…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)
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.
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