All too often in our lives, we try to do things by our own strength and in accordance with our own desires. We say we want to live Christ-centered lives, yet there are pockets of sin that we refuse to yield to Him. We harbor, and sometimes cultivate, that sin. Our sin can be seen in the way we treat others, even those we love the most. Our disobedience leads to stress, anger and frustration, leading us even further from living a Christ-centered life and being a productive servant in God’s kingdom.

In Matthew 11, Jesus invites us to take off the heavy yoke of this sinful world, and exchange it for the easy yoke that He provides. We try so hard to control the effects of sin by our own efforts, when Jesus simply says “Come to Me.” Why is it so hard for us to stop fighting sin ourselves and simply lay our yoke at the feet of Jesus? We grow weary fighting a battle that we can never win. But Jesus promises rest for our souls if we, like children, come to Him. Only when we surrender ourselves fully to Christ can our burdens be lifted and the joy of the Lord restored in our hearts. It sounds so easy, but we make it so hard.

My prayer today is that I will yield all of my life to Jesus and find the rest for my soul that He alone can provide. When my life is fully surrendered, my yoke in Christ is easy and my burden is light. Are you burdened today? Do you need rest? Only Jesus can lift your burden and give you rest, and He will if you come to Him. I pray that you will!