The Invitation

by Madelein Wolfaardt

Matthew 11:28

Jesus said: “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”

Come unto me,

This invitation is extended to all mankind, the invitation is to ‘come to Jesus’. The important part of this is the choice everyone has; every person must choose to accept this invitation to ‘come unto Jesus’.

No one is automatically saved and accepted into God’s Kingdom. Many people think that the fact that they grew up in Christian homes makes them a child of God, but this is not true. There must be a day in every person’s life where they make the decision to give their lives to God, by repenting of their sins and are made righteous through Christ’s blood and God’s saving grace.

all ye that labour and are heavy laden,

Anyone and everyone are welcome to come to Jesus, especially those who are heavy laden. We carry heavy loads of sin and Romans 6:16 says that we are servants of sin: “Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?”

Here the invitation is to come to Jesus so that He can set us free from this heavy burden of sin so that we might no longer be slaves to sin. 

Come as you are. The only criteria given in this invitation is that you must labour and be heavy laden, nothing else. The moment you realize that you are carrying this burden and you need and want to get rid of it, at that moment you can accept the invitation. In Luke 5:32 Jesus said: “I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.”

and I will give you rest.

This invitation also comes with a wonderful promise to those who decide to accept it. You will be given rest. This inner peace enters the heart and soul of a person once they are set free from their heavy burden of sin. Philippians 4:7  speaks of this peace: “And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”

Your conscience is wiped clean when you repent of your sins and through Jesus’ blood, it is washed away. You are accepted into God’s Kingdom and you have the surety that you are now His child. Imagine the feeling of freedom, peace and joy you will have knowing these things.

Furthermore, we are privileged to enter into a personal relationship with God where we start our journey with Him as a born-again Christian. 

This invitation is also extended to you today. Are you labouring and heavy laden? Do you realize your sin and sinful nature? Do you acknowledge that you are lost and that you are a servant to sin? David said that his sins are ever before him.
If your answer is yes, then this invitation is for you today – Come unto Jesus, He wants to give you His rest.