I Will Give You Rest

I Will Give You Rest

All of our grandkids love to spend the night with us. We enjoy it too. From the time they were tiny they have almost always slept the entire night when staying with us. Even little Stella, if she is here in the late afternoon, is liable to fall asleep.  It’s like they just can’t help it. They are so relaxed here that sleep hits them soundly and they succumb to it. They all try to stay up late but one by one they fall out. I’m glad to know they are that comfortable here. 

We adults like to have our rest too. Only by the time we’re grown we have lots on our mind. Sometimes it’s counting and recounting the bills. Or it may be the pressure of work and family life. Other times it’s health concerns or work situations. Whatever it is, we tend to stay awake and play it over in our minds.  We think we have to lose sleep over things we can do nothing about in the middle of the night.  Sleep can become a regular absentee if we don’t find a way to get a good night’s rest. We become sluggish, listless and even crabby. More coffee doesn’t help the situation either. We look for something to help us, but the things of life keep rushing back into our minds. We need rest.

Oh beloved, you have been carrying some mighty heavy burdens and you have gotten very weary. Whether it’s regrets from yesterday, worries about today or lack of hope for tomorrow, you are worn out from trying to figure it all out. Even the things you can do nothing about want to play themselves over and over in your mind. This continual weariness wears out your heart and your spirit as well as your mind.

God wants you to know that He will give you the rest you need. You can lay your burdens at His feet, every single one of them.  As you give each burden to Him He changes your whole perspective. If He has your burdens, then you can rest. He wants you to know that He knows about every burden you insist on carrying – every single one. He wants you to know you were never meant to carry a single burden, but you have always been destined to give your heart, your life, your mind and your burdens to Him. He will either relieve you of them entirely, removing them from your life- He can do that you know. Or He will change their perspective and give you opportunity to deal with them as possibilities rather than unmanageable situations. He wants you to know that He walked up the hill of Golgotha and carried everything you are weighed down with to the Cross. He felt the burden and took it from you permanently.

God also wants you to know that the rest you need is found in Him alone. Jesus is holding His arms out to you this very day to come to Him. Give Him your heart, let Him renew your mind and remove your burdens. It’s already been done at Calvary. All you have to do is come to Jesus. Whether it is your first encounter with the Risen Lord or you need to rededicate yourself to His Truth – do it today. He is able to make all grace abound to you. He is able to give you a spiritual rest that will change your entire perspective about your life and His love and care.

God loves you and He’s for you – rest in that promise and find rest for your weary heart as He makes all things new for you.

Matthew 11:28 Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.

Psalm 91:1 Those who live in the shelter of the Most High will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty.

2 Corinthians 9:8 And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that always having all sufficiency in everything, you may have an abundance for every good deed.

Psalm 62:5 Let all that I am wait quietly before God, for my hope is in Him.

You Were Meant to Travel Light!

While working on my boss’s travel to Washington DC last week, I noticed that he had two tickets for baggage. Each time he checked his baggage, it cost him.  It wasn’t a whole lot of money, but if a person had to declare their baggage and pay for it every week it would count up.  I understand that some airlines charge for baggage even more when it weighs more. The heavier it is and the more bags you’re carrying, the more it costs. You can be charged on one airline for heavy baggage, large baggage and too much baggage. Three prices added up makes for expensive travel.  Imagine if you had to carry your heavy, large and overloaded amount of baggage onto the plane yourself? It would be so tiresome that some folks would just give up trying to fly.

We all have had baggage. Some of it was of our own making. We gave our hearts to the Lord but we didn’t know how to give our problems, our past, our regrets, our fears to Him. So we kept hauling that stuff around with us everywhere we went.  It makes for expensive travel. It bears so heavy on some folks that they are totally bent over with the load. Without having anyone to carry their baggage for them, they are destined to live under the load, tiring out easily and always out of breath. They can neither travel the high mountains of extreme joy nor make it through the valleys of trouble. It’s a rough life to walk around with excess baggage.

We were meant to travel light. We were never meant to carry the stuff we had before Christ with us forever. We aren’t meant to gather new baggage either. If we insist on carrying our own stuff, we will be so burdened that we won’t be able to share God’s love and tell others how He heals, sets free and delivers.  We won’t be able to do that because we won’t be walking in freedom from the load.

People are looking for someone to lighten their load. Nobody intends to live burdened lives with all that junk stacked in their hearts and minds. Nobody wants to have to pay daily for excess, too large or too much baggage.  It’s hard to feel you can never let it go. It’s a rough life to walk around with all your fears and animosity, your troubles and regrets drug behind you like an anchor in the sea.  You know people are looking for an answer to this oh so heavy load, because there are so many self-help books on that subject. Trouble with self-help books is they all point you to you!

Oh beloved, this morning God is walking beside you and He’s telling you that He will lighten your load! He will say to you were never meant to carry that stuff around with you eternally. He says to you, lay your burdens on Me. Let’s look at those things you’ve been carrying far too long and talk about each one. There – that Unforgiveness? I can relieve you of that. For I forgave you at the cross and already made arrangements for all of that.  There – those Regrets?  You don’t need to carry them around with you for I don’t even know about them – they are in the sea of forgiveness never to be brought up again. Fear? Oh my beloved, you were never meant to carry one ounce of fear, not for yesterday, not for today and certainly not for tomorrow. I AM your load bearer, I AM your lifter and your lightener. If you will let Me I will remove your baggage and together we will travel to My anointing and My plan for your life.

This morning the Baggage Carrier is calling out to you, I love you, I love you, I love you! And because of His incredible, unending, eternal, perfect love He will lighten your load, carry your burdens for you and give you a travel plan that’s out of this world!

 

Matthew 11:28 Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.

Psalm 55:22 Give your burdens to the Lord, and He will take care of you. He will not permit the godly to slip and fall.

Psalm 146:8  The Lord opens the eyes of the blind. The Lord lifts up those who are weighed down. The Lord loves the godly.