Columns

Draper Rogers: Rest

Today I want to encourage you with a scripture that has been encouraging me recently. Matthew 11:28, “come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden and I will give you rest.”

For time’s sake, I will not go into the background of this text.

As we look at this text, it contains one command-where Jesus is ordering his audience to perform an action. And this text includes one result-where Jesus is stressing the actual consequence of the statement.

  • The command, “Come to me…” It is worth noting that the word “come” is in an emphatic state to demonstrate urgency.
  • The result, “…and I will give you rest.”

As you begin this summer season, I want to encourage you to go to Jesus and get rest/refreshed.

Charles Spurgeon once said, “Rest time is not waste time. It is…[wise] to gather fresh strength…it is…[wise] to take occasional furlough. In the long run, we shall do more by sometimes doing less.”

Draper Rogers is a pastor on staff at Gardendale First Baptist Church. His devotional column appears every Wednesday in The Gardendale News.