" Come to Me, all you who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am 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

When Jesus walked on this earth the church was consumed with religious laws and self righteousness. They paraded around in their religious garments full of pride which God hates. Why does God hate pride so much? I believe because pride destroys relationships. A prideful person is totally consumed with themselves. Jesus defines Himself as humble in heart which is totally opposite of what religion represents. Let’s look at what Matthew wrote in 23:1-5:

Then Jesus spoke to the crowds and to His disciples, saying:
"The scribes and the Pharisees have seated themselves in the chair of Moses; therefore all that they tell you, do and observe, but do not do according to their deeds; for they say things and do not do them. They tie up heavy burdens and lay them on men’s shoulders, but they themselves are unwilling to move them with so much as a finger. But they do all their deeds to be noticed by men; for they broaden their phylacteries and lengthen the tassels of their garments."

The general population was oppressed by laws impossible to uphold by the scribes and Pharisees which were the religious leaders of the day. They hated Jesus, the Son of God, and saw to it He was crucified. Let this be a warning for us all to beware of people who claim to be Christians, but have corrupted motives for their deeds as these religious leaders did. I pray my readers will hunger for the truth enough to take time to look up the scripture references to make sure they are in context in order to get the whole truth. Jesus warned the crowds not to become like them. Let us have ears to hear that same warning today, and to examine what we are being taught by the Words of Jesus Himself. You must become a student of the Bible to be able to discern the truth.

Please notice what a different Spirit Jesus had. It was totally opposite of the religious spirit. Read our verse again. Hear His heart to us: "Come to Me." He wants you.
"All who are weary and heavy burdened." No one is excluded. We all qualify as we all become weary and heavy laden in this life.
"And I will give you rest." He longs to relieve us of the burdens and give us rest from it all. He lets us know how approachable He is!
"For I am gentle and humble in heart." In His love and compassion He has for us, we certainly can find rest for our souls.
"My yoke is easy and My burden is light." If we come to Him as we are, and we repent, if need be, for what has made us weary and heavy laden, He can remove it all from us. That is what He came the first time to do. He told us He did not come to judge or condemn the world of humanity, but to save it.

He is a God full of compassion. If you go to chapter 12, and read the episode of His disciples eating grain as they walked through the fields, because they were hungry, they were immediately condemned by the Pharisees who saw it. You must take the time to read Jesus’ full response, but he concludes with these words in verse seven:

"But if you had known what this means, ‘I desire compassion, and not a sacrifice’, you would not have condemned the innocent."

God is love. The reason Jesus says His yoke for us is easy and His burden is light is because He paid the price for that to be so in our lives. Take time to read Isaiah 53 in its entirety. Isaiah 53:3-6 reads:

"He was despised and forsaken by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; and like one from whom men hide their faces. He was despised, and we did not esteem Him. Surely, our griefs He Himself bore, and our sorrows He carried; Yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But 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. All of us, like sheep, have gone astray. Each of us has turned to his own way; But the Lord has caused the iniquity of us all to fall on Him."

Surely, after reading these scriptures you will honor Him by reading the full account of what He did for you and me on that cross in Isaiah 53. How anyone who gains a knowledge of the truth can reject God the Father, and His Son, who willingly chose to pay the price for our sins so we wouldn’t have to, I cannot understand. Who has ever loved you and me like He did and does? And If that wasn’t enough He sent His Holy Spirit to live inside of us refusing to leave us as orphans just after He ascended into heaven!

As we refer back to our devotional scripture, know this invitation is eternal. He always has His nail scarred arms reaching out to you asking you to come, and allow Him to love you; no matter your condition, you may come. There is no sin His blood cannot wash clean. However, you do have to repent of your sins which means to turn from your ways, and go in His direction to have abundant life. There is no pain of rejection and betrayal He cannot heal. No one will ever experience either to the degree He did for us. Do you feel unloved, not esteemed or valued by those you have given your life to? He understands. He was treated the same way while on this earth. He will right all the wrongs with the power of His love for you.

I want to close with a very sobering verse He has continued to use throughout my life:

"In repentance and rest you will be saved. In quietness and trust is your strength. But you were not willing."

Read this verse again. Hear the cry of the Father as He gives you His instruction for salvation and strength. God help us be willing.
In His love.

Teresa Roberts
www.masterpiecefitness.com

276-237-6680

Sharing photos of my youngest grandson, Stephen’s little boy, Caleb. He is such a little blessing, bringing his Mee-Maw great joy❣️