Come Unto Me

In Matthew 11:28 Jesus said, "Come unto me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." 

God wants us live lives that are fully consumed in serving him. He wants us to be complete in Him. Oswald Chambers wrote, "It is never God's will that we should be anything less than absolutely complete in Him." 

However, sometimes the cross does get heavy, and COVID-19 sure hasn't helped. Our lives our full of unrest. God has called us to peace. He is the God of peace. I have to ask, how often do we settle for unrest? We know that we can live better, but we just struggle to get beyond our molehill of self-pity. From what I have learned in life, our burdens always seem harder to carry than they truly are, when we are dwelling in our molehill. There are two types of burdens...

1) Burdens Meant to be Carried -- Believe it or not, but oftentimes God does want us to carry burdens through life that may seem unpleasant. His intentions for us are that, under the weight of the burden we will grow in our faith and our relationship with Him. Remember, Paul asked three times for the "thorn in the flesh" to be removed. Yet, God did not grant him his wish. We may never understand why we were meant to carry it, but God will always mean it for good.  

Paul found this to be true "And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me." 

2) Burdens Meant Not to Carry --  We, as humans, can make mountains out of molehills. The devil sends doubts & troubles our ways. *NOTE: Your amount of spirituality will not keep you from doubting castle. John the Baptist, the man who prepared the way for the Messiah, got to a place where he asked, "Is this the Messiah or do we look for another?" He lost sight of Christ, because he set his focus on his circumstances. 

Even the greatest of saints face deep darkness. Christ will not forsake us. In fact, He uses these times in our lives to draw us to Himself. Lay your burdens at his feet. He has given you permission in this precious promise, "Cast all your cares upon him, for he careth for you."

No matter the weight of the burden, we all need time in our lives to rest. It is not considered lazy or selfish to give yourself a break once in a while. When we take time for ourselves, God helps us to grow. So the next time you feel tired, remember Matthew 11:28; "Come unto me...and I will give you REST."