Jesus said to come to him. In Matthew 11:28 He identifies Himself as the place of hope and as the provider of rest. He calls to himself those who are weary and heavy laden, and by that I think He is essentially calling all humanity to himself.
I know so many people who are weary. I know so many people who are burning the candle at both ends. It is so easy to wake up one day and find that we have bitten off more than we can chew. Between work life, home life, volunteering in the community, and a whole bunch of other responsibilities that pile up, we can easily become weary and heavy laden.
But when Jesus talks about people having a burden, I think it goes beyond the busyness to the issues of the heart. We ARE weary and heavy laden because we often find our sense of purpose IN our busyness. If our hope and purpose is primarily wrapped up in what we DO, we will always feel like we need to DO more.
So Jesus calls us all to himself and He promises REST! A rest that is ultimately about our souls. He is not promising a good night sleep, or the removal of responsibilities, but rather Jesus says that anyone who comes to Him will find a place for their SOULS TO REST.
At my core, I am at peace. Despite the crud and hot steaming messes of life, I rest in Jesus. I have a firm conviction that it will all work out in the end, because Jesus has promised that those who come to Him will have rest for their souls.
Life will be toil either way! But the knowledge that Jesus has forgiven me, makes my burdens lighter and the toil easier. And that is the very nature of grace. That Jesus has saved me by His death on the cross has changed me in a way that no amount of wearisome toil ever could!
Jesus has genuinely taken the burden of my salvation on His shoulders. He yoked up the cross on his own wide shoulders and carried it to the hill of Calvary. And there he took my shame, my guilt, my punishment on Himself!
Are you weary? Are you heavy laden? Are you carrying your own burden? Jesus is calling to you . . . Why not come to Jesus today? He promises to take up your burden and He will give you the rest that your soul is longing for!
