Jesus extends an invitation for us to come to him
Within the gospels we read that Jesus personally gives us an invitation to come to Him and get rest for our souls. 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 (Matthew 11:28-29). There is a difference between physical rest and the rest our souls crave. This rest for the soul can only be brought to us by the Lord. When we are within the will of the Lord there is peace and rest that enters the heart of the believer that only He can give.
The opposite of spiritual rest is worry and stress
Worry and stress impacts our quality of life. Over the years there have been many studies about the impact of stress and worry on life. Often, what we worry about can’t be affected by anything we do. The stress from worry doesn’t do anything but harm our own health and mental outlook. Solomon wrote, Heaviness in the heart of man maketh it stoop: but a good word maketh it glad (Proverbs 12:25). When we worry, the weight from the worry and stress will only bring us further down. Worry and stress become a type of spiritual bondage that will keep us from enjoying the fullness of our relationship with Christ.
Solomon also wrote, A merry heart doeth good like a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones (Proverbs 17:22). Nearly everyone would agree that someone who is truly happy has a profound impact on those around them. There’s just something about their joy which becomes nearly contagious. But at the same time, someone who is truly worried to the extent they’re emotionally broken can also affect those around them.
Jesus warns us not to let stress and worry to get to us
Within the gospels, there are verses where Jesus tells his disciples and all who will listen not to let worry get the better of us. Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they? Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature? (Matthew 6:25-27).
A verse with similar meaning can be found in Luke: And he said unto his disciples, Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat; neither for the body, what ye shall put on. The life is more than meat, and the body is more than raiment (Luke 12:22-23). We often forget we are more than the clothes we wear or the food we eat. We are a living creation designed in the image of God. The verses are tied together by Matthew 6:34: Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.
Jesus is reminding us of something I almost always forget – all the worry in the world about tomorrow won’t change anything. It will just be a distraction from what the Lord has provided for us today.
