When weary and tired
Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.” Matthew 11:28-30 What the Lord Jesus Christ offers from the text runs counter to the belief in today’s “Me Generation.” Satan has blinded society that people are filled with pride and self-love. God should be sovereign over all things, yet He offers rest to those who will come to Him. To know the Lord Jesus Christ is not about having a religion but a relationship. And God promised that once we have a relationship with Him, we will experience rest in our soul. Christ offers Himself to us and promises freedom from sin’s burden once we are under His yoke. God’s offer is not for those who think they are strong and sufficient. It is for those who are weak and weary. He wants us to come to the end of our rope and realize that there is no one we can turn to except God. From the gospel, it was to this that the Lord Jesus Christ extended His offer. It is in humility before God that we learn from Him. Christ Himself had shown to us an example of how to rely upon God for strength. When He was confronted of the reality of His death on the cross, He prayed to the Father. “Father, if you are willing, please take this cup of suffering away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.” Then an angel from heaven appeared and strengthened him. He prayed more fervently, and he was in such agony of spirit that his sweat fell to the ground like great drops of blood” (Luke 22:42-44). Each day, we are saddled with tasks and responsibilities. In the process of meeting these responsibilities, we find ourselves depleted and tired. He offers rest to us but only when we come to Him. If we keep on carrying the burden ourselves and not trust God, we will not find rest. When God offered the same rest to the Israelites in the Old Testament, they rejected it. “This is what the Lord says: “Stop at the crossroads and look around. Ask for the old, godly way, and walk in it. Travel its path, and you will find rest for your souls. But you reply, ‘No, that’s not the road we want!’ (Jeremiah 6:16). They suffered the consequence when they did not listen to God. Do not ignore God’s offer of rest. Come to Him and let Him rule your life and as He promised you will find rest.
Blessings,
Noel De Guzman
www.my-wbc.com
