Burdened No More!

This morning I was treated to a living illustration.  Since the boys go to the same school and have heaps of books between them, we decided to hire a large locker for the entire school year.  The last couple days I noticed one of my son's backpacks was completely stuffed with heavy books.  On the way to the bus today I took this picture of him carrying the burden of books.  The whole reason behind hiring the locker was to reduce the amount in our son's backpacks.  But the backpack remained stuffed while the locker is empty.

We have had several delightful conversations about why the locker is not better utilised.  The excuses have been plentiful:  "I don't have time," "It's full of spiders," "I never know what books I'll need," or "There's always a bunch of girls blocking the way."  So day after day, mile after mile, my son comes home with sagging shoulders under a heavy burden - a burden we've paid to have lifted.  But this is something my wife and I cannot do for him.  He must make a conscious decision to remove each book from the pack and carry only what he needs for the next class.

I can't see this picture without thinking of Pilgrim from Bunyan's classic, The Pilgrim's Progress.  Loaded with a heavy burden, Pilgrim set out from the city of Destruction heading for eternal life in Celestial City.  It was only when Pilgrim knelt at the cross that the weighty burden of sins fell from his back.  It is the blood of Jesus that has shed His own blood so the sins of man could be forgiven by grace through faith.  1 John 1:9 reads, "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."  Even as my son has all sorts of reasons to justify labouring under the heavy weight of his backpack, people can choose to bear burdens of guilt and sin Christ has already paid for with His own blood.  It is not only the unbeliever who carries such a weight, but this is possible for God-fearing, Christ-trusting people as well.

A Christian's life is not a carefree existence.  Our eyes have been opened to the spiritual plight of all people who remain dead in their sins.  This is a burden all Christians are called to carry with joy, knowing that Jesus is the Way, the Truth, the Life!  We are called to bear one another's burdens, and carry our own load (Gal. 6:2-5).  For example, when my wife was pregnant I could not physically carry the baby for her.  She had to carry that baby for 9 months.  That doesn't mean I was unable to help shoulder the burden.  I could help out with cleaning the house, with cooking, or shopping.  We all have responsibilities in this life for which we are all personally responsible and must be held accountable.  But when it comes to sin, guilt, shame, and condemnation, those are burdens Christ has taken upon Himself on the cross.  We sin in unbelief when we gather the memory and hurt of those sins for which Christ was wounded and carry them around with us.

Hebrews 10:14-18 tells us plainly of what Christ has offered to all who receive by faith:  "For by one offering He has perfected forever those who are being sanctified. ¹⁵ But the Holy Spirit also witnesses to us; for after He had said before, ¹⁶ "This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, says the LORD: I will put My laws into their hearts, and in their minds I will write them,"¹⁷ then He adds, "Their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more." ¹⁸ Now where there is remission of these, there is no longer an offering for sin."  God has chosen not to remember our sins, but Satan is happy to burden us with their memory.  We can stew in guilt, bitterness, condemnation, regret, and despair over what we have done or what others have done to us.  But that is a weight we need not carry.  Love keeps no record of wrongs.  When we have been born again by faith in Jesus Christ, our sins God chooses to remember no more.  He has made a conscious effort to put them eternally away from His memory, every single one.  We are forever free from the guilt and condemnation of any sin.

Psalm 103:8-12 reads, "The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in mercy. ⁹ He will not always strive with us, nor will He keep His anger forever. ¹⁰ He has not dealt with us according to our sins, nor punished us according to our iniquities. ¹¹ For as the heavens are high above the earth, so great is His mercy toward those who fear Him; ¹² as far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us."  If God has shown us mercy in removing our sins from us, why should we load down our consciences with the memory of them?  Let us be partakers of the redemptive work now!  The burden of Pilgrim fell from his shoulders long before entrance to the Celestial City!  If God has made you free, you are free indeed.  Jesus does not strengthen us to bear a burden only He can bear.  Leave it at the foot of the cross, having been washing clean with His precious blood and clothed in a robe of righteousness.

Are you weighed down with the sin that so easily besets us?  Enough with excuses!  May we look to Jesus alone, not our history of unrighteousness.  Jesus entreats all in Matthew 11:28-30:  "Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. ²⁹ 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. ³⁰ For My yoke is easy and My burden is light."