Some Christians can feel that being a follower of Jesus Christ is tiring, because it takes a lot of effort to abide by His rules. But Pastor Rick Warren of Saddleback Church said the opposite is actually true, and this is evident in the Bible verse Matthew 11:28.
In it, Jesus said: "If you are tired from carrying heavy burdens, come to me and I will give you rest." Warren wrote on his website that this verse actually disproves the notion people have about being a Christian.
Non-believers mistakenly think Jesus is telling His followers, "Come home to me, and I will give you rules. Come home to me, and I will give you regulations. Come home to me, and I will give you restrictions. Come home to me, and I will give you religion. Come home to me, and I will give you rituals."
But no, what Jesus offers is rest. The pastor continued by saying that people, even some Christians, are often so exhausted because they don't come to God in peace. They fail to connect with Him on a moment-by-moment basis, so they use up all their energy in the wrong way.
"The reason why you're so tired and fatigued and stressed out all the time is because you're trying to live on your own power. God never meant for you to do that," he said. "He's the one who made you, who created you, who's watched every moment of your life, who knows everything about you and still loves you, who forgives you and says, 'Come home to my power and strength.' When you do that, you'll have real peace of mind."
Meanwhile, Pastor Jack Wellman from Mulvane Brethren Church in Mulvane, Kansas wrote in an article for Patheos that there are several other Bible verses that talk about weariness and rest. One of these is Isaiah 40:31, which reads: "But they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint."
He explained that this verse is all about waiting for the Lord for renewal of strength. Many people refuse to adhere to God's timing and force things to happen the way they want to, but this only makes them weary and grow faint. "We learn from experience that the longer we wait for God and His timing, the more we are resting, and that rest gives us the ability to run," he said.
