The Bible Echo
June 25, 1894
Rest in Christ
“Come unto Me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you, and learn of Me; for I am meek and lowly in heart; and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For My yoke is easy, and My burden is light.” BEcho June 25, 1894, par. 1
Thus Jesus invites the weary and care-laden sons and daughters of Adam to come to Him with their heavy burdens. But many who hear this invitation, while sighing for rest yet press on in the rugged path, hugging their burdens close to their heart. Jesus loves them, and longs to bear both them and their burdens in His strong arms. He would remove the fears and uncertainties that rob them of peace and rest; but they must first come to Him, and tell Him the secret woes of their heart. He invites the confidence of His people as the proof of their love. The gift of the humble, trusting heart is precious to Him. If His people would come to Him in the simplicity and confidence of a child to its parents, they would find relief in the divine touch of His hands. BEcho June 25, 1894, par. 2
Jesus is our compassionate Saviour. Why will we not accept His gracious offer of mercy, believe His words of promise, and not make the way of life so hard? As we travel the road cast up for the ransomed of the Lord to walk in, let us not overcast it with doubts and gloomy forebodings, and pursue our way murmuring and groaning, as if forced to an unpleasant, exacting task. The ways of Christ are ways of pleasantness, and all His paths are peace. If we have made rough paths for our feet, and taken heavy burdens of care in laying up treasures upon the earth, let us now change, and follow the path Jesus has prepared for us. BEcho June 25, 1894, par. 3
It is our duty to love Jesus; He has a right to command our love, but He invites us to give Him our heart. His invitation is to a pure, holy, and happy life,—a life of peace and rest, of liberty and love,—and to a rich inheritance in the future, immortal life. Which will we choose—liberty in Christ, or bondage and tyranny in the service of Satan? Why should we reject the invitation of mercy, refuse the proffers of divine love? If we choose to live with Christ through the ceaseless ages of eternity, why not choose Him now as our most loved and trusted friend, our best and wisest counsellor? BEcho June 25, 1894, par. 4
It is our privilege to have daily a calm, close, happy walk with Jesus. We need not be alarmed if the path lies through conflict and suffering. There will be battles with the powers of darkness, severe struggles against selfishness and inbred sin. Wickedness prevails at the present time. The perils of the last days thicken around us; and because wickedness abounds, the love of many waxes cold. This need not be. The meekness and lowliness of Christ, cherished in the heart, will give moral power to every soul; and the victories gained daily through trust in Christ, and persevering, untiring effort in well-doing, will give us the peace which passeth understanding. BEcho June 25, 1894, par. 5
We should seek to obtain the excellence of Christ. In the face of temptation, we should school ourselves to firm endurance, nor should we allow one murmuring thought to arise, although we may be weary with toil and pressed with care. Some have passed through afflictions with light undimmed. Their hope and faith are strong, because acquired through conflict. If it were not for these heroes of faith, who have learned to endure, and to suffer and be strong, the outlook would indeed be discouraging. How could we know how to sympathize with the burdened, the sorrowing, and the afflicted, and to afford them the help they need, if we had never experienced similar trials ourselves? BEcho June 25, 1894, par. 6
The shortness of time is frequently urged as an incentive for seeking righteousness and making Christ our friend. This should not be the great motive with us; for it savours of selfishness. Is it necessary that the terrors of the day of God should be held before us, that we may be compelled to right action through fear? It ought not to be so. Jesus is attractive. He is full of love, mercy, and compassion. He proposes to be our friend, to walk with us through all the rough pathways of life. BEcho June 25, 1894, par. 7
We can never have a clear appreciation of the value of our Redeemer until, by an eye of faith, we see Him taking upon Himself our nature, the capacity to suffer as we do, and then reaching to the very depths of human wretchedness, that by His divine power He might save even the vilest sinner. Jesus died that the sinner might live,—that God's justice might be preserved, and guilty man pardoned. The Son of the Highest suffered shame on the cross, that sinners might not suffer everlasting shame and contempt, but be ransomed, and crowned with eternal glory. Why is it that we have so little sense of sin, so little penitence? It is because we do not come nearer to the cross of Christ, and our conscience becomes hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. BEcho June 25, 1894, par. 8
There is a work before us to subdue the pride and vanity that seek a place in our hearts, and through penitence and faith to bring ourselves into familiar and holy converse with Christ. We must not shrink from the depths of humiliation to which the Son of God submitted in order to raise us from the degradation and bondage of sin to a seat at His right hand. We must deny self, and fight continually against pride. We must hide self in Jesus, and let Him appear in our character and conversation. While we look constantly to Him whom our sins have pierced and our sorrows have burdened, we shall acquire strength to be like Him. Our lives, our deportment, will testify how highly we prize our Redeemer, and the salvation He has wrought out for us at such a cost to Himself. And our peace will be as a river while we bind ourselves in willing, happy captivity to Jesus. BEcho June 25, 1894, par. 9