Come to Me

 “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. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

— Matthew 11:28-30

Gracious Lord Jesus, my friend and my King,

Pastoring is hard work. There are times, like today, when I feel weary and burdened. The NKJV says, "all you who labor and are heavy laden." 'Labor' implies the burdens we take upon ourselves. 'Heavy laden' implies the burdens others put on us. Today I feel the weight of both. Your solution is "Come to Me." Your invitation is to all, but today your words are just to me. For me to "come". To move from where I am, under the weight of ministry and the demands of others and to move towards You. Your invitation is to come to YOU. There is no other person or destination I need. No other object or distraction that will satisfy. For it is You and You alone who promises me REST.

You offer an exchange: "Drop your burdens here at my feet and take my yoke upon you. Learn from Me." The Message version says it so beautifully: 

“Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.”

Lord Jesus, that is my desire today. I choose to come to You. To get away with you and recover my life. Would you show me today how to take a real rest? I desire rest that reaches deep into my soul. I exchange my weariness and the burdens I carry for Your unforced rhythms of grace. Let me walk with you, learn from you, and keep company with you to learn how to live this life freely and lightly.

In Jesus' Name I pray, Amen!

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