AN OPEN INVITATION by Terry Benson

“Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you'll recover your life. I'll show you how to take a real rest.”   Matthew 11:28 (Message)

One of the best vacations Diana and I ever took was on the island of Kauai. Some compassionate church members invited us to use their condominium in Princeville for a week, and we gladly accepted their offer. The memory of those blazing sunsets over Hanalei Bay still lingers in my mind. So does the day hike along the northwestern cliffs that led down to an amazing beach where a mountain stream tumbled into the Pacific and massive waves broke on the shore. Talk about a delightful vacation! I still get a sense of peaceful bliss when I look at our pictures and think about it. All because we accepted what was offered to us.

Better than palm trees or beaches or bays – better than ukuleles playing or hula dancers swaying or the warm Pacific breezes blowing is the vacation offered by Jesus in Matthew 11. He calls it a “real rest” – I think of it as true Sabbath. The Sabbath day of ancient Israel was full of promise. It was to be a weekly vacation from the wearing labor of trying to eke out an existence in forbidding circumstances. At the time Jesus spoke these words, though, the Sabbath had become a burden, a weekly ritual full of exacting rules and complexities – not at all what God had intended.

So Jesus invites His hearers into a new Sabbath rest: companionship and fellowship with Him. I love this translation, “Get away with me and you’ll recover your life.” Does that sound good to you? It sure is music to my ears! And best of all, it’s any day of the week and any time of the day. The invitation is still open, you know. Jesus is saying to you right now, “Come to me… I’ll show you how to take a real rest.”

T.B.

Think about it:  Can you really afford not to accept His offer? What prevents you from saying, “OK, Lord, I’m on my way”?