Lord Jesus said: "No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day." (John 6:44). God created man in a way where each individual has different feelings based on the environment they are in and the magnitude of the feelings would also vary between different individuals. In the past year, as a result of the pandemic, men have drawn farther away from each other, not only in terms of physical distance, but also mentally. "The spirit of a man will sustain him in sickness, but who can bear a broken spirit?" (Prov 18:14). "A merry heart does good, like medicine, But a broken spirit dries the bones." (Prov 17:22). None of us wish to live our lives in sorrow, we instead search for joy and peace, but how do we obtain these?
"Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest."(Mt11:28) We all carry different burdens in this world: such as family issues, work, career, education or even the pressure of how others view us. Furthermore, we carry with us various degrees of external and internal pressure. On top of that, our modern society is one with much individual distance, as people less frequently communicate from the bottom of their hearts, instead hiding themselves in the virtual world. This results in the loneliness of our hearts and souls. As believers of God, what should we ponder upon when we see these things happening around us?
"But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him."(Heb 11:6)These examples all tell us that we should rely on and believe in God with a pure heart! Those who have yet to believe in Him should keep on striving to seek the One True God, learning to lean on Him and rely on Him, so that their hearts are set free. "For thus says the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel: “In returning and rest you shall be saved; In quietness and confidence shall be your strength.” But you would not."(Isa 30:15) For those of us that believe in God, did we not begin with believing in His words? We are often not willing to meekly submit to His teachings and commandments, since our thoughts and our hearts, and the way we function often resembles that of the world, full of the world’s teachings and doings. We live in this world carrying our fleshly bodies, searching for a way out in the midst of trials and tribulations. What method should we take so that we are not trapped by these trials?
"Commit your way to the Lord, Trust also in Him, And He shall bring it to pass." (Psa 37:5) As people who belong to God, are we willing to entrust everything into the hands of the Lord and rely on His guidance? Do we have enough faith to come to Him and entrust everything? Can we learn from Him and bear His yoke? Of course, seeking God is no easy task, walking on this heavenly road is not done in just one day. When walking on this heavenly journey, we also need spiritual companions. Not only should we be seeking good spiritual friends, but we should also strive to be a good spiritual companion to others, because within our Spiritual church, all believers must have good spiritual qualities.
‘Casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.’（1Pe 5:7）Today, what differentiates us from the rest of the world? It is the fact that we have the Lord Jesus! By faith we strive to walk on this heavenly road. There are different challenges in different generations. Our thoughts, actions and words are influenced by these generations. In terms of our faith, are we absorbing and learning what God has entrusted us with? The Lord had said that all those who are heavy laden can go to Him and cast their cares upon Him; however, should a person who belongs to God only laid aside their worldly burdens when coming before Him?
Coming before the Lord is the first step we should take; Lord Jesus then said that he is gentle and lowly in heart and invites us to learn from Him. While we set aside our worldly burdens, are we gentle and lowly in heart as He is? Do we use the methods of the world when interacting with other people, or face situations in a worldly manner? Or do we rather put on Christ and learn from Him, treating others, different situations, or even ourselves with a humble and gentle attitude?
Thirdly, what we must do is to bear His yolk. The first thing that comes into our mind would be a cow bearing a yolk and ploughing the field. It seems like we can cast our burdens aside when we come before Him but at the same time, why do we need to bear His yolk instead? The Lord said that he is gentle and lowly in heart, which is much different from the trend and direction of this world that upholds human rights and individualism. Thus, when a believer is able to learn from the Lord and bear His yolk, taking up his/her cross and follow Him, is not he/she separating themselves from the rest of the world, being a person belonging to the Lord with His royal image? If we still view taking up the yolk of the Lord as a type of burden, then we need to think carefully whether this will cause us to have a distant relationship with the Lord.
Come before the Lord, learn from His meekness and humbleness, take up His yolk and learn from His posture, we will surely receive rest. Is not peace and rest what all men seek for? When we submit, believe, and rely upon the Words spoken by the Lord and do accordingly, His promises will surely be done: His yolk is light and is easy, as long as you come, you will surely receive the wonderful testimony of His Words.
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