AT THE CROSS
Lay It Down At The Cross (Matthew 11:28):
Jesus once proclaimed “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28). In his statement, the Lord was offering two unique invitations in this one verse and exploring them will help us better understand how we can accept his invitation to come and lay ourselves down at the cross.
The First Invitation: In this passage Jesus offers an invitation to everyone who is laboring through life and the difficulties that our daily life can bring upon us. Most everyone can relate to having circumstances which seem to multiply and grow to the point of causing one to feel heavy laden/burden downed at times. In other cases, it may be the constant list of tasks to be completed every day at work and/or at home which result in being physically and/or emotionally exhausted with seemingly no end in sight. The Lord cares about us and wants to be involved in the daily labors of our life. We’ve been invited to bring all of our desires, all of our difficulties and all of our circumstances with us to lay them all down at the Cross of Christ. No where in the Bible does God promise us a life without struggles or difficult circumstances. However, he does promise to give us spiritual rest through all of life’s trials. He offers strength to sustain us in the storm, peace amidst the pain, joy in the middle of struggle and ultimately, victory in our lives!
The Second Invitation: There is another even more significant invitation being offered by Jesus in his words “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden”. He is inviting all of us who are heavy laden and burdened down by the weight of our sin, to come and lay them at the cross. For those who have not yet trusted in Christ for the forgiveness of their sins, they are invited to come and be forgiven. For every follower of Christ that struggles with habitual sin in their life and the daily exhausting war with temptation, they are invited to come and lay down their sin at the cross. It is an open invitation, but its up to us to respond.
I Will Give You Rest:
Jesus ends this verse by saying that HE will give us rest. The kind of rest that the Lord offers is only found in him. It is the kind of rest that defies understanding because it defies your circumstances. He offers this to you because he paid it all at the Cross. There is no sin you have committed nor could ever commit, that would change Christ’s invitation to come to him. There is no burden, no struggle, no bondage, and no sin that cannot be laid down at the cross and feet of Jesus. His invitation is for ALL, and his blood covers ALL things! His rest is waiting for you right now. Simply accept his invitation and lay yourself down at the cross.
Closing Prayer:
“Dear Jesus, thank you for promising me your rest. I accept your invitation to come to you. I humbly lay down my sin, my struggles and my life at the cross where you paid it all for me. I ask for your forgiveness, your mercy and your rest in my life today. In Jesus name, Amen”.
God bless,
Stephen Matthews