Matthew 11:28-29 (NIV)
28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 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.
Are you overwhelmed? Are you tired? Are you stressed? Are there too many things on your plate? Why do you think that is? Have you set boundaries that would limit things in your life to make them manageable? Sometimes, we tend to overcomplicate things. We take on too much! We over commit! Instead of prayerfully considering what we take on, we often just go ahead with whatever comes our way.
But is that the way Jesus wanted us to live? No it’s not. In fact, Jesus wants you to rest. He asks you to come to Him and he will give you that rest. During Biblical times, there were over 600 laws the people were obligated to follow and the burden was great. Most of those laws were actually traditions established by the Pharisees. They used those “laws” to control the people. Jesus wanted to free us from many things including reducing our burdens. You see, He wanted us to give Him our burdens. He wants us to lay them at the foot of the cross. One thing more. Many of us lay them down only to return shortly to pick them back up again. Remember, once you give things to God, they are His. Do not try to take them back. Let go and let God!
So, what does this all mean? It means that we need to go to Jesus with our life plans while we are still in the planning stage. If we go to Him, He will stop us from taking on too much, going the wrong way and being overburdened. When we follow His plan for our lives, He will make the path easier and our burdens lighter. Will you follow Jesus? He is your Rest!
Lord, thanks that You offer us rest in many ways. Help us to find our strength and rest in You. We have everything we need in You. Let us take time to be quiet and hear Your voice. In Jesus name we pray!