#5047 – Relaxation or Rest?

Good morning people who come and receive rest from your Lord and Saviour.

Matthew 11:28-30 NIV Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

Relaxation is ceasing from something. Rest is receiving from someone.

Jesus invites us to come to Him. This is beautiful. This is wonderful. He does not tell us to run from Him and to be scared of Him. No, He invites us to come.

And when we come to Him now, it’s good to remember where He is. At the time He said it, He was living on the earth. He was physically among some people, some of the time.

But this statement of invitation from Jesus was not limited to those privileged few who encountered Him two thousand years ago. This statement is for everyone, and it is for now.

So where is Jesus?

He is in heaven, seated at the right hand of His Father; at the right hand of our Father. And I think that this truth is essential to the promise of rest that He gives to us.

Because Jesus is in heaven, and He invites us to come to Him, I believe there is an invitation when we are weary and burdened to step into the spiritual realm; the heavenly realm. I believe the following well-known verses clearly states this truth:

Hebrews 4:14, 16 NIV Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess…Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.

Let’s lean in a little more tomorrow.