Invitation to Rest > 나눔과교제

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According to the American Psychological Association, few Americans get enough sleep. As a result, they have reported, “Many people are carrying a heavy ‘sleep debt’ that they have built up from weeks, months or even years of inadequate sleep.”

We seem to suffer from a similar problem spiritually. In Matthew 11:25-30, Christ summarizes His invitation to rest in Him while we are burdened with life and lack of rest. Jesus speaks of instrument that he promises to use to cure our deficit of rest: the yoke. A yoke was a piece of wood shaped to fit over the neck of an ox or cow to burden, sometimes used to join two animals into a team to pull a heavy load. A farmer used a yoke to exploit the strength of the animal that bore it.

Jesus’ invitation to rest, combined with this metaphor of the yoke, implies that we are already under a different kind of yoke. Instead of helping us bear our load, it leaves us “weary and burdened”. For some, this is the burden of trying to please God by doing our best. For others, it is the exhaustion from trying to run from Him. The solution is not to try harder or to turn over a new leaf. The remedy for our spiritual restlessness is to receive. 

As we start this new week, take some time to assess your own condition. Are you weary and burdened? Have you been trying to run from God? Are you exhausted from trying to prove yourself to Him? Ask Jesus to remove your burden and replace it with His yoke of grace and forgiveness. He promises to give us rest.

Amen!