“Are You Tired?”


BIBLE READING: Matthew 11
DISCUSSION                                                                 
                No one said that living the life of a Christian would be easy.  In fact, it is just downright hard to live a life for Jesus.  Luke, in Luke 9, explains it as a cross that we must pick up and carry daily.  Imagine what that cross must have been like for Jesus as He carried it down the street to the place of the Skull.  I am confident that His cross was heavy and cumbersome, not to mention the fact that He was physically exhausted even before the journey began.   Imagine how much a relief it was for one of those soldiers to grab Simon of Cyrene to help Christ carry that cross the rest of the way.  Even though it was still difficult, it became easier when there was someone else to help Him carry it.  The lesson in the text today is simple.  Jesus encourages us to come to Him when we are burdened down and tired. “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." (Matthew 11:28-30).  A yoke is a wooden frame that would join two animals (usually oxen) to assist in pulling heavy loads.  Just as Simon was used to help an exhausted Jesus carry His cross, Jesus can now assist us in carrying ours every day.  The best part about this analogy is that He will always carry the majority part of the load.  The more we are “yoked” in with Jesus, not only does He help us carry the load, He also leads us in the right direction.  So, if you are tired of trying to carry this cross on your own, rejoice in the fact that you don’t have too!
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