#soap # Matthew 11 ## Title: Come to Jesus ## Scripture: (Matthew 11:28-30) “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke on you and learn from me because I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and my load is not hard to carry.”” (NET) ## Observation: When growing up, I thought this verse meant that coming to Jesus was a step toward getting rid of all our responsibilities. I thought bringing my burdens to Jesus meant that He would carry them for me. There was even a popular song that said, “Take your burdens to the Lord and leave it there.” This is a powerful way to think about prayer and we should allow God to carry heavy burdens. However, this verse means something even greater. Jesus is showing a word-picture of someone coming to Him with the heaviness of life. Jesus, as the Master Carpenter, fits a yoke that can evenly carry the weight. The most common yoke was for a pair of oxen. They were custom made to fit the oxen so they were able to carry heavy loads without becoming injured. He is saying when we come to Him, He will carry it with us and teach us to carry the responsibilities of life without injury. ## Application: Have you ever thought about how God takes away some of your difficulties and how He walks with you through others? This is not God missing some of your issues. What if it is Him teaching us how to carry loads with Him? He is always there. ## Prayer: Thank You, Jesus, for always walking with us.