Weary and Heavy Laden

Come to Me, all 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 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).

I use to think the ‘weary and heavy-laden’ are those Christians who grow tired in ministry and service, who struggle with living the Christian life in a lost world. I was right to believe that, and I still do. But I have also come to understand that this invitation applies to those who grow weary and heavy-laden trying to earn their way into heaven through their particular religion or belief system.

The word ‘weary’ means ‘to labor’, but it carries the idea of working to the point of exhaustion. In the Greek construction of the phrase it means to continually work to the point of collapse. Are there people like that? Yes, there are. Many people believe that salvation and peace with God can be obtained by the religious things they do. So they go out every Saturday knocking on doors trying to persuade people to their religious point of view. Other ride their bicycles all over town knocking on doors trying to convince people to their particular religious point of view.

You’ve seen religious fanatics flog themselves until they bleed trying to earn forgiveness and salvation. Others will get down on their knees and climb up long, hard, and rough steps until their knees are bloody trying to earn forgiveness and salvation. I’ve even seen people nailed to crosses in their religious fanaticism trying to earn forgiveness and salvation. Foolishness? Yes.

“Well, you are no different than they are!” people say to me. Yes we are. They do what they do to receive salvation from Jesus. We do what we do because we have already received salvation from Jesus. They believe what they do will save them. We believe what Jesus has already done to save us. "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household" Paul and Silas said to the Philippian jailor (Acts 16:31). Come to Jesus, He will save you. Come to Jesus, He will answer your need. Why cripple yourself when you can have His grace and mercy and forgiveness free! He’s already paid for it. He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him, And by His scourging we are healed (Isaiah 53:5).

For the Christian, the invitation still applies. Many of us do grow weary in well doing, we do get tired and stretched thin in ministry. We can come to Jesus for His rest. We can call on Him for relief.

“Thank You Lord Jesus for Your great invitation that brought me to salvation and continues to bring me out of weariness and exhaustion into rest as I serve You. Your grace is always sufficient for me and I thank Your for that. To Your praise and glory I pray, Amen.”

Pastor