Hands of The Potter

Matthew 11:28-30, New Living Translation

“Then Jesus said, ‘Come to me, all of you, who are weary, and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at Heart, and you will find rest for your soul. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.’”

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Sometimes life can get crazy and let us down a rabbit hole. Before we know it, we are worn out on all fronts with no strength and no energy. So, what do we do? Jesus gave us an invitation that can be found in Matthew 11:28-30, NLT. “Then Jesus said, ‘Come to me, all of you, who are weary, and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear in the burden I give you is light.’”

 

Scripture refers to our bodies as the temple of the Holy Spirit. “Don’t you realize that all of you together or the temple of God, and that the spirit of God lives in you?” (1 Corinthians 3:16, NLT) God has interested us with His temples, our bodies. He has set us apart to be holy, as He is holy. (1 Peter 1:16, NLT) Scripture also tells us that He is a jealous god and jealous for us. “The LORD your God is a devouring fire; he has a jealous God.” (Deuteronomy 4:24, NLT)

 

Jesus exemplified His love for the Lord’s temple in Matthew 21:12-13 (NLT), “Jesus entered the temple, and began to drive out all the people buying and selling animals for sacrifice. He knocked over the tables and money changers in the chairs of those selling doves. He said to them, ‘The Scriptures declare, ‘My temple will be called a house of prayer,’ but you have turned it into a den of thieves.” I know this was a physical place, but we are physical beings. We are beings created in the image of God. We are His prime creation, the apple of His eye.

 

If Christ was zealous for the temple of God, how much more zealous could He be for us? The answer is found in John 3:16 (NLT), “For this is how God loved the world: he gave his one and only son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish, but have eternal life.” This is evidence of us being purchased for a high and precious price, which is also stated, in 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 (NLT), “Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you, and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body.”

 

I say all of this for us to recognize God’s love for us and His care for us. God never intended for us to live lives that drove us into the ground leaving us exhausted and with no energy to pursue what He’s called us to! This is shown in the book of Exodus, in the Bible, where the Israelites are under the Egyptians in slavery. The Lord called Moses to lead His people out of Egypt. Where did God want to take them? The land flowing with milk and honey. What did Jesus say He came to do? “…My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life.” (John 10:10, NLT)

 

Jesus said, “Come to me…” He also said, “Keep on asking, and you will receive what you asked for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking and the door will be open to you. For everyone who asks, receives, everyone who seeks, finds, and to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.” (Matthew 7:7-8, NLT)

 

I want to encourage everyone to seek God. Ask Him, “Lord, I am tired and can’t keep living my life like this. What do I need to lay down? What am I doing that you haven’t called me to do? What is my true purpose and where should my focus really be? Forgive me, Lord, when I have gotten so busy “doing” that I forgot to rest in You, that I didn’t seek You. Help me to seek You first, Your Kingdom first and to live righteously, then all these things will be added to me. (Matthew 6:33, NLT) Help me to be in the center of Your will, in the heart of Your word, so that I may have rest for my soul. In Jesus name, amen!”