Hello everyone!
A number of years ago Rick and Denise Renner were missionaries to the former Soviet Union. The economy was so bad that most basic commodities needed to exist were in short supply – gas being one of them. Most people who had cars, parked them. But the poor farmers who depended upon fuel to run their tractors and machines, had to improvise and Rick tells of an interesting sight.
“One spring when it was time to plow the garden and plant seeds, I looked out the kitchen window of our house and saw something I could hardly believe! Our neighbor had taken an old harness, like one that would be normally placed around the neck of a cow, a horse, or an ox, and hooked it up to his wife! I watched in amazement as this man walked behind his wife, guiding the plow as she heaved forward with her neck and shoulders, dragging the plow through the hardened soil. The two of them were working to break up the ground so they could plant their seeds and produce their garden. They owned a small tractor, but because there was no fuel, they couldn’t use it.”
The sight left the Renner’s speechless. What they saw was HARD labor.
Today is Labor Day in the United States and many get a “day off” from their normal work. I hope you’re enjoying today’s late summer pause.
Where do you fit? Are you a workaholic or a freeloader? Most reading this email will fit someplace between the two. My exaggerated contrast is to call attention to the fact that many people do not know how to rest. And the freeloaders, the guru’s of an entitlement mentality, know nothing but rest.
Sometimes rest is very difficult to come by. Many people have enough time to enjoy rest but don’t because of a variety of conditions – worry, financial problems, sickness, family issues and so on.
Life is filled with challenges which can rob us of the rest we desperately need. In fact, few are the people who do not experience their fair share of hardships. And it’s important to note that Jesus never promised that He would exempt you and me from the difficulties of life. But He did say;
“Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” (Matthew 11:28-30)
The key to real to a life of rest comes with taking Jesus’ “yoke” or being harnessed to Him so that He can help you pull the proverbial “plow.”
Here are four keys to experiencing the “rest” that Jesus promised.
First, come to Him! So many people, myself included, stubbornly try to do the heavy lifting ourselves but Jesus gently suggests otherwise. He wants to be your and my partner in family life, work, health, financesand ministry. Will you “come” to Him?
Second, the Lord invites us to take deliberate action. The word “take” means just that, to take up. It carries the idea of an intentional and deliberate action of harnessing oneself to the Master. When two working oxen are yoked together their combined strength is much greater. So it is when we are harnessed to the Lord Jesus Christ. With Him, we can make it through!
Third, learn from Jesus! This idea of “learn” carries two thoughts. It means to become deeply acquainted with Him as well as to become proficient at sharing the weight (heavy burden) of life with Him. We learn to live together, inseparable from Him. Spending time with Him is not an option – it’s the answer!
Fourth, discover and receive the “rest” only He can provide. The root word for “rest” is pauo in the Greek and means to relax, to calm, or to refresh. We get our word “pause’ from it. It carries the idea of “taking a breather.” A “breather” with the Lord will refresh you more than you can imagine. Set aside time to let Him give you the refreshing you desperately need.
So, I hope that this Labor Day has been a pause that has refreshed your soul!
Jesus concluded verse 30 above by saying that being yoked together with Him is “easy” (delightful) and “light” (not burdensome). When we choose to be actively harnessed with Jesus Christ, we have the greatest PARTNER in the universe!
Restfully yours!
–Pastor John