Together in Christ: 'Find Rest for Your Soul' — Matthew 11:28-30

Wednesday, February 19, 2025

Then Jesus said, "Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light."

— Matthew 11:28-30 NLT

Key Thought

Jesus made sure His followers realized His high standards for following Him as a disciple. [1] He wanted us to love Him with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength. [2] When we choose to follow Jesus, we each voluntarily place our life and future in His hands. Counting the cost and following Jesus bring life to the full. [3] Our future is tied to Jesus and is secure with Him. [4] Our eternal rewards will be glorious, making the struggles of this life pale in comparison to our future glory. [5]

With just a superficial reading, Jesus' statement that His yoke is easy and His burden is light may be hard to accept because we all face difficulties and challenges as His followers. At other times, Jesus recognized these realities when He said that the road to life is difficult and that his disciples will suffer persecution. [6] The resolution of the apparent conflict is in the context of the statements in today's verses. These statements go with the previous sentence about finding rest for our souls. We find that rest because Jesus has already done everything that is needed for us to have peaceful assurance of the ultimate result in spite of whatever difficulties we may have in this life, and that assurance brings rest for our souls. [7]

We base our present hope in Jesus' promises to come to us, live in us, make His home with us, and show Himself to us. [8] When we submit our wills to Jesus, He walks with us, supports us, sustains us, and enables us in ways that we could never imagine. [9] We live in a rugged and broken world, but we don't journey to our eternal home alone. God is with us. When we finally arrive, we will be at our eternal home with God. [10] These assurances make our life's journey easier and our burdens lighter!

[1] Luke 9:23, 62, 14:33.
[2] Matthew 22:36-40.
[3] John 10:10.
[4] Colossians 3:1-4; Romans 8:28-39.
[5] Romans 8:18.
[6] Matthew 7:13-14; John 15:20.
[7] John 14:1-3. "Don't let your hearts be troubled" in this passage is parallel to Jesus' statement in today's verses about the easy yoke and light burden. The basis for not being troubled is clear in this passage when Jesus continued with assurance about our heavenly home.
[8] John 14:18-23, Romans 8:32-39; Hebrews 13:5-6.
[9] Ephesians 3:14-21.
[10] Psalm 23:1-6; 2 Timothy 4:17.

Today's Prayer

Lord God, please give me eyes to see Your work in my life and Your protection over my future. I offer all I am and all I hope to accomplish in Your mission for my life. I embrace Your call to Your Lordship over me and all that I have. I need the ongoing leading of Your Spirit to direct me in the way I need to go so I can fulfill Your will for me. As Jesus taught me, I pray for Your will be done in my life, O God, and Your Kingdom come to our world, O Lord! [A] I pray this in Jesus' name. Amen!

[A] Matthew 6:9-10.

Related Scripture Readings

  • Matthew 6:9-16
  • Ephesians 1:19-23, 3:14-21

Have thoughts on this devotional? Leave a comment

36 Related Resources by Heartlight

Come to the Lord for the Rest You Need
Devo: Spiritual Warfare
"Come to me, all who are tired from carrying heavy loads, and I will give you rest. Place my yoke over your shoulders, and learn from me, because I am..."
Matthew 11:28-30
Devo: Today's Verse
"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...."
Find Rest in Me
Devo: What Jesus Did!
"[Jesus continued:] "Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my..."
All Who Are Weary
Article by Tom Norvell
Is there any place to get some rest? Tom Norvell prays for the weary and the heavy burdened and tired, based on Jesus' promise to give us rest.
See All 36 Related Resources about Matthew 11:28-30

Illustration

Illustration of Matthew 11:28-30 NLT — Then Jesus said, "Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light."

Other Devotionals from Heartlight for Wednesday, February 19, 2025

Morning & Evening
The classic twice-daily devotional from Charles H. Spurgeon.
Evening Thought: Genesis 1:5
"The evening was "darkness" and the morning was "light," and yet the two together are called by the name that is given to the light alone! This is..."
Spiritual Warfare
A daily devotional about God's power for our battles.
'God’s Spirit: The Author of Unity' (Ep. 4:3-6)
"Endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your..."
Passion for Praise
A daily passage of Scripture emphasizing praise to our God.
'Each Day He Carries Us' (Ps. 68:19)
"Praise the Lord; praise God our savior! For each day he carries us in his arms."
What Jesus Did!
A daily guide from the gospels that challenges readers to live for Jesus.
'Up to No Good' (Mt. 14:5-12)
"Herod wanted to kill John, but he was afraid of a riot, because all the people believed John was a prophet. But at a birthday party for Herod,..."

About This Devotional

Together in Christ is a daily devotional that focuses on what Scripture teaches about godly living in relationships.

'Together in Christ' is written by Phil Ware.

Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright ©1996, 2004, 2007, 2013, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

More Together in Christ