“Come unto 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.” Matthew 11:28-29

Have you ever felt stressed and weary like your strength is gone? Perhaps even right now...Today's  uplifting Bible passage is what I call “The Great Invitation.” In this Bible verse, Jesus beckons all who are stressed, weary and burdened (and aren’t we all stressed out at times?) to come to Him. Just come and you will be rejuvenated...

Jesus is the greatest antidote, the remedy for feeling stressed, burdened, and weary. He is the one who gives strength to the weary when their strength is gone, and all seems lost. For Jesus IS our strength—providing peace and respite for all who trust in Him. We need to learn to depend on and trust in Him. Jesus loves each of us unconditionally—and who doesn’t want to be loved?

Despite what some people may think, Jesus doesn’t put any limitations on who should come to Him, as His invitation is wide-open, available to all people from every background and walk of life. He is calling you and me!

So what does God want from us in our relationship with Him? If we take a simple look at The Great Invitation scripture and the following passage, we can easily see that we follow and serve an “if and then” God. In both the Old Testament and the New Testament, we see this over and over again. Here in this verse Jesus is saying to us, “If you come to Me, then I will give you rest.” What a promise! Clearly, a relationship with God is reflective of any relationship with others in that it is a two way street, and we all have expectations. Scripture is clear about God’s expectations for His people. For clarity, here is another example of our “If and then” God:”

“If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.”

2 Chronicles 7:14

In a big way, a relationship with Jesus is unlike any other relationship we will ever have. Who else can provide the strength, peace, comfort, protection, healing and eternal life that Jesus can?  Jesus is all-knowing, all-powerful, ever-present—and stands in wait for us to seek Him and follow Him. Who else could possibly do all that?

“The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and he helps me...”

Psalm 28: 6-7

With the Great Invitation, Jesus does not single anyone out because they are unworthy, unlovable or sinners. Rather, He welcomes all people, and simply tells us, especially those who are stressed, weary, and burdened, to “Come unto Me…and I will give you rest.” This invitation, directly from Jesus, is an ongoing one. It is extended to each of us, and intended to help us seek Him with all our hearts. As with all of scripture, Jesus’ words from the New Testament are relevant and true today, as they were when He first spoke them some 2000 years ago.

“...Those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.”

Isaiah 40: 29-31

Jesus’ Great Invitation in this life—and especially His unconditional Love for each of us, is never ending.  It is never too late to follow Jesus and experience His forgiveness, Love, peace, and strength in times of weakness, regardless of one’s past. In fact, many people first pray and seek Jesus out and begin to follow Him when they are in dire circumstances. Jesus is the Great Healer & Comforter, providing strength to His people, especially in times of greatest need. He is the one who restores our strength and our peace when we are stressed, weary, burdened, and yes—even broken. We simply need to turn to Him, and seek Him with all our mind and heart.  

Copyright 2022   |   Adele M. Gill

******************************************************

THE INSPIRATION CAFÉ BLOG & PODCAST

with Adele M. Gill

PODCAST: https://www.theinspirationcafeblog.net/podcast/

BLOG: https://www.theinspirationcafeblog.net/blog/

*****************************************************