Come!

Today the words of the verse, "Come unto Me all ye that labor and are heavy laden and I will give you rest." has been on my mind a lot. 

Maybe He is trying to tell me something and I need to listen. Maybe it is because I am so weary with the heavy amount of responsibilities that I have had this week. Whatever the reason, I know that He is calling me at this moment to rest in Him and He will care for  me.

This week has been crazy with the busyness of processing the fruit from one tree-- a peach tree that stands in our back yard bearing fruit year after year. Some years we will get about 3 bushels from that tree alone, but not this year!  We had at least twice that amount in spite of the fact that someone stole all of the fruit from the peach tree in the front yard while we were away at church on Sunday.

They stole all of the peaches from our tree! 

You know, there are people like that who take advantage of our spiritual fruit tree as well. We are to bear fruit for the Master. Sometimes people take advantage of our kindness, our gentleness, long-suffering, patience, goodness, etc. Sometimes they take and take from our tree until we are completely spent. That is where Jesus says, "Come unto me. I will give you rest."  

In the natural world wintertime is for the trees and other plants to rest so they can bear forth more fruit the next season. It is when the Savior trims off that which is not like Him so we can be at our best for Him. However, the rest is an essential part of the fruit-bearing cycle.  You have to take time to recharge your batteries...time to rest. 

Just think about those who claim to be His own and are out doing what they think will please Him. They are doing good works without the faith. However, if they are not taking the time to rest in Him and allow Him to restore and refill them, they are going on their own strength. They may have started out well, but when they lose focus and try to force their own growth, what they do will be counted as hay, wood, and stubble.

"Come to Me!" Jesus says. "And I will give you rest. What a thought!

The peaches took a wintertime of rest and withstood the winds and heavy rains, thunderstorms and the heat of the summertime. All of that combined together for their good ...and the fruit is luscious, juicy, and sweet!

After all of the hard work of summertime and autumn, there will be a wintertime of rest.

Jesus says, "Come."  It doesn't matter what kind of storm that you have faced. You are not alone. He is right there with you. 

One day, He will say, "Thou good and faithful servant, enter into the joys of thy rest...and those who have endured the storms that came their way all of the while bearing sweet fruits of His Spirit will join Him in the Eternal Resting Place forever and ever! 

Thanks for reading,

Donna McHugh