Come To Me, All You Who Are Weary And Burdened…

…and I will give you rest. (Matthew 11:28 NIV)

Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” Jesus simply says, “Come to me.” This is an open invitation to all who are weary and burdened to come to Jesus and receive His rest.

This is a guest post by Beth Harris. She is a wife, mother, Bible study leader and volunteer editor for markalanwilliams.net.

I grew up in the Catholic Church and regular confession of sins and penance was required. Penance varied based on the sin and it always felt punitive, although it didn’t deter me from continuing to sin. I would confess my sins to the Priest and he would tell me how many “Our Father’s” and “Hail Marys” to pray. At 8 years of age, I found myself in a cycle of sin, guilt, confession, prayer and repeat. By the time I was a teenager, my family quit attending church.

Then in my 20’s as I was searching and struggling; I began to notice the joy, freedom and purity of born again Christians and I was secretly envious. I thought perhaps they were just better at living good lives or maybe they hadn’t sinned to the degree I had. I desperately wondered how I could be like them.

Finally, I understood that Jesus and His death provided the way for sinners to come back to God. I received Him into my life and the weariness and burden lifted from me as He gave me rest.

Will you come to Jesus?

Jesus is urging and calling anyone who is willing to come and approach Him. The invitation is open to all. Because of Jesus’ sacrifice for our sins, we can be reconciled to God.

Come to Jesus and put your faith and trust in Him.

Isaiah 45:22 says, “Turn to me and be saved, all the ends of the earth! For I am God, and there is no other.” (ESV)

The Spirit and the Bride say, “Come.” And let the one who hears say, “Come.” And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who desires take the water of life without price. (Revelation 22:17 ESV)

Are you weary?

Those who are weary can come to Jesus. He refreshes the weary, satisfies the faint and renews the strength of those who are weak. In fact, His power is more clearly demonstrated in weakness.

• Jeremiah 31:25 says, “I will refresh the weary and satisfy the faint.” (NIV)

• Isaiah 40:31 says, “But those who trust in the LORD will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint.” (NLT)

2 Corinthians 12:9 says, “Each time he said, ‘My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.’ So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me.” (NLT)

Are you burdened?

Maybe you are bearing the heavy burden of sin, shame or guilt. Come to Jesus and He will forgive your sins.

Those striving to obtain forgiveness through works or self-righteousness can come to Jesus. If you are burdened with keeping various requirements, demands, traditions and rituals to achieve right standing with God, come to Jesus to receive His forgiveness, righteousness and rest.

God loves us, and we can have peace with Him through Christ’s finished work on the cross for us. Jesus’ sacrifice was sufficient to satisfy God’s righteous requirement for our sins.

Come to Jesus with all your cares and burdens.

We can give our cares and burdens to the Lord because He is able to bear them for us. Jesus offers us grace and He can lift our burdens, rather than adding to them.

• Matthew 11:30 says, “For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” (NIV)

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• Psalm 55:22 says, “Cast your burden upon the LORD and He will sustain you; He will never let the righteous be shaken.” (NIV)

Praise be to the Lord, to God our Savior, who daily bears our burdens.” (Psalm 68:19 NIV)

Jesus is patiently waiting to give you rest. If you are weary and burdened, come to Him today and find forgiveness, rest and refreshment.

• Psalm 116:7 says, “Let my soul be at rest again, for the LORD has been good to me.” (NLT)

• Matthew 11:29 says, “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.” (NIV)

I am reminded of the hymn, Softly and Tenderly by: Will L. Thompson pub. 1880

Here are some of the lyrics. I encourage you to click on the link above to read them all.

Softly and tenderly Jesus is calling, Calling for you and for me; See, on the portals He’s waiting and watching, Watching for you and for me.

Refrain: Come home, come home, You who are weary, come home; Earnestly, tenderly, Jesus is calling, Calling, O sinner, come home!

Are you weary and burdened?

Have you accepted Christ as your personal Lord and Savior? Please click here if you would like to do so now.

Your thoughts are welcome! You can leave a comment below.

Help Spread the Word!

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I Am Still In The Land Of The Dying;

I shall be in the land of the living soon.—John Newton

We are still in the land of the dying because death is an inevitable reality for everyone. Even so, death is sometimes shrouded in mystery and the idea of dying for some is incredibly scary. However, because of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, death need not be mysterious nor fearful for those who believe.

In fact, for believers, death is not the end, but a transition; and just the beginning of life in the land of the living.

This is a guest post by Beth Harris. She is a wife, mother, Bible study leader and volunteer editor for markalanwilliams.net. 

Prior to becoming a believer in my 20’s I didn’t think about dying or death. It seemed so distant and something reserved for the aged. Now, nearly 30 years later, I often think about aging and living in the land of the dying.

Recently, I was attending a celebration of life with my mother and I gently asked her what preparations she would like me to make for after her departure. Of course, I am hoping that she has plenty of life still left to live. But, even though she is a Christian, she would not discuss any of the details with me. I couldn’t even get her to give me a song that she would like to have sung. She simply refused to think about or discuss the matter with me. She just said that she didn’t want any fuss made and she wasn’t planning to leave any time soon.

Most people don’t want to think about dying or death. But, we live in the land of the dying, because sin entered the world and the human race (Genesis 3:1-24). Life here is precious, fleeting and temporary.

Even though dying and death are certain, they still remain taboo subjects. They are considered morose, dark and negative topics.

Still, we are only given one life, and its length is unknown, therefore to not consider that we’re in the land of the dying is to deny reality and neglect the eternal welfare of our souls.

We should never take our own lives and there is help and treatment available for depression. Please get help if you are depressed or immediate help if you or others are suicidal.

God is sovereign over everything, including time and life. The Bible says that God has an appointed time for each of us to be born and a time for us to die.

Ecclesiastes 3:1-2 reminds us of this truth:

For everything there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven. A time to be born and a time to die. A time to plant and a time to harvest. (NLT)

We need to accept that we are still in the land of the dying. Coming to terms with our own mortality is extremely beneficial and can hopefully direct us to the Lord and give us peace.

We need to  know what happens to our souls after this life and if we are going to hell or heaven.

Specifically, there are some very important questions to ask and answer to help prepare us for our departure.

1. Have we made peace with God by accepting Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior?

Romans 5:1 says, “Therefore, since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us.” (NLT)

• Do we know that our sins are forgiven, and have we received the free gift of eternal life through the blood sacrifice of Jesus on our behalf?

• Do we personally know Him, and have we accepted Him as our Lord and Savior?

• Are we trusting in Him alone for our salvation and nothing else?Do we have assurance of our salvation?

2. Are we living for Jesus until He returns or calls us home to heaven?

Even if we have accepted Christ as our Lord and Savior, but perhaps drifted away we can pray a prayer of recommitment to follow Him. Are we…

• …growing as followers and Disciples of Christ?

• …fruitful for Him and His Kingdom?

• … serving and living for Him?

A yes answer to these questions can remove the fear of dying and death; replacing it with trust in the Lord and peace.

Psalm 23:4 says, “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.” (ESV)

Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might break the power of him who holds the power of death–that is, the devil–and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death.” (Hebrews 2:14-15 NIV)

Christians can know that while we are still in the land of the dying, because of Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross, we shall one day be in the land of the living. This is especially comforting, if we are going through a difficult time because we can know that it’s only temporary.

1 Corinthians 15:54-55 says, “When this body that decays is changed into a body that cannot decay, and this mortal body is changed into a body that will live forever, then the teaching of Scripture will come true:

“Death is turned into victory! 55     Death, where is your victory? Death, where is your sting?”

56 For sin is the sting that results in death, and the law gives sin its power. 57 But thank God! He gives us victory over sin and death through our Lord Jesus Christ.” (NLT)

God gives us victory over death through Jesus Christ!

Do you know if you will be going to the land of the living?

Have you accepted Christ as your personal Lord and Savior? Please click here if you would like to do so now.

Your thoughts are welcome! You can leave a comment below.

Help Spread the Word! If you found this article helpful, we’d love for you to share it with others on social media or otherwise. This will help get the Word in front of more people who need biblical guidance. Thanks for your help!

I am still in the land of the dying; I shall be in the land of the living soon. –John Newton | CLICK TO TWEET

For more FREE Inspirational Quote Cards you can use and share click HERE

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Comparison Is The Thief of Joy -Theodore Roosevelt

Comparison is the thief of joy, because it usually results in two possible outcomes; either a sense of superiority or inferiority. If we think we’re better than others, we may become prideful and if we think we’re less than others, we may be tempted to envy and jealousy; which can lead to coveting.

Whether we are prideful or jealous we are endangering ourselves, because left unchecked these sins can result in negative consequences.

This is a guest post by Beth Harris. She is a wife, mother, Bible study leader and volunteer editor for markalanwilliams.net.

As a young child, I compared myself with others and always felt like I didn’t quite measure up. I would like to say that I no longer struggle with comparison, but that wouldn’t be true. I still struggle with comparison. For example, I think if only I had what they have; then I would be content. But, would I? A desire fulfilled is often disappointing and soon replaced with another.

However, I’m so thankful that when I do give in to comparison, the Holy Spirit convicts me and empowers me to stop. Comparison is a trap that we are wise to avoid. The best antidote for comparison is to develop qualities of humility, contentment and gratitude, with the Lord’s help.

Comparison is the thief of joy, because when we compare ourselves to others; we will either feel superior or inferior.

Comparison is harmful when it causes us to feel superior to others; because we may have an exaggerated sense of self-worth or importance. People may not enjoy our company. Arrogance is unattractive and  the Bible has a lot to say about the dangers of pride and the benefits of humility.

• Proverbs 16:8 says, “Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall.” (NIV)

• Proverbs 29:23 says, “Pride brings a person low, but the lowly in spirit gain honor.” (NIV)

• James 4:10 says, “Humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will exalt you.” (NIV)

Comparison is the thief of joy, when it causes us to feel inferior to others. We may feel less than and sub-standard to others. We may be imagining that others have better lives than we do, but often times we’re not seeing the whole picture.

It can be difficult to avoid comparison with social media and the fact that most images are altered or enhanced in some way.

Comparison is the thief of joy, because when we compare ourselves to others, we are looking to them instead of God for our self-worth. This may result in envy and jealousy; which can lead to coveting, ingratitude, anger and bitterness.

We may think God is holding out on us and ask why don’t we have more blessings?

The Bible has a lot to say about envy and jealousy:

• 1 Peter 2:1 says, “Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind.” (NIV)

• Proverbs 14:30 says, “It’s healthy to be content, but envy can eat you up.” (CEV)

• Proverbs 27:4 says “Anger is cruel and fury overwhelming, but who can stand before jealousy.” (NIV)

So, what can we do? We can approach comparison as something that needs to be conquered.

We can confess our sin and ask to be filled with the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 5:18-20). We can rely on Him to produce His wonderful fruit in our lives, including joy (Galatians 5:22-23). He can help us to give thanks for our blessings and for those He gives to others as well.

It’s not easy to change, but as with any sin, the Lord is willing and able to help us.

So then, is comparison ever appropriate? Yes, we can compare ourselves with the Word of God!

The Bible says we should evaluate ourselves honestly; having a humble and accurate view of ourselves.

“Because of the privilege and authority God has given me, I give each of you this warning: Don’t think you are better than you really are. Be honest in your evaluation of yourselves, measuring yourselves by the faith God has given us.” (Romans 12:3 NLT)

It’s helpful to realize that all of our blessings are gifts from God, thus instead of pride and jealousy, we can practice contentment and thanksgiving to God instead.

1Timothy 6:6-8 says, “But godliness with contentment is great gain. 7 For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. 8 But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that.” (NIV)

Contentment is great gain, while comparison is the thief of joy.

Do you struggle with comparison?

Have you accepted Christ as your personal Lord and Savior? Please click here if you would like to do so now.

Your thoughts are welcome! You can leave a comment below.

Help Spread the Word!

If you found this article helpful, we’d love for you to share it with others on social media or otherwise. This will help get the Word in front of more people who need biblical guidance. Thanks for your help!

Comparison is the thief of joy. –Theodore Roosevelt | CLICK TO TWEET

For more FREE Inspirational Quote Cards you can use and share click HERE

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NOTE: Facebook is random. Email is reliable. Subscribe via email and you won’t miss any of my articles, podcasts or videos. You’ll also get my eBook: 10 Prayers to Unlock Heaven on Earth