Monday the 16th

1 John 5:3

 

³This is love for God: to obey his commands. And his commands are not burdensome.

 

Where have we heard that before? How about Matthew 11: 30 when Jesus urged his followers to pick up his yoke and follow Him, for His yoke is easy, and His burden is light…..It is not a burden to follow the Lord…..has man made it more difficult that it should be? Without a doubt! Christ came and fulfilled the ritualistic parts of the Mosaic law. As a result we are left with two things that will encompass all that is expected of us. Faith, and love. Faith in Jesus, his life , his sacrifice, and his resurrection, and Love for the Lord, and our fellow man. I will let you in on a secret this morning………it is easier to live with love, and faith, than it is to live without it. Have you ever tried to withhold love? Have you ever tried to get a feeling for what it would be like to believe that we are just floating around aimlessly in this life, everything a random set of events that end in a bed of dirt? Loneliness, despair, isolation, self worth that is dependant on your bank account, your “toys”…..no thank you! I will never say that following Christ is not challenging, it is, some days it might even seem impossible, but I will tell you this. Since I gave my life to Christ, I have not had a day where I did not want to get out of bed. I have not had a challenge set in front of me that I thought I could not accomplish, I no longer feel the need to evaluate those I come in contact with to decide who gets love, and how much. Since the spirit of the Lord has taken up residence in me, I no longer feel the weight of the chains of the world, all of the rules, all of the expectations, they are gone. What is left is peace, love, and faith. Are you hanging onto the world today? Have you let yourself become a slave to the trappings of the world? Maybe you are trying to balance a little of both, one foot in the world and one foot with Christ (that is the heaviest burden of all). As we start this week off, I urge you to take that step, let the Lord fully into your life. Allow yourself to feel the freedom that comes from following the commands of God. You will indeed find that the yoke is easy, and the burden is light. Commit to God, not half way, not just next Sunday, let Him in, and let Him  reside in you daily. When you do you will see that It is never a burden, it is the most freeing thing that you can do.

 

Peace,

Brian