14 All in Verses for MenSample

Is the load you are carrying heavy? So heavy it makes your back hurt?

This is Vince Miller.

Our text today is from Matthew 11:28. It reads:

Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. — Matthew 11:28

This verse is good news for men who are prone to carry their burdens alone. Men tend to carry around burdens that they were never intended to bear. Every man does this. Some men do it because they have this selfish tendency for self-sufficiency. They have convinced themselves that it is vital to be proficient, popular, or powerful. Still, other men do it because they have been convinced by others that they must be providers, protectors, and problem solvers. Thus whether it’s a weight they place on themselves, or one placed there by others, they bear under a burden that weighs them down.

But the potency of our human will and the perfection of our character are not enough to bear the weight of any burden. This is because our will and character cannot bear this weight. They weren’t designed to because our will and character are feeble and fragile, to begin with.

But we try, don’t we? We try to silently bear the weight of these burdens until we’ve reached our limits. For some, these limits are less, and for others, they are more. But when we hit our limit, we finally feel the weight of it. Then we become overwhelmed and exhausted.

But Jesus offers this incredible invitation.

It’s an invitation that promises relief and rest. But it comes with a requirement. We have to give him our burdens. Those things we have been bearing under must be given to him. But for some, this isn’t easy because there is a subtle satisfaction found in bearing them. At moments they make us feel strong or significant. They feed our selfishness with a dose of accomplishment. But this momentary satisfaction will eventually break a man. And until a man entirely believes that only Jesus can bear these burdens, he won’t hand them over and find the relief he wants and needs.

So today, hand that burden over. It’s pretty easy to identify. It’s that thing you are anxious about. You’ve thought about it many times over the last few hours. It kept you awake last night. It was your first thought this morning. You talked to many others about how to handle it. But you have not handed it over. Whatever it is, believe that you are not designed to bear it. Let Jesus relieve you of it. That’s his job. He is the Savior. And he wants to save you from your burden, small and large, because he is ready and able to give you rest.