Daily Devotion - Matthew 11:28 - Finding Your Rest

I love video games, but they do not love me.

I can't count the many countless hours I've wasted on my computer or my phone obeying the mission-based app games, watching ad after ad to top up my stars so I can reach the next level. I get so frustrated with many of them that I simply delete them from my phone.

For me, video games are not restful. They are drains, not fills. They consume my soul and leave me empty.

Writing is restful. It calms my soul and fills it. Whether I am typing devotions like this one or crafting a new character for a novel, I feel refreshed. Putting words down is spiritually rewarding, while the video games are laborious and burdensome.

[Mat 11:28 ESV] 28 Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

A friend of mine once told me, "Here's how you find your calling and your rest. I feel closest to God when I ___."

My first thought was writing. For others it may be cooking, gardening, caring for children, or knitting a sweater. I once knew someone whose Sabbath rest involved mowing the lawn.

Jesus' words to us here are so profound. He was speaking to people who had been so burdened by the exaggerated laws and rules of the religious leaders that they had lost all hope of ever finding peace with God. There were just too many regulations they couldn't obey.

But then Jesus told them that He Himself would shoulder the weight of their burdens. He would be the strong animal pulling the plow and doing the work of our salvation. Our job is to simply walk alongside Him as He does it.

How do we walk alongside Him? By finding our rest in Him. Going to that place, doing that thing, singing that song, whatever God has given you where you are free from the burdens of this world and can listen to His reassuring voice that He is still the God of your rest.

Question to Consider

How do you finish the thought, "I feel closest to God when I ___." Take a few minutes today to meet God there.

Prayer for Today

Lord Jesus, You created me to be in fellowship with You, and You have given me something that I enjoy where I can meet with You and find my rest in Your salvation. Help me to find that space today, and fill me up with Your presence as only You can do. Amen.