I am reminded of the words of Jesus in Matthew 11:28-30:
“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.”
The past few years have been a real test of character for us as a Church, and for many of us personally as well. God has taken our commitment to Him and has gone about molding and shaping us for his purpose. The key, as described in this verse, is to keep coming back to Him no matter what life throws at us. To find absolute rest which is only found in Jesus, who is “gentle and humble in heart”.
The past few months for me have been particularly testing as negotiations surrounding our house in Rotorua have intensified greatly. It’s been draining stuff! Jesus’ words “weary” and “burdened” are very relevant, however they don’t ring nearly as loadly as those three short words, “come to me”. No matter what happens, Jesus is able to give us rest, comfort, life and hope in the midst of every circumstance if only we will go to Him.
It’s just the same for us as a Church. There’s SIGNIFICANT stuff happening for us: challenging and demanding stuff. Following a season of consolidation over the past year or so, God is starting to call us to action, and to a greater effort in His Kingdom work. But this is not “hard work” in the sense that we labour alone, no: we find rest in Jesus; he replaces our burden, which can be so hard to bear, with His, which He promises will be “light”. Jesus has proven to be trustworthy and so we can trust Him for the outcome.
Jesus said, “Come to me….”
How are we going to respond?
The past few months for me have been particularly testing as negotiations surrounding our house in Rotorua have intensified greatly. It’s been draining stuff! Jesus’ words “weary” and “burdened” are very relevant, however they don’t ring nearly as loadly as those three short words, “come to me”. No matter what happens, Jesus is able to give us rest, comfort, life and hope in the midst of every circumstance if only we will go to Him.
It’s just the same for us as a Church. There’s SIGNIFICANT stuff happening for us: challenging and demanding stuff. Following a season of consolidation over the past year or so, God is starting to call us to action, and to a greater effort in His Kingdom work. But this is not “hard work” in the sense that we labour alone, no: we find rest in Jesus; he replaces our burden, which can be so hard to bear, with His, which He promises will be “light”. Jesus has proven to be trustworthy and so we can trust Him for the outcome.
Jesus said, “Come to me….”
How are we going to respond?
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