Christianity is Not Burdensome

  In all the years I have been in the ministry, many times I have heard people say, “Living the Christian Life is hard”. I always want to tell them that their worst day with Jesus is better than their best day with the devil. “Therefore if anyone is in Christ he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new” [2Cor. 5:17].  The hard part is when a person tries to live in both worlds. 

   Lot’s wife apparently wanted to live in both worlds. She wanted to go with her husband and daughters, likely for fire insurance,  yet she longed for the life they had been living in Sodom and Gomorra. Many people today want to claim the name of Christianity for fire insurance, yet continue to live their life in their own fashion. They are weighted down with guilt and shame, knowing what they are doing is wrong or they are totally deceived, believing a doctrine that they can live anyway they want to and God in His grace will wink at their sinful nature. In that case , they do not understand the grace of God. The grace of God helps us to avoid sin.  This is what causes Christianity to be easy and not burdensome.

   My purse is about the right size to carry the things I might want for my daily needs. Sometimes unaware I add things to it for only a moment, thinking I will remove them when I get home. After a span of time, the purse becomes heavy laden with things not necessary to live. It is a burden to carry. God makes us just the right size to carry what He has called us to do. Sometimes we take on responsibilities and extras He did not intend us to carry. They may be basically good things, yet they become burdensome, because they are not what God called us to do. The Bible talks about dead works, anything that is not energized by God is dead works, making them hard to carry. As I have to stop and unload my purse of unnecessary things, so do we have to stop and take inventory of our lives, setting priorities. Unload the unnecessary.
 
   We have been farmers all our lives. When a plow is loaded down with dirt and weeds, it caused the tractor to slow down. Not only slow things down, but all that trash will drag through and destroy all it passes over. The farmer has to climb down off his high tractor and clean off all the plows. I have seen people who mean well, go through life carrying past baggage, destroying everything they touch, blaming others. Sometimes, we as Christians have to climb down off our high place and get rid of the trash that holds us back from producing the crop that is intended for us. “Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning”[Ps. 30:5].
 
   Happiness is a feeling and circumstances can affect our happiness but Joy is a decision, we choose to be joyful or sad. “The Joy of the Lord is our strength.” [Nehemiah 8:10]. Even in the worst of situations we can still have the Joy of The Lord. We can be strong in Him and the Power of His might. Walking with Him is a choice “For this is the Love of God, that we keep His commandments: and His commandments are not Burdensome” [1 John 5:3]. Once we make up our mind  to go all the way with Jesus, “Christianity Is Not Burdensome!”