Sharing The Weight

"Come to me, all you who work hard and who carry heavy burdens and I will refresh you. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me for I am gentle and humble of heart; and you will find rest. For my yoke is good and my burden is light." - Matthew 11:28-30

I was trying to find a verse to explain why we need God in our lives, why we should put Him first and I can't find a better one than this. A lot of people stay away from religion and God because there are too many rules and it's hard to lead that kind of life…but that's only how it appears on the outside. If you move past the doubts and decide to give Him a little time each day, you will come to know a God that longs to be with you every step of the way. In His time, Jesus spoke to the poor and farmers who would put a yoke around an ox's back to help them carry a big load. He knew that in their lives, there were just some things that weighed them down so much, things they couldn't carry any longer. And today, Jesus still knows you need help, whether it be a job you can't stand, a relationship that hurts you, an illness, an addiction, a betrayal, or someone you cannot forgive, Jesus Christ wants to be tied to you. He is willing to help you carry whatever it is that is weighing on your heart. As you let Him carry this weight for you, those barriers you saw before, all the rules and the "fun" things you felt you couldn't do, you will learn to trust in Him and it will all be worth it. Jesus doesn't only long to help you, He longs to refresh you, to give you rest, to relieve you of all that tires you…all you have to do is go to Him. Jesus isn't asking in this verse to follow the ten commandments, be in church every Sunday and pray every hour, all He's asking is for you to be yoked to Him so that HE can help YOU. After this, you will find yourself in a place where you will be right with Him without noticing when He's taken you so far.

Today's Prayer:
Lord Jesus, I want my yoke to be tied to you all my life. I can't do some things on my own, but I can do all things in You who strengthen me. Help me to never think I can do things by myself or depend on others. You alone are my strength. In Your Name we pray, amen.