Rest in Jesus

“Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” – Matthew 11 :28

Only Jesus can say such a phrase written down in the Gospel of Matthew with such gentleness and authority.

“Come unto me”: I consider this invitation of Christ as magnificent and exciting. In his presence, there is silence, peace and no more worry. We need to approach Jesus in order to live out this promise. Don´t you consider this as incredible that God himself calls you to spend some time in his presence? Not only does this call come straight from the bottom of his loving heart, but it is also in the position of communion, that you may find force, stamina and vitality. After all, he is our bread of life and his spirit is our living water.

“Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”
Matthew 11 :28

His invitation, his royal announcement, are for you personally! His table is ready and his heart is open. Come and see. In the presence of our Messiah, and only in his presence, we can experience what the world cannot live: i.e. rest. The gear of the society, the stress from our daily life, the torments of the enemy and the sadness offered by sin, are external factors which give negative influences to our human soul. However, we are not from this world, we are children of light. As children of the living God, we have the privilege of being invited to the peace of Christ. I believe with all my heart that Jesus approaches us every single day of our life, because he knows what we really need: the peace of his presence. He ardently desires  spending time with you, and you really need him.  

Are you tired? Are you worried? Do you have enough of living charged by the tension of this world that is heavy for you? Do you want to stop pleasing God without the help of God? Do you want to lay down your anxieties and exhaustion in order not to take them back again anymore? I have some excellent news for you. I know an oasis right in midst of this drought: the presence of Christ. He is the source and wants you to drink his delights and wants to feed you with his kindnesses. You do not have to carry any longer these heavy and scary chains. It is sufficient to give them to him. He wants to set you free. He wants and can bring you to an eternal rest.

“As children of the living God, we have the privilege of being invited to the peace of Christ.” 

Jesus, prince of peace, has promised us in John chapter 4 that if we drink his living water, we would not be thirsty anymore. In addition to that, in Psalm 23, the scriptures assure us that “He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters” (verse 2). Do you see the sequence? He is the guide (the good shepherd), he is the one who offers us what we need (rest) and even more, he is the substance (the presence) which we need. In other words, he is the purpose, he is the means that leads us to this purpose and he even is the essence of this purpose!

My friends, Jesus and only Jesus can answer your need of rest. Today, I can only encourage you to stop, take a strong breath, open your bible and approach Jesus. In this intimate atmosphere with your saviour, his presence will give you rest!