Matthew 11:28-30 New American Standard Bible 1995
28 “Come to Me, all [a]who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. 29 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. 30 For My yoke is [b]easy and My burden is light.”
Word of God for the Children of God
Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.
Confession time …
Oh man, am I the king of all kings of setting unrealistic expectations or what!
Almost every day, I wake up with a mental to-do list that far exceeds the time the day ahead offers.
I often feel I’m starting at a deficit, enormously stressing myself out before my mind is alert, aware, my feet haven’t had the chance to hit my hardwood floors.
And then those special days, when things are supposed to be a little bit over-the-top, things are made even worse by my heightened sense of urgency.
Too many times, I’ve spent every available moment of my day in a “panicked ” state before realizing my lofty expectations did not match what the day held.
The sad part is that I missed out on what good the day offered because of grief over incomplete, unspoken, unrealistic, unfinished unnecessary expectations.
It’s so easy to over rationalize, imagine and even believe that our lives should be much grander than simply goal directed achievable practical realistic ones.
I like to imagine a much tidier life than what is possible with recovering from Open Heart Surgery and I am constantly struggling between what I want to see our home look like and what is possible with more organization in living space.
Ultimately, living with these overwhelming expectations is a part of our pride manifesting; we live with a clearly mistaken, premature belief that we are super people, able to do so much more than what we were designed to do, or that we should be served or of service in ways that we, others, may not be able to oblige.
Realistically, we must bring our plans to the Lord to find rest and contentment.
We are far too accustomed to laboring in vain on our own, but with Jesus, we can more closely trust him with the details, embrace his gracious gift of rest.
Are You Tired Out?
Matthew 11:25-30 The Message
25-26 Abruptly Jesus broke into prayer: “Thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth. You’ve concealed your ways from sophisticates and know-it-alls, but spelled them out clearly to ordinary people. Yes, Father, that’s the way you like to work.”
27 Jesus resumed talking to the people, but now tenderly. “The Father has given me all these things to do and say. This is a unique Father-Son operation, coming out of Father and Son intimacies and knowledge. No one knows the Son the way the Father does, nor the Father the way the Son does. But I’m not keeping it to myself; I’m ready to go over it line by line with anyone willing to listen.
28-30 “Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? 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.”
Jesus had been busy teaching, healing people, answering questions, and mentoring his followers.
Yet in spite of all his efforts, challenges remained.
There was not enough help to get the work done (see Matthew 9:37).
Even John the Baptist began to have doubts about him (see Matthew 11:3),
and in those places where Jesus had done most of his miracles, people refused to repent of their sins (Matthew 11:20).
It has been said,
“It’s not what life throws at you; it’s how you deal with it that makes all the difference.”
How did Jesus deal with discouragement?
In the moment, He drew close to God.
He praised God for his goodness and grace.
Jesus, whom the Bible says is “the exact representation of [God’s] being” (Hebrews 1:3), clearly knows the pressures and frustrations of our lives.
He constantly, continuously, invites us to come to him and learn from him, so that we too may have rest for our souls.
Life is not easy, but God is always good.
Let him lead, guide and direct your steps and give you the rest you need today.
In the name of God, the Father the Son and the Holy Spirit,
Praying …
Psalm 61 The Message
61 1-2 God, listen to me shout,
bend an ear to my prayer.
When I’m far from anywhere,
down to my last gasp,
I call out, “Guide me
up High Rock Mountain!”
3-5 You’ve always given me breathing room,
a place to get away from it all,
A lifetime pass to your safe-house,
an open invitation as your guest.
You’ve always taken me seriously, God,
made me welcome among those who know and love you.
6-8 Let the days of the king add up
to years and years of good rule.
Set his throne in the full light of God;
post Steady Love and Good Faith as lookouts,
And I’ll be the poet who sings your glory—
and live what I sing every day.
Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.
Loving God, Living God, Loving Hope, Living Hope, Loving Living Life His Way! "Many things are possible for the person who has hope. Even more is possible for the person who has faith. And still more is possible for the person who knows how to love. But everything is possible for the person who practices all three virtues." - Brother Lawrence (1605-1691), Practicing the Presence of God (1692). 