“‘Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 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 11:28-30)
Weariness is something that we’re all-too-familiar with. There are so many things that occupy our time, and many of us are in a perpetual state of tiredness. We often long for all these burdens to be lifted; we yearn for some sort of peace in the midst of our chaotic lives. But how? Where can peace be found when everything is so crazy around us?
The answer lies in Jesus. In Him is the only source of true, everlasting peace. We were created to serve Him, and it is only when we submit to His will and busy ourselves with His work that we can experience that peace. Early in His earthly ministry, He declared to all that He offers a light burden and an easy yoke. Working for the world is hard and unfulfilling; working for God is wonderful and utterly satisfying.
Now, it’s important to understand exactly what Jesus meant here. When He said that His yoke is easy, He didn’t mean that things will never be hard for us. What He means is that, when we’re truly submitted to Him and joyfully going about His work, we’ll realize that it’s what we were searching for all along. We try to find satisfaction in the things of the world, but it’s such a wearying search because we’re looking in all the wrong places. We wear ourselves out trying to gain the approval of the world, when the only One Whose opinion matters is standing right in front of us, holding out the work we’re longing for.
Serving God is not hard, in the sense that it drains us and leaves us feeling empty. It’s going to be difficult, yes, but how rewarding it is to one day look back over our labor and see what God has done through us. Because when we work for God, it is truly Him working in us, accomplishing His will through our humble obedience. Serving Him may not seem like an easy choice at first, but when you truly follow Him, I guarantee you that you will experience Him working through you in an incredible way. Then you will know for yourself just how light Jesus’ burden is.
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