“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest … For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30
You can meet Jesus. We read, in the Gospel stories about many people who met Jesus face-to-face during his teaching and healing ministry, before his death and resurrection. And people are still meeting Jesus today through your actions, behavior, prayers, sharing of your faith and so on. Jesus is reigning in heaven, watching over the whole world, and he is present in our hearts and lives by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Jesus wants you to know him. He loves you, and he wants you to have peace, wholeness, and a sense of purpose and belonging. Jesus speaks directly to each one of us when he invites people who are weary and burdened to come to him to find rest. The early church leader Augustine prayed, “O Lord … our hearts are restless until they rest in you” — and that is true for us today too. Jesus longs for us to come to him and find rest. Jesus knows that we are tired of the sin in the world and that we are tired of our own guilt, our burdens, hurts, sorrows, fears, out of control things, and he offers us rest and freedom from those things.
There are some things that are hard about following Jesus. He calls us to love one another, and that can be difficult at times. But because Jesus is Lord of the universe and because he loves us all tenderly, he equips us with his love so that we can share this amazing gift. Follow Jesus, grow in his love and care, and the peace of God will be with you.
Prayer
Jesus, I want to have the peace that comes from knowing you. Come into my heart and into my life. Guide me in your ways, embrace me in your love, and help me to share it with others. Amen.
Stay encouraged!
Pastor Mike
[su_spacer]
