Great Promises of the Bible - Matthew 11: 28-29
Great Promises of the Bible:
Matthew 11:28-29
God's Word
Matthew 11:28-29
“Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 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” (Matthew 11:28-29).
The courageous Native American Chief Joseph fought a long and hard retreat before the relentless pursuit of the US Cavalry in the American Northwest. But it was finally enough. In his surrender speech he addressed his followers, “It is cold and we have no blankets. The little children are freezing to death. My people, some of them, have run away to the hills and have no blankets, no food. No one knows where they are – perhaps freezing to death. I want to have time to look for my children and see how many I can find. Maybe I shall find them among the dead. Hear me, my chiefs. I am tired. My heart is sick and sad. From where the sun now stands, I will fight no more forever.” Despite a heroism that caused even his enemies to admire him, Chief Joseph was worn out and he needed it all to stop.
Exhausted
It was to people who were spiritually exhausted that Jesus’ words of sweet invitation enfolded them like a warm blanket on a cold night. Any joy in their faith had been taken away by the heavy burden of enhanced law that they were to scrupulously observe. They were caught. To observe the law as the Jewish leaders taught was exhausting. To forego it was to be saddled with a sense of heavy guilt. How wonderful it must have been to hear Jesus say to them, “Come to Me all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” The struggle, the weariness are to be laid at the feet of Jesus.
Note that this is rest and not the sloppy sleepy indifference of laziness. It is not inactivity because work remains. It is not isolation, because a believer disconnected from his world fails to be salt or light. It is not a vacation away but the constant renewing and strengthening of the Spirit to stay. It is to find that hard to explain state where we are as content with our burden as we are without it. It is to realize that we do not carry grace but grace carries us.
Take My Yoke
Lest we be tempted to nod off in a chaise lounge somewhere, Jesus continued with a seeming contradiction. The soul at rest is to take up a yoke, the symbol of hard work! What could that mean?
The expression, “take up the yoke” in Jesus’ day was used to describe someone who had become a disciple. There is rest in being in synch with the Spirit of God as He teaches us the way of Christ.
The rest comes in accepting Christ’s way of life for us. Pride will chafe because nothing ever fits. But humility and yielding brings rest.
The yoke of Christ is well fitting. In order for oxen to properly do their work, it was necessary to custom fit their yokes. William Barclay shares that one of the legends about Christ was that before He began His ministry in Palestine, He was known for the well-fitted yokes He crafted in the carpenter’s shop. The legend says that outside of His shop a sign hung that said, “My yokes are gentle.” Barclay explains, “It is not that the burden is easy to carry; but it is laid on us with love; it is meant to be carried to love and love makes even the heaviest burdens light.”
Burden, but Not Burdened
To those who have no interest in having children, little ones can represent a tremendous burden that weigh a person down. The truth is, they are. But to the parent, the weight of their children is easily borne by the love in their hearts for them. While taking seriously the cost, the joys of parenthood increase as love is poured into the lives of another. I have never heard of a parent that kept an expense ledger to reckon his child’s worth. And we would think such a parent never deserved children at all. Love dictates paying the cost without an accounting. It is a well-fitted yoke to bear.
In a greater sense still, taking the yoke of Christ upon us is not to be enslaved but to be fitted to God’s greatest purposes for us. As a fish is meant for water and a bird for the air, a man or woman is meant to live in relationship with God through Christ. The yoke fits. We are at rest.
I met the Army when I was a young teen in Corry, Pennsylvania. The old Army hall was literally falling apart and soon after I first attended, it was condemned by the city. But what I remember most clearly was the motto above the altar: “Come unto Me all ye who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” Under that motto in that place I found the rest for my soul. The hall is long gone but the message remains. You, too, can find rest for your soul.
Our Corporate Prayer
Dear Father, So much can make me feel burdened. There are the normal cares of life such as finances, and family and health. Sometimes I feel overwhelmed by these because I don't know the answers. Help me to remember that nothing that happens to me comes as a surprise to You. Help me to be reassured by sayings like this of Yours that I can find rest in You but not only rest but work. I don't want to just sit around and do nothing. I want to be useful for Your kingdom. So help me to find my most comfortable place in the yoke you place upon me. I love You, Lord. Thank You for loving me. In Jesus' name. Amen.
Our Worldwide Prayer Meeting
Russia Territory
Reaching Out to Others
Find someone this week who is doing a common task - a cashier, a clerk, a maintenance worker - and thank that one. Be sure to add a "God bless you."
Notable Quotables
God cannot give us a happiness and peace apart from Himself, because it is not there. There is no such thing. - C.S. Lewis
A great old gospel song reminds us that peace is not dependent upon our circumstances. "It is Well with My Soul."