Matthew 11-12.2.22

Scripture

Matthew 11:28

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”

Observation - What does it say?

Jesus began speaking to the crowd that was around him. After addressing them about John the Baptist and the importance of repenting if you’ve witnessed God’s miracles, he speaks to those who are weary.

Do you find yourself tired as you read this? Do you find yourself weighed down? Jesus extends an open invitation to you. The invitation is to “all,” meaning no one is excluded from this encouragement to come. And he promises to give you rest.

Understanding - What does it mean?

If we aren’t experiencing rest and relief from our burdens, it’s our own fault.Jesus has extended the invitation and promise; the ball is in our court. Unfortunately, too often we find ourselves weary and burdened but rather than responding to the invitation to come to Jesus, we seek alternative solutions (anything we turn to first, instead of Jesus, is an idol) – from alcohol and prescription drugs that numb, to other people we’ve developed a dependency on, to binge watching on Netflix, to long naps in the middle of the day.

Ephesians 5:18 Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit,

Someone once paraphrased this saying, “Don’t get drunk to forget your problems, get filled with the Spirit to conquer your problems!" It may not be getting drunk, but fill in the blank with what you tend to turn to in effort to forget your problems. Why not come to Jesus and find true rest and true peace?

Life Application

Choose to come to Jesus. As I write this, I’m feeling pretty overwhelmed and exhausted. It’s been a long week, lots of stuff going on that has been draining. And, as I look ahead there are some things happening over the several days that are weighing on my shoulders…. So this verse is really hitting home today.

God, thank you so much for this amazing invitation and promise! We take our eyes off of all that is going on around us and put them on you. We lay ourselves at your feet and ask for you to fill us with your Spirit to overflowing. You alone give us peace and rest. You alone give us strength for today. Forgive us for turning to other things. We repent and choose you today! Thank you for the peace and strength I feel even as I type this! Amen.

- Levi Thompson