Escaping the Heavy Burdens of Life

Matthew 11:28

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

Jesus invites all of us who labor and are carrying burdens to come to Him.  He proclaims that He will provide us with the rest that we need.  At some level, we all take on the heavy burdens of this world.  Without a doubt, we all seek to escape from the stress filled grind that most of us endure. 

The moment that we receive our salvation the abundance of God's grace is available to us through His Son, Jesus Christ.  All we have to do is to submit to Jesus Christ and allow His Spirit to guide all that we do.  Our peace awaits us. 

But be assured that "I will give you rest" does not mean "I will hold your hand while you lay in bed languishing in your burdens".  It means "I will pull you out of the half dead state that you are in.  I will pull you from the depravity of your sins and the oppression of the enemy.  I will give you the spirit of life.  You will find your rest in vital and sinless activity."

Why do we insist on hanging on to the old things that do nothing but hinder our progress toward finding the rest that is promised to us?  Why do we accept anything less than the full measure that God has set aside for us?  It is all about our commitment.  When we come to Jesus, we are committing to leave everything of this world behind in exchange for a personal relationship with Our Savior.

Prayer

Heavenly Father, we thank You for providing a refuge for us - a place where we can be free from the burdens that the world tries to lay on us.  We praise You for providing the comfort that we can find nowhere else except through our relationship with Your Son, Jesus.  May we be drawn by the Holy Spirit to respond to the words of promise, "Come unto me."  May we learn to live our lives in the vitality and might that You offer us in Christ.  We ask all these things in the name of Our Comforter, Jesus Christ.