Come Find Rest

Matthew 11:28-30, 'Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.'

Life is very burdensome and each one of us carries a personal burden of some sort that sometimes pushes us even to our breaking points. We feel depressed and overwhelmed by the constant struggles, worries and anxieties of everyday life and are enticed to just give it all up and walk away from it all. And some do choose to walk away physically, mentally and emotionally, living sad, lonely and depressed lives; while others give up on life itself and sadly choose to take their life. And even those who do try to fight a good fight with life seem to be no better because they have to endure laboring in an unending cycle of ups and downs, wins and losses that is frustrating as much as it is depressing.

We have sought and are constantly seeking a way of ridding ourselves of this heavy burden, this yoke that threatens to destroy us from within; and many have indeed come to us with a promise of liberation. They claim to have found the way to do it, the way to true freedom from this burden once and for all. 

Wealth and fame, pursuit of total health, enjoying unrestrained carnal pleasures, spiritual emancipation and enlightenment, self esteem and positive thinking, and other similar new age pursuits have all been identified by the gurus of our time as being ways to free ourselves from what burdens us. Sadly, though they may seem to be working at the onset, it is all an illusion and ultimately we find ourselves bearing more burdens and entangled in more messes because of them. We end up being more depressed, anxious and wearisome.

The only way to identify the true way to freedom is to have a true knowledge and deep understanding of the root cause of this heavy burden we bear. The root of our heavy burden stem from the depth of our souls. We are tormented by feelings of guilt and condemnation through the pricking of our conscience, we are filled with apprehension about an impending judgment for the way we have chosen to live our lives, and we being mortal and short lived are plagued with an irrational longing for eternity.

In John 14:6, Jesus made the claim that He was the way, the truth and the life and in Him we have the freedom from our guilt and condemnation for there is now no condemnation for those who are in Him (Romans 8:1); In Him we have confidence of the coming judgment for by grace we have been saved from the judgment through our faith in Him, and not of ourselves but a gift of God (Ephesians 2:18); and In Him we are convicted that our desire for eternity is not irrational but are assured of eternal life in Him (John 3:16). 

In the verses preceding Matthew 11:28, Jesus was scolding the people living in cities that has witnessed the great signs and wonders He had done, yet hardened their hearts and refused to repent; that is, appreciating and acknowledging our natural tendency of being rebellious or contrary to God then make a proactive choice to turn away from this nature and live a life of trusting and obeying God. Yet at the end of this scolding, because He loved them, He called them to Himself, hoping that they had discerned the truth that He was the only way to God. 

When we come to Jesus with our heavy burdens, He takes them from us to give rest for our souls and invites us to put on His yoke upon us and learn from Him. We are to willingly choose to live our lives in submission to Him, allowing Him to be Lord and master in our lives. But we should not fear being subordinated to Him because He assures us that He is meek and humble. 

When I choose to submit to Him, He will teach me these two things: To love the Lord My God with all my heart, and with all my soul, and with all my mind, and with all my strength; and To love my neighbor as myself. (Matthew 12:30,31; Luke 10:27). 

Therefore the burden that He calls me to bear is of love. And as I lean on Him and continue to learn this, I will be begin to live a truly burden free life.

   

Friend, if you are overwhelmed by your burden and in need of rest, come to Jesus and you will find that much needed and appreciated rest.