- Lorie Hedgepeth
“Come to me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest...

“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.” (Matthew 11:28)
The invitation is clear and concise:
I) We are invited by Jesus to come to Him. Who is this that invites us? It is
Christ Jesus, Himself! Jesus…. the sinner’s Savior! Jesus…the Prince of Peace
in the midst of our problems! Jesus…. the Counselor for our crisis, the
Healer for our hurts and the One who gives us His grace in our grief.
II) All who labor and are burdened down are urged to come to Him. Are you
ever working, yet never getting anywhere? Going here, going there. Paying
bills. Making bills. Bound, burdened…. weighed down. Jesus said, “Come to Me!”
We should and we can. Things will never get better, the load will never
get lighter UNTIL we go to Him.
III) Rest is promised. Are you wrestling or resting? We can REST upon His
payment for our sin. Confronted with unsolvable problems, we can rest upon His unfailing Promises. Periodic breaks from work are needed. Our body requires sleep.
But the kind of rest we really need only comes when we go to Jesus and
we rest in His Presence.
So, no matter how many times we have rejected His invitation - the invitation still stands.
Regardless of how we have really messed things up…. He waits. On this Labor Day, if you
are weary from working and worrying, if you are tired from the strain and the struggle of
everyday living, remember Jesus’ words:
“Come Unto Me All Ye That Labor And Are Heavy Laden, And I Will Give You Rest.”