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Finding rest for your soul – Part 2

By Israel Kristilere
24 May 2020   |   3:50 am
To find rest for your soul, not your body, there are three major steps Jesus says you must take. These are: 1. Come - vs28 - The first step according to Jesus is that you must come.

Israel Kristilere<br />

To find rest for your soul, not your body, there are three major steps Jesus says you must take. These are:
1. Come – vs28 – The first step according to Jesus is that you must come. What a simple but very important word for your freedom? The word come is found in the Bible in at least 1,900 times. So, whoever you maybe, the Lord wants you to come to Him for your salvation, forgiveness, healing, freedom, security and blessings. (Isa. 1:18,55:1, Rev. 22:17) Come as you are with your load of care, sins, weaknesses and worries. Jesus has promised you rest, if only you will come unto Him. To come means you have set your heart upon Him and you believe in Him as your Lord and Saviour. Bury your pride and come unto the Lord.

2. Take His Yoke Upon You-vs29a – A yoke is a heavy wooden harness that fits over the shoulder of one cattle to another. It is attached to a piece of equipment the oxen are expected to pull. The yoke here signifies submission and service. Unlike the heaven burden that Satan offers, Jesus declares that His yoke is easy and His burden is light. His yoke (zygos) is light (krestos), which means well-fitting and it is a yoke of love. It speaks of our connection and submission to Jesus and His will. We always have the choice to take His yoke or reject it. But to have rest for your soul, it is a must, you must take His yoke and it must be upon you.

3. Learn From Him-vs 29b -The third thing you need to do to find rest for your soul is that you must learn from Him. KJV says, “learn of me.” To me, both are saying the same thing. You cannot learn from Him until you have learned of Him. This you can achieve as you learn about His life and teachings. Amongst all, two things He said we must learn of Him i.e. His gentleness/meekness and humility/lowliness of heart. The Greek word for learning here is “manthano,” a prolonged word from the Greek word “mathette,” which means disciple. To find rest for your soul, Jesus says, be my disciple indeed. To be His disciple, deal with life issues as He would have dealt with them. Be my true representative on earth.

Conclusion
One great revelation of this passage is that the rest your soul desires, Jesus has promised to give you. He has promised to give you rest and indeed, He has given you. But you can only find this rest as you follow His directive, come unto Him, take His yoke and learn from Him. May you find rest for your soul. (Psa. 37:7) The Greek word for rest in Matthew 11:28 is “anaposis,” an equivalent of the Sabbath rest in the Old Testament. Here, Jesus promises rest of love, healing, security and above all, peace of God and peace with God. You can find rest for your soul through prayers/communing with God, through faith in His word/promises and through total trust in His faithfulness/love. May you receive rest for your soul this month and beyond. Shalom.  

Rev. Dr. Israel Kristilere, Shepherdhill Baptist Church, (Sanctuary of Grace & Glory), Baptist Academy Compound, Obanikoro, Lagos.
WhatsApp: 2348033052590.
Email: revkristilere@yahoo.com

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