“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. 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.” Matthew 11:28-30 (The MSG)
For many people life is busy, busy with family life, busy with work, busy with ministry, busy dealing with the pressures of an illness, the loss of a loved one or the cost-of-living. The list could be endless. “Life is lifing” is a phrase that seems to be becoming more and more popular. It is a colloquial phrase that means life is happening, often with overwhelming challenges that are at times unpredictable and beyond one’s control. This is why the verses of Matthew 11:28-30 are very apt. The verses are a beautiful and wonderful invitation to us from Jesus, the Messiah, Son of the Living God.
Jesus asks the question, as translated in the Message bible, are you tired? worn out, burned out on religion? This is then followed by the simple yet profound statement “Come to me – Get away with me and you’ll recover your life”.
The statement is a call to action, it is the action of giving our life to Jesus, it is the action of giving our cares and worries to Him. It is the action of finding spiritual and mental rest in Jesus and as we do these things our life will be “recovered”. Isn’t that awesome! Have you ever been unwell and started to get better? or have you been in financial hardship and provision has been made and you have started to make a financial recovery. Isn’t it a great feeling? Imagine how great the feeling would be if we whole heartedly come to Jesus and have all areas of our life recovered by Him.
The word recovered carries the meaning of restoration, renewal, and healing. When we actively come to Jesus restoration, renewal and healing can come. Think about Psalm 23:1-3 (AMP) says.
“The Lord is my Shepherd [to feed, to guide and to shield me], I shall not want. He lets me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still and quiet waters. He refreshes and restores my soul (life); He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake.”
By coming to Jesus, with our daily worries we can find stillness, peace, and joy.
Currently, in many countries around the world, people are observing the season of remembering and reflecting on the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. This is a meaningful time to pause, be still, and reflect on the work of the cross and the invitation Jesus extends to us.
As bible believing Christians we recognise that Jesus was the Passover lamb for humanity. Through His sacrificial death on the cross Jesus took on the sins of mankind. Jesus took on the weight of our wrongdoing, so that we could be forgiven of our sins and have a pathway back to GOD. By repenting of our sins and asking for forgiveness through Jesus Christ individual restoration and reconciliation to GOD happens.
Significantly and amazingly the work of the cross does not end with Jesus’s death it continues pivotally with Jesus’s resurrection and ascension to heaven. Hallelujah, Jesus is Alive in heaven (Mark 16:19, Hebrews 10:12, Acts 7:55).
The work of the cross gives us (humanity) the opportunity to access eternal life. The work of the cross brings redemption, freedom, and liberty. Ultimately the work of the cross gives us LIFE.
So dear reader with this in mind, during this Passover season here is something to think about. Regardless of what situation you find yourself in, whether in the grips of the busyness of life or weighed down by the cares and burdens of life, whether you know Jesus as your personal Lord and Saviour or are yet to make that decision, Jesus is inviting you to come to Him. Jesus wants to show you how to have real rest in Him, Jesus wants all your worries and cares. Jesus wants to walk with you, Jesus wants to work with you, Jesus wants you to be free. The question is will you accept?
(The biblical accounts of Jesus’s death and resurrection can be found in the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.)
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