"Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on
religion?" (Matt. 11:28 MSG)
So many of us feel
burned out. Why? After all, Jesus came to give us rest for our souls!
I believe it is
because so many follow the Moses initiative. They try to "do" something
to earn their Salvation. And so they volunteer for so many things that
they burn out.
The problem is, whenever we meet people who
are trying to earn their salvation by keeping the commandments, they are
never happy!
Now comes the revelation: Jesus, the One who
never sinned, died on the cross. He paid the price for anyone
who wants to be saved. Jesus does everything for us. He cares! He 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." (Matt 11:28-30
MSG)
We have to ask ourselves if those who are
legalistic will be satisfied. They follow the law, expecting that their
good works will save them. They think they are better than others, and
they tend to wear out. Let's look at what Jesus says to us, especially
when we are worn out: "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." (Matt 11:28 MSG)
This is rest that only
Jesus can give! "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 11:29-30 NIV)
I was raised in a
Catholic church, but when I was 16 years old, my mother began going to a
legalistic protestant church. For the first time in my life I was
encouraged to read the Bible, and I thought this was great. Everything
looked beautiful. Unfortunately for us, we never learned that we could
"Come to me (Jesus), all you who are weary and burdened." (Matt. 11: 28
NIV), and it wasn't long before we began to feel worn out and burned
out. The problem was, we thought that a specific denomination could give
us peace of heart and mind. The Truth, however, is that denominations
cannot give us peace. Only Jesus can give us peace. He died for us so
that we would be saved. All we have to do is ask Him for His Salvation.
We need to accept Him as our Lord and Saviour, and then the door is open
for unending grace, unending peace, unending rest to be poured out upon
us!
Never forget that when Jesus came down from
Heaven, He did so to bring us grace!
Rob Chaffart