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."

No Middle Ground

We expend a lot of effort seeking balance in our lives.  No one wants to be branded a "right" or "left" wing extremist.  It seems like the demands of the world for everyone to conform is being heightened to levels unheard of in times past.  With the ever-changing landscape of political correctness, the influence of media, and the growing power of minorities to influence and transform the majority, the middle ground is becoming increasingly narrow.  It used to be that both conservatives and liberals shared some common ground.  That ground is becoming more and more scarce as traditional beliefs based upon biblical morals continuously erodes in decay.

There is one questions that has never had middle ground:  is Jesus God?  This fundamental doctrine of Christianity has only a "yes" or "no" answer.  It is impossible to "ride the fence" on this point because it is sharper than an obsidian knife.  Jesus made many claims of deity.  Jesus claimed to forgive sins, something only God can do (Mark 2:1-12).  The Jewish leaders condemned Him because of this point.  John 5:18 says, "Therefore the Jews sought all the more to kill Him, because He not only broke the Sabbath, but also said that God was His Father, making Himself equal with God."  Jesus was a man who was also God or He was among the worst liars.  He cannot be both a good teacher and a chronic liar.  If Jesus is truly God, then He is completely holy and good.  Jesus proved His power through His resurrection from the dead and ascension to the Father in heaven.  Because He is the righteous Lamb of God, death could not hold Him.

There are proofs of Christ's divinity in both the New and Old Testaments.  The Bible teaches that God the Father is a spirit whom no man has seen at any time.  Yet God sent the Son Jesus as the Saviour of the world to seek and save the lost.  God the Father cannot bleed because He is not flesh.  Jesus being God is the only way to reconcile verses like Acts 20:28 which reads, "Therefore take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood."  Jesus shed His blood for the church which is His body of which He is the Head (Eph. 4:15).

When Jesus was pierced by nails, thorns, and a spear on the cross, John 19:36-37 states, "For these things were done that the Scripture should be fulfilled, "Not one of His bones shall be broken." ³⁷ And again another Scripture says, "They shall look on Him whom they pierced."  John was an eyewitness of Christ's crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension.  Inspired by the Holy Spirit, the scripture to which he refers is found in the Old Testament book of Zechariah 12:10:  "And I will pour on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace and supplication; then they will look on Me whom they pierced. Yes, they will mourn for Him as one mourns for his only son, and grieve for Him as one grieves for a firstborn."  In context, God the Father is speaking through the prophet Zechariah.  Notice how it says of the Jews and inhabitants of Jerusalem:  "They will look on Me whom they pierced."  If God was only revealed to man as a spirit, how could He be pierced?  How could His blood be shed?  The fact is this:  God has revealed Himself to man as God the Father, Jesus Christ the Son who became flesh, and the Holy Spirit sent to indwell all believers after Christ ascended into heaven.

There is no middle ground concerning the deity of Jesus Christ.  Either He is God, or He is an impostor.  Everyone must make their decision and live accordingly.  Jesus says in John 14:6-7, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. ⁷ "If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; and from now on you know Him and have seen Him."  Praise God for this marvelous truth!  There is salvation to all who repent and believe in Christ.  After Peter performed a miracle by God's power, he told those who looked on in amazement in Acts 4:10-12, "...let it be known to you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead, by Him this man stands here before you whole. ¹¹ This is the 'stone which was rejected by you builders, which has become the chief cornerstone.' ¹² Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved."

Where do you stand?  Choose this day whom you will serve.  As for me and my house, we will serve the LORD Jesus Christ!

From the Housetops

No matter how wealthy someone might be, his net worth is limited.  It may be an unfathomable limit to the average wage-earner, but it is limited nonetheless.  All people face limitations which are on level with each other as well.  Everyone has the same amount of minutes and hours in the day and night to accomplish work and see their goals realised.  We all have basic necessities:  oxygen, water, food, clothing, and sleep.  Because of our naturally self-focused nature and the limitations we perceive, humans find great security in homes, careers, money, and possessions.  There are limits to the risks we take because we know that our resources can easily make wings and fly away if we are not careful.  We go to great lengths to protect and preserve what we have.

We see evidence of this in an example from scripture.  Samaria had been under siege for some time by the Syrian army.  There was a grievous famine in the city and people were starving to death.  A group of starving lepers talked over their options outside the gate of the city.  They were outcasts dying of a dreaded and incurable condition.  In the city they would starve, and they faced the swords and spears of the Syrians outside.  They decided that either way they were dead men.  It would be better to throw themselves upon the mercy of the Syrian army rather than waste away in the city from starvation.  What did they have to lose?  Unknown to them at the time, God caused the Syrian army to flee because they thought they heard the sound of a huge approaching army.  When they arrived at the camp in twilight, they found it completely deserted.  2 Kings 7:8-9 reads, "And when these lepers came to the outskirts of the camp, they went into one tent and ate and drank, and carried from it silver and gold and clothing, and went and hid them; then they came back and entered another tent, and carried some from there also, and went and hid it.⁹ Then they said to one another, "We are not doing right. This day is a day of good news, and we remain silent. If we wait until morning light, some punishment will come upon us. Now therefore, come, let us go and tell the king's household."

These lepers were at first very happy to keep this good news to themselves.  They feasted and drank of the Syrian provisions, plundered gold, silver, and clothes and went and hid them.  They did the same with the second tent.  But then they concluded that it was wrong to keep this good news to themselves:  the whole city was perishing while they were eating, drinking, and hoarding!  Granted, their motivation for sharing the news was not good.  They feared for their own skins rather than doing good for the sake of those who were suffering.  But in the end they went to the city, and shared the good news that the Syrian army had left and there remained an abundance of food and riches for all.  In a similar way, God has provided us the Good News of the Gospel, not so we can pig out on food, drink, and hoard riches for ourselves, but so we might share the Gospel of Salvation by grace through faith in Christ to others.  Even as Jesus laid down His life in love, so we should share this Good News - not motivated by the fear of judgment - but moved by love for God and others.  The treasures of God's Kingdom are of far greater value than any amount of money can buy and will last for eternity.

Psalm 145:1-3 says, "I will extol You, my God, O King; and I will bless Your name forever and ever. ² Every day I will bless You, and I will praise Your name forever and ever. ³ Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised; and His greatness is unsearchable."  King David proclaims the goodness and greatness of God for all to see.  All who have tasted and seen that God is good are under the obligation to boldly and broadly declare and to magnify the greatness of God.  Jesus exhorts in Matthew 10:27, "Whatever I tell you in the dark, speak in the light; and what you hear in the ear, preach on the housetops."  When God teaches us something, it is not only meat and drink intended for our consumption, but for the good of all:  for the guiding of the lost to Christ, to instruct the wandering back to Him, to encourage the faithful, to edify, encourage, and exhort the Body of Christ, all for the glory of God.  Sometimes we are afraid to share the things God is teaching us with others.  Jesus knows this.  That is why His next sentence in Matthew 10:28 is this:  "And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell."

Let us not keep the grace, love, promises, and salvation of Christ a secret for ourselves, but boldly proclaim His goodness from the housetops!  It is better to be approved of God for our obedience and be shunned outcasts than to treasure the accolades and approval of man over the performance of our joyful duty.  God's glory is without limit, and we will forever be proclaiming His praises.  He is eternal, infinite, and worthy, and everlasting security is found in Him alone!

Forget the Two Week Notice!

It is a common practice in the States that an employee give a "two week notice" before leaving for another job.  Though it was never written into any of my working agreements, it is a simple courtesy which helps workers leave on good terms.  But there is a drawback to giving advance notice.  A difficultly arises when the company a worker is currently employed with comes back with an offer of better wages, role, or benefit package.  The employee who for some time had been seeking other employment and committed to a different job now faces a gut-wrenching decision:  leave the current company or burn the bridge you were planning to cross to the new job venture.  Most people I know who have been in this situation tend to stay with the same company.  I know other people who quit on the spot without giving notice because they did not want to have to deal with the dilemma.

I always put in a minimum of a two-week notice with all the companies I worked for, and some of them in writing.  It was always a matter of personal principal to never use a notice as a "threat" or leverage to try to improve my situation within a company.  I never put in my notice until I was convinced that it was God leading me to do so.  That way when the dialogue began or offers were presented, my decision was already final because it was God who had directed me to take the next step.  Had I not had this anchor for my heart and soul, I no doubt would have caved under the pressure of other people's opinions.  The trouble is, unless we make the decision to follow Christ without reservation, our tendency is to head right back to our worldly ways.  The devil is a master of sweetening the deal.  It is likely not a sin to decide to stay with your original company, but that's not the point.  Spiritually speaking, it is folly to choose bondage to sin and Satan over a life lived completely in service of Jesus Christ.

This same struggle is played out in the world daily on a spiritual level.  In our natural state, man is sinful and cut off from fellowship with God.  Once a man repents and trusts in Christ, his role is to pray and seek to deliver others from bondage to sin, the flesh, and Satan.  Believers are exhorted in 2 Timothy 2:24-26:  "And a servant of the Lord must not quarrel but be gentle to all, able to teach, patient, ²⁵ in humility correcting those who are in opposition, if God perhaps will grant them repentance, so that they may know the truth, ²⁶ and that they may come to their senses and escape the snare of the devil, having been taken captive by him to do his will."  Those who are unregenerate, those who remain spiritually dead in trespasses and sins, are Satan's captives for the purpose of doing his will.  In embracing his "freedom" a sinner remains in perpetual opposition to God.  Knowing this, Christians ought to be filled with compassion, patience, gentleness, and humility to enlighten lost sinners to the knowledge of Christ through the Gospel.

The passing pleasures of sin might be attractive and enjoyable for a season, but in the end bring regret, sorrow, and death.  There is only danger in giving the devil a two-week notice.  The call of Jesus is a call we must respond to immediately.  For example Matthew 4:18-20 reads, "And Jesus, walking by the Sea of Galilee, saw two brothers, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen. ¹⁹ Then He said to them, "Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men." ²⁰ They immediately left their nets and followed Him."  Peter and Andrew did not put in their two-week notice.  They did not remain with their fishing company until they were assured of being vested in the Fisherman's Local Union.  They dropped their tools and followed Jesus.  In Luke 5:27-28 we read of another case:  "After these things He went out and saw a tax collector named Levi, sitting at the tax office. And He said to him, "Follow Me." ²⁸ So he left all, rose up, and followed Him."  Levi, also known as Matthew, was literally sitting in his office when Jesus called him to follow.  He left all, rose up, and followed Him.  This is the fundamental cost of following Jesus as a disciple:  your life.  When we lose our lives for Christ's sake, we save them.

When a man leaves a company for another, it is not uncommon for people to bolster their income through "side-work" or "moonlighting."  During the day, a man goes to work for his new company.  But on the afternoons or weekends he continues to work with his old contacts.  The danger of this arrangement is divided allegiance, especially if the man is working for himself.  Spiritually speaking, it is a disastrous position to be living for the glory of God for some of the time but serving Satan and self when "off the clock."  No man can serve two masters, and no one can serve both God and the world.  There are few things more disastrous to the life of a Christian than a divided heart.  Jeremiah 29:13 says, "And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart."  In this exhortation and promise is also a warning:  if we seek God halfheartedly, we should not be surprised when God, His wisdom, strength, and comfort are strangely absent.  We must choose whom we will serve, and our lives display our answer more than words ever could.

Jesus has opened His arms on the cross to all the sinners in the world saying, "Follow me."  We must immediately answer this call, leaving all behind.  We need not give the devil, the world, or anyone notice before we make this commitment.  Once we follow Jesus as disciples, we are to put off all side-work for Satan.  Instead of giving place to the devil, we are told by Christ to "Occupy until I come" and be about His business for God's glory.  Let us seek the LORD with all our hearts, rejecting any tantalising offers the world may give us to lure our hearts away from God.  Answer the call with "Yes!" and "Amen!"