“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28, ESV)
I am feeling a bit tired today. I have been busy. There is family stuff. There is work stuff. There is church stuff. There is life stuff. It all keeps you going. And sometimes you begin to feel weary and worn. You lack the energy. You lack the enthusiasm. You lack the passion. You are drained. You find it harder to get the motivation to do the things you once did. You feel like you are just going through the motions to get it all done.
Rest plays an important part in God’s plan for our lives. We need it! When we go back to the creation, God created a day specifically for “rest.” He later tells us to honor this Sabbath day and keep it holy. It is clear that rest is part of God’s will and desire for each of us.
In the New Testament, Jesus invites us to find “rest” in him. He tells us to come to him when we feel labored and heavy laden. He wants us to set down our burdens so that he can pick them up.
In the Book of Revelation, we are told that blessed are the dead who die in the Lord for they “rest” from their labors. We often talk about how those who die in faith enter into eternal rest. The point is that God ultimately created us for rest.
Even though God created us for rest, many of us fail to experience that rest on a daily basis. We continue hurried and stressed. We fail to take hold of what God desires for us. So in the next few posts, I am going to talk about finding rest in Jesus. How does Jesus accomplish that for us? How do we receive it from him?
Reflection
- Do you feel tired and weary? Why or why not?
- How do you find rest for you body and soul?
Prayer
Lord Jesus, thank you for giving me rest. Thank you for lightening my load and bearing my burdens. Give me the courage to lay down the things you never intended for me to carry. Give me faith to trust in you to handle the things beyond what you have called me to do. Amen.
Leave a Reply