Trying To Outweigh Our Bad With Good

“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” –Matthew 11:28
When we do something wrong, we are sometimes obsessed with fixing our problems. When we sin against God we do not react dissimilarly.
However, Jesus does not demand this. He invites us to rest in him. God commands all who betray Jesus by their unrighteousness to repent and place their faith in his son.
But pridefully, we are prone to reject this rest. We want righteousness on our own terms. When you sin, do you run to first fix it on your own terms and by your own futile strength? Like Judas Iscariot, do you seek rest at the gallows ready to punish yourself? Maybe you try to find rest in your work instead of the finished work of Jesus, demanding that others praise you for your work instead of seeking the praise and delight of your Heavenly Father. We will never be able to put in enough hours to ease our guilt.
One of the unfortunate realities for God’s people is that we forget what resting looks like. We forget who we belong to. We try to tip the scales in our favor with every task. We try to stack our righteousness, not just in corners of church, but also in our day to day routines and duties.
God gives us rest from the self-righteous endeavors to make ourselves good enough. He gives us rest to do our work freely. He removes the scales and offers us rest today.
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