Matthew 11:28-30 Come unto me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and you shall find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy, and My burden is light.
Since I started Worthy News in 1999 there is one thing I have not seen in 22 years — a day that there wasn’t news to cover! I’ve not taken a so-called vacation since I started the ministry — yet I don’t feel worn out or weary. One day I was pondering to myself and thought, “why don’t I feel worn out?”
Many people take vacations because they’re exhausted from work, and need an extended rest to be restored and revitalized. Yet, ironically, more often than not, when they return home, they feel the need for another break to recover from the vacation they just took! Something is missing … and I think it has to do with the essence of Yeshua’s (Jesus) invitation, “Come unto me…”
Our relationship with Yeshua contains a promise of rest. His yoke is not a heavy yoke of “religious” performance, but an invitation to an intimate relationship which is restful and truly empowering. His joy will be our strength, and serving Him in that relationship will not make us weary or worn out, but actually invigorate, revitalize and re-energize us IF we are doing it with His help, His power.
When Yeshua was here on earth He was surrounded by those who were constantly in need. He faced harsh opposition, and rarely found any privacy. And even in those private times, when he secluded himself for rest — we read that He didn’t sleep, but rather He prayed through the night. Yeshua found His deepest rest in the presence of His Father.
Now, there’s nothing wrong with vacations, and we all really do need to disconnect from our work routine from time to time, but are you feeling worn out or weary, or even close to “burn-out”? Then it’s time to renew and refresh your relationship and allow Yeshua to give you His rest. Wait on the Lord, He will renew your strength, and His rest will restore your weary soul, revitalize your body, and empower you to continue in the vision and calling He gave to you. Find your rest in Him this weekend!
Copyright 1999-2026 Worthy Devotions. This devotional was originally published on Worthy Devotions and was reproduced with permission.
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[worthy_plugins_devotion_single_body]Here we have a stark word. Here we see the Lord testing Israel: “He gave you manna to eat in the wilderness, something your ancestors had never known, to humble and test you so that in the end it might go well with you.” [Deuteronomy 8:16]. Yet Paul says that they put Him to the test. A great irony occurs when God is testing us, and we despise His discipline, thereby testing Him.
Paul exhorts the church at Corinth about grumbling and complaining. He reminds the believers of the judgments that befell the 10 spies who brought a bad report of the land – and were struck down by a plague, and terrible fate of Korah and those aligned with him that came against Moses and Aaron and were swallowed up by the ground under them.
For the past two weeks we’ve been building life lessons derived from the Exodus wanderings and from Paul’s exhortations to the church in Corinth. Notice carefully that Paul says, “these were written for our admonition upon whom the ends of the ages have come”…
…that is, written for us today! – admonitions from Paul to learn lessons from the history of the children of Israel.
For the past two weeks we have examined lessons from the OT account of Israel’s Exodus from Egypt in hope of avoiding the errors and attitudes of the children of Israel. This week we will draw connections between the Exodus and the prophecies in the book of Revelation.
Over the past few weeks, we’ve begun a series of devotions based on the Exodus wanderings of the Children of Israel, and their tragic mistakes which we can learn from and avoid. One powerful influence common to their failures was fear.
The Lord spoke to Moses, who led the children of Israel out of Egypt to be desperately cornered with the Red sea before them and Pharaoh’s chariots advancing upon them from behind. Overwhelmed with terror they cry out to Moses, “It would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the desert!” Having just miraculously escaped from the miserable life of slavery, and only beginning their new life of freedom, the children of Israel were faced with the most dire threat to their existence.
When Peter and John had gone up to the Temple for prayer [Acts 3], they saw a man who was lame from birth, and were moved to heal him in the name of Yeshua (Jesus). Immediately the religious leaders laid hands on them [Acts 4:3] and kept them imprisoned for a day. The following day, with boldness, they declared this miracle was done in the name of Yeshua. I love what the “religious” leaders said next — “they perceived that they were unlearned men and they marveled at their boldness!” Why were they bold? They had been with Yeshua, and the leaders took note of that!