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Our Elder Brother Brings us Rest, March 24
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
.
Jesus looked upon the distressed and heart-burdened, those whose hopes were
blighted, and who with earthly joys were seeking to quiet the longing of the soul,
and He invited all to find rest in Him.
Tenderly He bade the toiling people, “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
).
In these words, Christ was speaking to every human being. Whether they know
it or not, all are weary and heavy-laden. All are weighed down with burdens that
only Christ can remove. The heaviest burden that we bear is the burden of sin. If we
were left to bear this burden, it would crush us. But the Sinless One has taken our
place. “The Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all” (
Isaiah 53:6
).
He has born the burden of our guilt. He will take the load from our weary
shoulders. He will give us rest. The burden of care and sorrow also He will bear.
He invites us to cast all our care upon Him; for He carries us upon His heart.
The Elder Brother of our race is by the eternal throne. He looks upon every soul
who is turning his face toward Him as the Saviour. He knows by experience what
are the weaknesses of humanity, what are our wants, and where lies the strength
of our temptations; for He was “in all points tempted like as we are, yet without
sin” (
Hebrews 4:15
). He is watching over you, trembling child of God. Are you
tempted? He will deliver. Are you weak? He will strengthen. Are you ignorant? He
will enlighten. Are you wounded? He will heal. The Lord “telleth the number of
the stars”; and yet “He healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up their wounds”
(
Psalm 147:4, 3
).
Whatever your anxieties and trials, spread out your case before the Lord. Your
spirit will be braced for endurance. The way will be open for you to disentangle
yourself from embarrassment and difficulty. The weaker and more helpless you
know yourself to be, the stronger will you become in His strength. The heavier your
burdens, the more blessed the rest in casting them upon your Burden Bearer.
Circumstances may separate friends; the restless waters of the wide sea may roll
between us and them. But no circumstances, no distance, can separate us from the
Saviour. Wherever we may be, He is at our right hand, to support, maintain, uphold,
and cheer. Greater than the love of a mother for her child is Christ’s love for His
redeemed. It is our privilege to rest in His love, to say, “I will trust Him; for He
gave His life for me.” Human love may change, but Christ’s love knows no change.
When we cry to Him for help, His hand is stretched out to save (
The Ministry of
Healing, 71, 72
).
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