“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” Matthew 11:28–29

Anytime we go to a fetish priest to look for a solution to our problems, we make sure to follow his instructions. The same applies when we go to a doctor for a physical check-up: we obey his guidance. What, then, are we supposed to do when we go to Jesus for salvation? We must also follow His instructions. So, what exactly are the instructions of Jesus? Let us look at them.

In Matthew 11:28, Jesus invites everyone to come to Him especially those who are weary and burdened and He promises to give them rest. Jesus offers this invitation because He sees their pain: the deep pain carried by anyone who is not born again, the burden placed by the enemy, and the struggles that often lead us to Christ in the first place. Unfortunately, some who attend church every Sunday, and even participate actively in church activities, still have not found the rest that Jesus promised, despite much fasting and prayer.

This problem has nothing to do with Jesus. On the contrary, it has everything to do with us. Many of us either ignore verse 29, which provides the full picture of Jesus’ intention, or we simply refuse to put it into practice.

Verse 29 says: “Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, and you will find rest for your souls.” Whether we like it or not, verse 29 is the condition attached to the promise of verse 28. This means that if we want the rest that Jesus offers, we must take His yoke upon us and learn from Him. Taking the yoke of Jesus and learning from Him means accepting His teachings and obeying His instructions.

The sad reality is that many of us go to Jesus seeking rest, but we refuse to follow His commandments. Jesus who knows everything, who never lies, and who is aware of the demands made by every spiritual practitioner people run to—declares in verse 30 that His yoke is easy and His burden is light.

Brothers and sisters, according to verse 30, the yoke of Jesus is lighter than any yoke the world can place on you. If you need rest, follow the teachings of Jesus and put them into practice.