"Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light."
-- Matthew 11:28-30 (ESV)
Augustine, Sermon 20 on the New Testament:
How easily is any temporal adversity endured, if so be it that by it we may merit the eternal rest which is promised! For if it be true, as the Apostle says, that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us, then what yoke of the Lord is not easy, what burden of the Lord is not light, since by bearing it we come to that blessed rest where we shall reign world without end?
Dietrich Bonhoeffer, The Cost of Discipleship:
Grace is costly because it compels a man to submit to the yoke of Christ and follow him; it is grace because Jesus says: "My yoke is easy and my burden is light." Costly grace confronts us as a gracious call to follow Jesus, it comes as a word of forgiveness to the broken spirit and the contrite heart.
John Chrysostom, Homilies on the Gospel of Matthew:
By what He had said, He brought His disciples to have a desire towards Him, showing them His unspeakable excellence; and now He invites them to Him, saying, "Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden." He did not say, Come unto me, all ye that are righteous, but all who labour. He calls those who are burdened by sin, who are weighed down by the Law -- for He came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.
Thomas à Kempis, The Imitation of Christ:
Nature is very unwilling to die, and to be pressed down, and to be overcome, and to be in subjection, and to bear the yoke readily; but Grace studieth self-mortification, resisteth sensuality, seeketh to be subdued, longeth to be conquered, and willeth not to use her own liberty. She loveth to be held by discipline, and not to have authority over any, but always to live, to remain, to have her being under God, and for God's sake is ready to be humbly subject to every ordinance of man.
What burden are you carrying alone that you have never actually brought to Christ -- not in prayer, but in honest surrender?
Marcus Aurelius, Meditations:
Here is a rule to remember in the future, when anything tempts you to feel bitter: not "This is misfortune," but "To bear this worthily is good fortune."
St. Clair, MI -- Thursday, July 16
84°F today under mostly sunny skies with smoke in the air. North-northwest wind 2 to 7 mph. Tonight drops to 64°F with partly cloudy skies and continued haze. Friday climbs to 89°F with similar smoky conditions; slight chance of showers and thunderstorms Friday night.