans 4:4-5