Daily Devotional

-December 28, 2020-

Good morning, happy Monday,

-Jesus Gives Rest For Our Souls And Our Bodies Too-

“Come to me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”

(Matthew 11:28-30).

In these days of high stress and anxiety, many health care professionals recommend that we get plenty of rest and sleep. Jesus, our Great Physician understands this need for physical rest, but also knows how even more important is our spiritual rest in Him. Mark 6:31 says, “And He said to them, ‘Come aside into a deserted place and rest awhile.’ For there were many coming and going, and they did not have time to eat. So they departed to a deserted place in the boat by themselves.” Often spiritual and physical rest go hand in hand.

In both spiritual and physical rest, the source of our help and rest is in Jesus. We notice that He said, “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” In our text today, Jesus gives three keys to rest for our souls which also apply to our bodies as well: Come to Me, take My yoke upon you, and learn from Me.

• Come to Me – Far too many people are seeking rest and peace in the wrong places. Only Jesus can save our souls and give us rest and peace. There is no greater rest that to be in Christ, forgiven of our sins, having eternal life. Hebrews 4:9-10 says, “There remains therefore a rest for the people of God. For he who has entered His rest has himself also ceased from his works as God did from His.” Being in this Coronavirus pandemic so long has caused so many spiritual, physical, mental, and emotional issues. Come to Jesus, He will give you true rest.

• Take My yoke upon you – When are yoked with Jesus there is no better place to be. There is greater strength when two animals are yoked or joined together such as in pulling a plow. Jesus said, “My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” He does the work and gives us the strength to carry on each day. Our Lord told Paul in 2 Corinthians 12:9, “…My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” We cannot do anything without Him, but we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us.

• Learn from Me for I am gentle and lowly in heart – We have so much to learn from Jesus. He is so patient with us. He is always gentle, kind, and loving toward us. We must depend on Him fully and not on ourselves. He wants the best for us so He brings trials into our lives to strengthen our faith.

Thank God we don’t have to make it on our own. Let us come to Jesus, take His yoke and learn from Him. The result is rest for our souls. May we also take time to rest our bodies as well. When we are yoked with Jesus we find rest and success in all we do. It requires we surrender to Him, submit to His will, and stay close to Him daily.

Have a blessed day in Jesus in His peace and rest. He will see us through. Stay safe and healthy

Dean