Matthew 11:25-30 - At that time Jesus declared, "I thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children; yes, Father, for such was Your gracious will. All things have been handed over to Me by My Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal Him. Come to Me, all 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."
Have you ever worked for a truly terrible boss? Maybe this was someone incompetent, someone who didn't know what he was doing and you had to deal with the fallout. Maybe it was someone who loaded you with six times the amount of work one person could do. Maybe it was someone abusive, someone who took pleasure in making your life a misery.
Any of these cases can lead you to hate your life. How eagerly you scan the job advertisements, hoping to find a way out! How grudgingly you walk to your station on Monday morning, knowing that all the misery is about to start again. The boss—the master—makes the difference in your life.
Even metaphorical masters can do this. Addictions—mental illness—crushing debt—pain, either physical or emotional—all of these can be terrible masters in our lives. They leave us crying to God for freedom, begging for help.
It is to us that Jesus says, "Come to Me, all 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." Whatever unmerciful master has you in his toils, Jesus calls you to become His and to find rest. And He will certainly give it! Because He is God Himself, come into this world to break every evil power and set God's people free.
That is what Jesus was doing when He lay down His life for us at the cross. It was no empty gesture—it was the decisive blow against the devil and all evils. And when Jesus rose from the dead, He guaranteed to us forever that God has won the victory, and that our own eyes will see His triumph over every evil power, and that we—even we!—will share in that victory, because we trust in Jesus. We, the sufferers, the downtrodden, the abused, the nobodies—we are among those He loves and came to make His own. And He will be our Master, not to harm us but to save us. And He will give us rest.
WE PRAY: Lord Jesus, give me all the good things You promised here! Amen.
This Daily Devotion was written by Dr. Kari Vo.
Reflection Questions:
1. What "master" is making your life a misery right now?
2. Does rest and a gentle, loving master sound good to you right now? Why?
3. What kind of a master would give His life for His servants?
Today's Bible Readings: 1 Kings 21-22 Acts 14
To Download Devotion MP3 to your computer, right click here and select "Save Link As" or "Save Target As" or "Download Linked File As"