“I will give you rest.” This is what we all want, and we all need. Why don’t we have this rest; why don’t we have His peace?
Jesus starts this mini speech by lamenting the lack of faith that was in Capernaum, Korazin, and Bethsaida – the towns where He did most of His work, teaching, and healing. They saw, but they did not believe. Why do we not believe – even when we see?
God has revealed Himself to everyone – in creation, in the whisper of the heart, in conscience, in the work of the Holy Spirit. The Lord calls to each of us – why do so many not respond? Why do I not respond when God is trying to change me, even now, to greater levels of closeness to Him? Why do I hold on to my old ways?
It is about the “burden”. Jesus says His burden is light. But sometimes I hold on to my burdens – because I am used to them, because they are part of my identity, because I think I need to be carrying a heavy burden to be better than others or acceptable to God. So I lose the intimacy that Christ wants to have with me. Christ is the One who came to do what we can’t do – He died and rose again; His burden is light. I don’t have to earn salvation – I need to accept His love, repent of my ways (doing wrong AND trying to earn my way back), and follow Him. It is so simple that so many people can’t lay their burdens down.
Today, I want to let go, and let God work in my life.
http://nlt.scripturetext.com/matthew/11-20.htm
