Come to Me, all (you) who labor/are weary and burdened/heavy-laden, 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/comfortable, and My burden is light. ~ Matthew 11:28-30 (This is a combination of these verses from the NASB & NKJV bibles.)
There’s an overused phrase that’s been around for a long time and it means a lot of things to a lot of people ~ Let Go and Let God. For me, it’s over-used to the point of being tired and irritating, but nonetheless, I used it as short-hand for a verse gathering project I started a few years back. It started with Ephesians 2:10 ~
For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.
There’s a lot to this little power-packed verse, but the 2 things that struck me initially were the astounding idea that God had “prepared beforehand” good works for us to do and more so that we are HIS workmanship and not our own. Who we are and what we are is directly from the hand of God ~ HIS work, not ours. I had run across this idea in Psalm 100 as well, in verse 3~
Know that the Lord Himself is God;
It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves;
We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.
I had also started to see this notion in a few other places in the Word of God ~
…for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.
~ Philippians 2:13
…being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ… ~ Phil. 1:6
I started to wonder, just how many verses are there that carry on in this vein of it being God’s work in us that brings us into conformity with/to the image of Christ (Rom. 8:29), and not ours? So I started the list with the ridiculous name… and it grew pretty rapidly. For the first time since I started it, I counted them ~ at current count there are 62! And they’re pretty evenly divided between the Old Testament and the New Testament so far, which minimally means this is not a new concept as far as God is concerned. I’m just a little slow on the uptake, apparently, lol.
Are you, too, maybe? Does that leading set of verses at the beginning sing your song? There are so many causes in this world that can make us weary and burdened, laboring and heavy-laden! We are not alone in it; you are not alone! If you are a child of God (John 3:16, John 6:47, 1 John 5:1) Jesus is with you. Carrying on each day is a joint project, with the Lord desiring to carry the heavier part of the load for us because He loves us and died for us (Gal. 2:20). In part to take our load ~ your load ~ as His own. Jesus is your burden-bearer, right there in the yoke with you, ready, willing, and very able to take your heavy load on His side of the yoke!
For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” ~ Hebrews 13:5
And this will never change!
Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. ~ Heb. 13:8
Whatever the circumstances, situations, or conditions you are in, you will not be rejected!
A bruised reed He will not break
And a dimly burning wick
He will not extinguish;
He will faithfully bring forth justice.
~ Isaiah 42:3 and Matthew 12:20
God loves you! He is with you! He is for you! He will never fail you!
Whether you’re a new believer or have walked with the Lord for a while, you are loved and your Good Shepherd is always with you. (1 Corinthians 13:8, John 10)
If you’re not sure if you’re a child of God, or if you want to be, grab a Bible and spend some time with these verses, and/or click on the link below for more in-depth assurance.
Galatians 2:16 ~ 1 John 3:1, 23 ~ John 11:25-26 ~ John 14:1 ~ John 20:31~ John 3:16-17
http://christianwomenonline.net/resources/ready/
“Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life.”
~ John 5:24
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