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The Most Delicious Invitation

Jesus extends the most delicious invitation in Matthew 11:28-30: 

“Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

“Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.

“For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”

Rest. 

How can one tiny word inspire visions of green pastures dappled in sunshine, a Pawley’s Island hammock swinging in an ocean breeze, and a sleep so deep that an elephant stampede can’t disturb it?

And how can yearning for this kind of rest make us feel more tired than ever? Bone weary, even, when we think about what we could have, but don’t. Like we’ve glimpsed the magic unicorn we know doesn’t exist, but wish it did.

But true rest isn’t an imaginary unicorn, it’s a real thing. 

How do I know? Because Jesus invites us to come, to bring our tired bodies, minds, and souls to him so He can transform them.

If you’re wondering how to position ourselves to receive His rest, these three verses show us how.

Come unto me.

Recharging begins with God, sharing our hopes, fears, and needs for the day. By dedicating our day to God, we invite him to work in and through us to accomplish His purposes. When we do, we can rest in confidence, knowing God’s will will be done. 
After we talk to God, then we allow Him to talk to us. The best way to hear God’s voice is through His Word. When we read our Bibles, sometimes a passage will speak into our need. We might find a promise to claim, a sin to confess, or an attribute of God to cling to. Coming to God every morning gives us the tools and perspective we need for the day.

I will give you rest. 

God has given us commands and principles in His Word to show us how to build healthy margins into our lives. These enable us to rest and recharge.

Work six days and take the seventh off (Exodus 34:21).

Don’t strive to be rich. Give some of your money away (1 Timothy 6:16-19).

Assemble regularly with other believers (Hebrews 10:25).

Get an adequate amount of sleep (Psalm 3:5).

Serve others (1 Peter 4:10). Value people over projects.

Take my yoke upon you and learn from me. 

A yoke is a device that allows two animals to work together. When we take Jesus’ yoke upon ourselves, we accept our unique and personal calling. No team of animals ever wears another team’s yoke. Similarly, God provides tools, gifts, and enabling to allow us to successfully accomplish the specific tasks He has called us—and only us—to do.

When we work within our gifts and callings, we partner with God to accomplish his purposes. When we fight against them or disparage our gifts, we, in essence, try to wear someone else’s yoke.

My yoke is easy and my burden is light.

The best part of Jesus’ yoke is that He partners with us to bear the load. When we submit to him by symbolically placing our head in His yoke, He yokes up with us. Working with him rather than against or without him, we can accomplish everything He wants us to do.

If you’re in need of rest today, come unto Him. . .

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