{"id":5200,"date":"2024-05-01T14:11:41","date_gmt":"2024-05-01T19:11:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/detroitmarthoma.org\/main\/?p=5200"},"modified":"2024-05-01T14:14:19","modified_gmt":"2024-05-01T19:14:19","slug":"may-day","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/detroitmarthoma.org\/main\/2024\/05\/01\/may-day\/","title":{"rendered":"May Day"},"content":{"rendered":"<div><span style=\"font-family: lucida sans unicode, lucida grande, sans-serif;\"><strong>Matthew 11:18-30<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong><span style=\"font-family: lucida sans unicode, lucida grande, sans-serif;\">\u201cCome to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.\u201d (Matthew 11:28)<\/span><\/strong><\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div><span style=\"font-family: lucida sans unicode, lucida grande, sans-serif;\"><strong>Devotion:<\/strong><br \/>\nIn Matthew 11:28-30, Jesus extends a profound invitation to all who are weary and burdened, promising rest for their souls. This invitation echoes through the ages, reaching out to those weighed down by life&#8217;s trials and tribulations. In a world filled with hustle and bustle, stress, and worry, Jesus assures us that His yoke is easy and His burden is light. While life may not be free from difficulties, we are assured that we won\u2019t face them alone. Jesus invites each of us to find solace for our souls and bodies in Him.<br \/>\nRest for our soul: Mental health is a timely topic, and in our busy lives, our minds also yearn for rest \u2013 rest from tensions, anxieties, and never-ending problems. Despite our frantic pursuits for inner peace, Jesus calls to come to him and find rest. When we are worn out, beaten, and empty, we can look up to God to find rest for our soul and relief from all our burdens. Practical ways to find rest for the soul include taking time to pray, spending time in God\u2019s word, practicing thankfulness, and at times simply listening quietly and being still in His presence.<br \/>\n<\/span><\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div><span style=\"font-family: lucida sans unicode, lucida grande, sans-serif;\">Rest for our body: The definition of the word \u201crest\u201d is to cease \u2013 to cease from work or movement in order to relax, refresh oneself, or recover strength. In Genesis 2:2, it says, \u201cBy the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work.\u201d Even before sin entered the world, the day of rest was important to the Creator. Let us allow our bodies to take a break from overloaded schedules to recharge and repair.<span class=\"im\"><br \/>\n<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div><span style=\"font-family: lucida sans unicode, lucida grande, sans-serif;\"><span class=\"im\">As we reflect on the significance of May Day, let us also remember to take refuge in Jesus, finding comfort and strength in His presence. Let us trust in His promise of rest and allow Him to guide us through life\u2019s challenges.<br \/>\n<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<div>\n<div><strong>Prayer<\/strong><br \/>\nHeavenly Father, we come to You, weary and burdened, seeking for rest to rejuvenate our souls and bodies. Guide us to find solace in Your presence, to embrace gratitude for the blessings and vast opportunities You bestow upon us, and to lean wholeheartedly on Your promise of peace. May we find renewal and strength as we abide in You. Amen.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Thought for the Day<\/strong><br \/>\n&#8220;Rest is not idleness, and to lie sometimes on the grass under trees on a summer&#8217;s day, listening to the murmur of the water, or watching the clouds float across the sky, is by no means a waste of time.&#8221;- John Lubbock<span class=\"im\"><br \/>\n<\/span><\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div><span class=\"im\"><strong>Hitha Grace Saju<br \/>\nCarmel Mar Thoma Church, Boston<\/strong><\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Matthew 11:18-30 \u201cCome to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.\u201d (Matthew 11:28) Devotion: In Matthew 11:28-30, Jesus extends a profound invitation to&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5201,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[42],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5200","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-reflections"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/detroitmarthoma.org\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Rejuvenate.png?fit=439%2C440&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"post_mailing_queue_ids":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/detroitmarthoma.org\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5200","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/detroitmarthoma.org\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/detroitmarthoma.org\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/detroitmarthoma.org\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/detroitmarthoma.org\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5200"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/detroitmarthoma.org\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5200\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5204,"href":"https:\/\/detroitmarthoma.org\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5200\/revisions\/5204"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/detroitmarthoma.org\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5201"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/detroitmarthoma.org\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5200"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/detroitmarthoma.org\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5200"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/detroitmarthoma.org\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5200"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}