"His Invitation"

"Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls." Matthew 11:29

 Our Lord Jesus is offering us an invitation here to come to Him and take His yoke upon us. Both of these involve a choice on our part. We have to choose to accept His invitation or refuse it. Coming to Him or not is a choice you have to make. Taking His yoke upon you or not is a choice you have to make as well. It isn't automatic. The words "come" and "take" are both action verbs, therefore, they involve action on the part of the one to whom the invitation has been extended. 

 

Will you come to Him and let Him give you rest from the burden you are carrying? The invitation does not specify what the burden is, it invites you to come with whatever is weighing you down. Maybe it is a burden of grief, of pain, of confusion, a broken relationship, an illness, etc. The invitation is to bring it to Jesus no matter what it is.

 

Will you take His yoke upon you? This invitation involves an exchange. He is offering for you to not only take His yoke but give Him yours at the same time. What is this yoke? It represents two things. First it represents submission. Farmers would put yokes on their cows or oxen, and they would submit to the famer's directions and will. When we take on Jesus' yoke, it means that we are putting ourselves in His hands. We are letting Him lead us. We are no longer trying to go our own way. The result is "rest to our souls". Because when we are in His hands, we are no longer struggling with the burden we are carrying, we have exchanged it and it has now become His. 

 

Second the yoke represents grace. Grace is God's favor upon you. It is His merciful kindness being bestowed upon those who will receive it. It is His own influence and ability in our lives that will strengthen us, empower us, keep us, increase our faith and helps us to walk in the Christian virtues. That means His grace gives us peace in times of confusion, strength in times of weakness, faith in times of fear, help in times of trouble and love in times of betrayal. 

 

The invitation is extended from Jesus Himself, will you accept it? Will you come to Him? Will you take His yoke upon you? Will you submit to Him? Will you receive His grace? Will you give Him your heavy burden? Will you give Him the yoke you are carrying? Will you receive the rest that He is offering? The choice is up to you.

 

Have a great day. The only way to have true rest and peace is by accepting Jesus' invitation to come to Him and receive His yoke of submission (putting yourself in His loving hands) and His yoke of grace (His merciful kindness and ability). 

 

For further reading:

2 Corinthians 12:9

Isaiah 53