“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. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light” (Matt. 11:28-30).

            The above invitation is the most inclusive, given by the most Powerful, into the most glorious rest, and the most enduring of any invitation ever given or ever will be given. No one is left out of this invitation.

            If this great invitation would be taken out of the Gospels, they would lose much of their power. The great purpose of the Gospels is to extend this wonderful invitation to all people. By means of the salvation plan, God has opened the door to rest and to heaven. To call souls to that door, Christ gave His great invitation, “Come unto me.”

            There are few messages in the scriptures that leave as great an impression on the weary heart as this one in Matthew 11:28-30. When a soul has become tired of life and its struggles, these words, “Come unto me” are as a beacon in the dark night. They are the open door to light and rest. They are the welcome words, “Come home.” Will the weary soul stop and come in?

            These words have no hint of a reprimand or a scold. It does not ask, “Where have you been?” and “Why were you away so long?”

            The author of these words sees the bruised and weary shoulder. He observes the bent back and He notes the weak words. He realizes that the burden has been too heavy and the yoke has been too harsh. The day has been too hot and the night has been too long.

            The Lord waits until the soul comes into despair because of its folly, then He opens the door and says, “Come in.” He says, “I have a couch, I have a table, I have warm water to wash, and I have cool water to drink. I have nourishing food to give you strength. Will you not come in?

            “If you will stay here, I do have a yoke and burden for you to carry. It is not a harsh and cold yoke such as you have been carrying and, furthermore, I will help you to carry it. I will be patient with you and you will learn of my ways. I will teach you my will and make known my desires to you.

            “We will go out into the fields in the morning. We will till and we will sow and we will reap. The load will be too heavy for you to pull alone, therefore I will yoke with you and we will pull together. We will work through the heat of the noonday. We will return in the evening. Together we will look over the field at nightfall and our hearts will be joyful for we will see that the harvest has been gathered in before darkness has fallen. Then we will go in to rest, and you and I will sup together.” ---Jesus

102 Devotional Sermonettes, Used by Permission