Now or Never: Daily Promise 12
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“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 (NIV)
It’s already Day 12 of our Now or Never Promise Series. Whether you’ve just begun the journey today or you’ve been with us from the beginning, I hope you are experiencing the life-changing power of God’s Word as you meditate on His promises. The truth of God’s Word will affect the way you think, and the way you think will impact the way you act. What promises have made the greatest impact in your life so far? I love the promise for today. It’s a great one to memorize and remember! Look at it again. It’s a personal invitation from Jesus, Himself. He said, “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.”
As with most promises, there is a simple condition. We have a part to play. Our part is simply to come to Christ. In order to benefit from this promise, we must respond to His invitation to come. So how about it? Are you feeling tired, worn out, and stressed? Listen closely to what Jesus says in today’s promise, and you’ll experience real rest!
The invitation to come to Jesus is the most profound honor and privilege given to every man! It’s a personal invitation. Jesus didn’t come to start a religion. He came to offer us a relationship with God. He said, “Come to Me.” Have you come to Christ? I’m not asking if you’ve come to church or Bible study. In fact, there were many religious scholars in Jesus’ day who had done both and yet were weary, worn out, and burned out on religion but didn’t know what else to do or where else to go. Some even thought their knowledge of Scripture would save them. To them, Jesus said, “You diligently study the Scriptures because you think that by them you possess eternal life. These are the Scriptures that testify about me, yet you refuse to come to Me to have life.” John 5:39-40 (NIV)
Trusting your Bible for eternal life would be like trusting a flight schedule to get you from one destination to another. The flight schedule can’t fly you there. You can memorize it, write songs about it and sing them beautifully, even emotionally, in an airport, but you will remain in the same spot until you board the plane. Only the plane can fly you, and only Christ can give you life! “Come to Me,” Jesus says. Come to a person, not a principle or program. Come to Me. This is intimately personal. The very God who made you longs to share a relationship with you. You were made by God, and you were made for God. Have you come to Him? Even the cry of God in the Old Testament was the same. In Isaiah 1:18 (NIV), God says, “‘Come now, let us reason together,’ says the LORD. ‘Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool.’”
Whether it’s running from God in sin or trying to catch up with God through good works, both will wear you out. If you’re tired, worn out, or burned out on religion, come to Christ. He invites you now. I love the way The Message paraphrases this promise. It says, “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.”
Who would possibly turn down an invitation like that? So, have you come to Christ? If not, pause from reading further and respond now to His invitation. Just say, “Jesus, I come to You right now. Thank You, God, for the simplicity of this promise. When I come to Christ, I find hope, love, joy, and rest! Help me to keep You first in my life. Teach me the unforced rhythm of grace as I keep company with You.”
Another important part of your daily devotional is spending time with God in prayer. The Woodlands Church Prayer Board lists prayer requests submitted by our members and provides a way to send them some encouragement by using a button on the page to let them know that you prayed for them. Whether you use the Prayer Board, or pray from your heart, the goal is to build the habit of incorporating prayer into your quiet time.
Need prayer yourself? Let us know by submitting a prayer request on the Woodlands Church Prayer Board.