Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden...

Do the stresses and pressures of life sometimes wear away at you till you've just had enough of going on? It might be pressures from work, school, family or friends and you're just longing for some kind of relief.

Don't give up! Jesus promises just the relief you long for.

"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. For my yoke [is] easy, and my burden is light." - Matthew 11:28-30

The term 'heavy laden' means to be loaded or weight down with a heavy burden. Are you feeling heavy laded and worn with labour? Come to Jesus and not if, but or maybe, no! He says "I will give you rest". What a wonderful promise!

But now let's think. What is His yoke? What does a yoke mean? Before tractors became the norm, men used to use oxen to plough their fields. Two oxen were often teamed together with a curved piece of wood fitted with bows to receive the necks of the oxen. So the yoke symbolises a bond or connection and is often to do with service.

So to take the yoke of Christ is to enter into a connection and bond of union with Him. It means Christ wants to unite His strength with your weakness! Why is the yoke of Christ easy and His burden light? because He promises to bear the heaviness of it.

"Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you." - 1. Peter 5:7

Jesus also says to 'learn of me'. This is powerful, because following this we read 'for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls'. Do you know why there is so much conflict, strife and tension in families, workplaces, schools etc.. It is because we haven't learnt of the meek and lowly Jesus. It is because we are too protective of self.

Jesus was the king of glory, He could have come with thousands of angels showing the power and indescribable majesty of the heavenly hosts! Yet to be the perfect sacrifice He chose to humble himself to such depths that we don't even fully understand.

Jesus was meek and lowly, ever ready to help the wants and needs of those around Him. He wasn't trying to keep up His 'self esteem', he wasn't trying to do things that would make him look good in the eyes of others. He lived to please His father in heaven and was alike dead to the censure and praise of man.

And dear reader, you will only find true rest when you learn of Jesus! When you can learn to cast all your cares upon the one who cares for you and rest in His loving embrace; turning from a life of selfishness to a life of service!

- by Emmanuel Higgins