“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” – Matthew 11:28
Is this you? Are you laboring, heavily burdened, and mentally or physically exhausted? Come to Jesus. He will give you rest. He is the rest you need. Lean on Him, pray to Him, pour out your heart to Him, cry out to Him. He knows and understands. He loves and cares. Let His Spirit refresh you.
If you keep reading in Matthew 11, you’ll learn that rest in Christ doesn’t look like kicking back at the beach. As Christians, our rest comes in binding ourselves to Him and working alongside Him. Our rest is found in nurturing the Holy Spirit within us and working in His power rather than our own. Our rest comes from doing the work Christ assigns rather than all the other stuff we keep piling on our backs.
Our rest is found in accepting the commands and burdens of obedience to Christ and refusing to take on additional burdens that don’t belong to us. We absolutely must do, serve, and live as Christ commanded, but we don’t need to take on extra burdens of Christian culture, adhere to false and legalistic religiosity, or carry guilt or penance for past sins or mistakes which Christ already forgave.
If, like many, you’re finding yourself weary, crushed, and nearly broken, stop what you’re doing and draw near to Jesus in prayer and worship. Lay your burdens at His feet and yoke yourself to Him to labor together for His Kingdom.