Surely goodness and lovingkindness will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

Psalm 23:6 

It’s an invitation that continues to go out. Jesus calls us out of our weariness and burdens of life to experience spiritual transformation. And with this transformation comes something we are all looking for…spiritual rest and security. Here is the invitation:

“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 (kind) and My burden is light.”                                                                                                            

                                                                                                         Matthew 11:28-30 

Jesus makes this offer because of His unique love for us. He extends a hand of friendship out of His goodness. His heart is full of gentleness and humility and He calls us to “come” and “learn” from Him.

Although David lived before the time of Christ, no doubt he still experienced God’s goodness, love, and kindness as he declares, “Surely goodness and lovingkindness will follow me all the days of my life.” As Christians, we too can make that same declaration.

This world has a way of wearing us down. Even in the best of circumstances, we get tired physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. We take upon ourselves burdens that we were never designed or meant to carry. And the cost of all of this fatigue and weight of guilt and shame leads us to the very end of ourselves. But that is exactly the place in which we all need to arrive. For at the end of our strength, efforts, and plans, stands Jesus with open arms, inviting us to experiencing Him and to obtain the rest that He so richly promises to those who will “come” and receive.

Another way of stating this is that we are all taking upon ourselves a “yoke” which we wear throughout our lives on this earth. If we choose to take on the yoke of the world, with its demands, pressures, and false promises, we will ultimately find ourselves empty, void of hope, and constantly searching for that “next thing.” But if we choose to take upon ourselves the yoke of Christ, we find the very opposite. Jesus says that His yoke is easy and that His burden is light.

If your Christian life is one of obligation, heaviness, and lacking joy, then something has gone terribly wrong. Jesus’ yoke is easy. This word can be translated “kind.” When we walk with Christ, we find rest and discover that the burdens too heavy for ourselves are no problem for Jesus. Walking with Christ means that we experience His kindness in our lives, just as David did.

The Bible tells us that God is love (1 John 4:8), that He is willing to give us what is good (Matthew 7:11), and that His yoke is kind (Matthew 11:30). He is gentle and humble in heart (Matthew 11:29). This is the character and nature of God and also that of Christ. Given those truths, it only seems logical that the Spirit of God would produce the same kind of results in our lives. Well His Spirit does! The results of living in the power of the Spirit include love, kindness, goodness, and gentleness. These abound in the life of everyone who will humble himself/herself before God and receive the gift of salvation by faith.

David was able to announce to the world that the goodness, love, and kindness of God were to follow him all of the days of his life. What about us? Are we living in the peace and rest that can only come from giving our lives to Christ? Let’s live in the goodness, love, and kindness of God today!