Rest In Jesus

Matthew 11:28-29 KJV: Seeking rest? Learn of Jesus and find rest in him.

I Will Give You Rest

“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.” 

                                                                                   (Matt 11:28-29 KJV)

So many people seeking rest for their souls in the world today. Yet, they seek it in all the wrong places. There seems, at times, that there is nothing one can say or do, to help them to understand that Jesus is the only one who can truly give us the rest that we need. Unwilling to take up his yoke and learn from Jesus; we take upon ourselves a much heavier yoke, stumbling and often falling.

If you find that you are weary and burdened with the cares of the world, take the time to get to know Jesus and you will find rest at the feet of our LORD and King. Go to Him and He will give you rest.

God's Peace - Pr. J

I Will Give You Rest

“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 will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” (Matt 11:28-29 NIV)

So many people seeking rest for their souls in the world today. Yet, they seek it in all the wrong places. There seems, at times, that there is nothing one can say or do, to help them to understand that Jesus truly can give us the rest we need. Unwilling to take up his yoke and to learn from Jesus; we take upon ourselves a much heavier yoke, stumbling and often falling.  For some awful reason, we would prefer to do everything our own way; the harder way.

If, today, you find, that you are weary and burdened with the cares of the world, toss aside the yoke that is holding you down and find rest at the feet of our LORD and King, Jesus the Christ. Go to Him; learn from him, and He will give you rest.

God's Peace - Pr. J

The Sabbath Rest

"And on the seventh day God finished the work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all the work that he had done." Genesis 2:2

God ordered things so that we would have time to rest from our labors. The Sabbath was given to us for this day of rest. Today is the Sabbath. Tomorrow, Sunday, is a very busy day for me. Today, I hope that I can spend at least most of the day resting in the presence of God. We all need to rest at times. Our Father in heaven loves us enough to command it.

I normally need only a few hours a day or to be able to actually rest on the Sabbath to be rejuvenated. I don't need long vacations to rest. Vacations are nice; but, don't be misled. Vacations can be very busy times. In fact, mine are usually so busy that there is rarely time to even write my morning blog, which I find to be very restful for me as it is actually a part of my morning devotionals. And, then... what happens when you get back to work? Overload! Lots of work to catch up on.

I don't mind vacations all that much. But, I have to be honest. I prefer to spend my time off in the backyard of my home. I spend an awful lot of time running around during any given normal day. When I have time to rest, I want to rest. I want to relax. I don't want to fight the traffic or the crowds. I want to spend quiet, less hectic time with family and friends. I want to spend time with Jesus. I can never get enough quiet time with him. I him we can find real rest, rest that will refresh both your body and soul.

"Come to me,⁾ all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest." (Matt 11:28).

 God's Peace - Pr. J

Confess And Be Forgiven

CONFESSION

How Christians should be taught to confess.

What is Confession?

Confession embraces two parts: the one is, that we confess our sins; the other, that we receive absolution, or forgiveness, from the confessor, as from God Himself, and in no wise doubt, but firmly believe, that our sins are thereby forgiven before God in heaven.

What sins should we confess?

Before God we should plead guilty of all sins, even of those which we do not know, as we do in the Lord's Prayer. But before the confessor we should confess those sins alone which we know and feel in our hearts.

Which are these?

Here consider your station according to the Ten Commandments, whether you are a father, mother, son, daughter, master, mistress, a man-servant or maid-servant; whether you have been disobedient, unfaithful, slothful; whether you have grieved any one by words or deeds; whether you have stolen, neglected, or wasted aught, or done other injury.

http://bookofconcord.org/smallcatechism.php

 

No, the confessional has not been done away with in the Lutheran church. Yes, we confess our sins corporately and receive absolution every Sunday morning at Christ Lutheran Church. Yes, I am available to hear private confessions whenever you feel the need. I assume that all Christians are aware that they are able to confess their sins directly to God. However, I am also aware that many Lutherans are not aware that private confession with their pastors is also available. I do not hear many private confessions. Mostly, the ones I have heard from younger people.

Some of us are so troubled by our consciences that we need to be able to put voice to our sins and hear with our ears and believe these words: "You are forgiven. God forgives you all your sins." There is no need to be burdened by the sins that trouble your conscience in such a way that it disrupts your ability to serve God or neighbor. Confess your sins so that you might be reassured that you have been forgiven and reconciled to God our Father, through Jesus the Christ, by the power of the Holy Spirit.

 

God's Peace - Pr. J

Enter His Rest

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest." Matt 11:28 NIV

There are some days when I need more rest than on others. The older I get the more this seems to happen. It is not just physical rest. I need more and more spiritual rest as time passes. The troubles of the world can drag us down; not just physically, but, spiritually, as well. The longer we live; the more troubles we have seen and the more rest and times of refreshment are necessary to live fruitful lives. 

Consequently, I must spend much more time in prayer. I must spend more time in intimate communion with our Lord in order to find the rest that I need and to be refreshed so that I can enter into each new day with a servant's heart. I need this time in the Lord in order to be fruitful for the Kingdom of God. If I do not abide with and in Christ and Christ abide in me, I become a most weary and burdened creature. But, with and in Christ, all things are possible.

I enjoy serving God's people; but, forgive me if I enjoy being in the presence of God even more. It is necessary to be able to come into his rest.

May all whom God has called enter into his rest.

God's Peace - Pr. J