Jesus said, “Come to Me all you who are weary and 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.” Matthew 11:28-29
What a stark contrast. Weariness or rest. Being heavy laden or absolute peace. So, if you who are reading this devotional are anything like me, why do we carry our own burdens? Why do we think we can handle our burdens all by ourselves? I know I can handle them… wrong again.
What does Jesus mean to find “rest” rather than to be heavy ladened or weary? My burden is self-made. I did it. I carry it. I know I can handle it. My burden is self-made and it can crush me if I will carry it too long by myself. It may even destroy me and Jesus knows this.
Jesus offers us His solution. He offers His rest which is release from my self-made burden. When I trust the Lord rather than keep on doing what I have always done in my own imperfect, frail strength, it is here I find rest and peace. So why don’t I go to the Lord more quickly?
Let me go just a little bit further. What is my burden and why am I heavy laden? Truly it is not on the outside but in me, on the inside. The burdens attack my heart, mind, and soul. Truly my greatest and worst burden is the sin of pride. This self-love, self-adoration, self-exaltation is an awfully heavy burden to bear.
When I set myself up as my own little god, I begin carrying a terribly destructive burden. I deceive myself, because I think it is ok to carry this pride of self yet it fatigues me, corrupts me, and harms me way more than I realize.
What then does Jesus invite us to do?
- Go to Jesus and talk with Him about our pride issues.
- Ask Jesus to help you with being overlooked, slighted by someone, puffed up when you have done something terrific, not invited to an event, overloaded with no recognition, etc.
- Tell Jesus all about your pride issues. He already knows and is waiting to deliver us and provide His rest, His meekness which is “God’s strength in you and me.”
- So come on, humble yourself, and cease to care what others think about you. Only one opinion matters and that is God’s opinion.
A.W. Tozer said, “The meek man is not a human mouse afflicted with a sense of his own inferiority. Rather, he may be in his moral life as bold as a lion and as strong as Samson; but he has stopped being fooled about Himself. He has accepted God’s estimate of his own life. He knows he is as weak and helpless as God has declared him to be… in himself, he is nothing; in God, everything.”
So, my friends, may we humble ourselves and stop caring what others think. My audience and yours is God. Jesus has given all of us a precious invitation… COME TO ME… will we? Today, if you are carrying that arm load of burdens by yourself- stop- turn to Jesus and ask Him for His peace. You will receive His goodness, grace, and rest. So, be blessed by God.