Rest For Your Soul

       The Creator of the Heavens and the earth understands the burdens that we carry. The fact that you grumble, whine, pray, fast and it seems nothing is happening to the size of those burdens does not mean He is not aware of them. If you are in such situation beloved, trust Him and drop them at His feet without cost or any hidden charge! These burdens may either be legitimate or illegitimate, however, in all of these, He does not judge us, rather He tells us to “Come” to Him with them and surrender them at His feet: “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28). This rest invitation does not carry conditions except to believe Him and surrender the burdens, and He promises to grant rest to those that will obey. So many have come and are coming to the Master Jesus Christ with their burdens and He gives them rest in exchange for their burdens. But this is not where the story should end for these ones. Jesus Christ did not only come to take our burdens away but to recreate man in His likeness. 

       So many today desires to have their burdens taken away and once it is done, they rush back to their old lives. No wonder the pews are filled with people that had brief encounters with God with no corresponding change in their lives. This is not just happening. The Bible gives an account of a man called Simon the sorcerer in Samaria. He considered himself great because he was successful in his sorcery practices. In fact people began to regard him as a “great power of God’ (Acts 8:9-25). He knew he was a lie! When the truth came, he surrendered his burdens and he was forgiven. The Bible says, he started following Philip and the other Apostles and was amazed at the miracles they wrought and not the message they preached. I dare say he didn’t listen! So many want the blessings of God but not His lifestyle; they drop the burdens but refuse to pick up His lifestyle which is easy and light. For us to understand that it is not just for us to become burden-free, Jesus Christ added: “Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light” (Matthew 11:29-30). The invitation is for everyone and not for some people! 

       Beloved, after those terrible burdens were taken off, God expects you to begin to learn from Him, to be like him and live like Him. Simon the sorcerer wanted the hype of following and he was cursed. Same with so many today, we want the hype and glamour of following without the sacrifice of living for Him by learning from Him. Not so, we must all “take up” His yoke. The act of taking up means we will actively and consciously make up our minds to learn from Him in our daily living. The fact that you are proud, arrogant and the likes is because you are yet to learn from His heart which is ‘gentle and lowly’. Beloved, Jesus Christ is coming; He is coming with His reward, to take every man that looks like Him to Himself; not men that have their burdens ‘lifted’: “…We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see him as He is. And everyone who has this hope purifies himself just as He is pure” (1John 3:2b-3). Therefore, let’s make every effort to get rest for our souls by taking up His yoke and learning from Him: “Thus says the Lord: ‘Stand in the ways and see, and ask for the old paths, where the good way is, and walk in it; then you will find rest for your souls…” (Jeremiah 6:16a). May the Lord expand His word in you and give you the grace to walk in His truth to the end in Jesus Christ name! God bless you.