God Removes the Heavy Burden of Religion

Many Christians carry around the heavy weights and burdens of rules imposed on them by people or religious organizations because of misinterpretations or misunderstandings of God's Word. It's no surprise to see that in today's culture because the Bible talks about the same thing happening during Jesus's time. Many of the religious leaders during Jesus's time, the Pharisees and experts in the law, were far more focused on following God's law than they were on God Himself. Their obsession with meticulously following every law, in an effort to earn their own righteousness, led them to set up their own rules and traditions to ensure no one would even come close to breaking the law, and they required everyone to follow them.

Luke 11 tells us about a time when Jesus was invited by a Pharisee to eat with him. It says Jesus went in and reclined at the table, and the Pharisee was taken back because Jesus did not wash before the meal, which was a Jewish tradition but was not part of God's law (Mark 7:3). Luke 11:46 says, "Jesus replied, 'And you experts in the law, woe to you, because you load people down with burdens they can hardly carry, and you yourselves will not lift one finger to help them'." Not only did the Pharisees and experts in the law strictly uphold every law and rule themselves, but they scrutinized the rule-following of everyone else too. It may seem like a good thing that they were so intent on following the law, but there's one major problem... the rules they were so obsessed with following weren't God's laws at all. They were the rules and traditions that the Pharisees and experts in the law had set up themselves that actually conflicted with God's laws (Mark 7:8-9,13). They imposed these rules and traditions on others as if they were God's law, and if others didn't obey them, they faced harsh punishment and consequences.

In stark contrast to the heavy burdens and rules the religious leaders enforced, Jesus says, "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light" (Matthew 11:28-30). Through His death, Jesus lifted the heavy weight of the burden of the law off of our shoulders and gave us a new law of grace. This means that we don't have to be perfect in following rules to obtain righteousness because the only way we can obtain righteousness is by being covered in the perfect blood of Jesus through accepting the sacrifice of His life and receiving the gift of His salvation. It means we are not condemned when we fall short of His perfect laws as imperfect human beings. It means we can receive God's laws as loving guidance to live the abundant life of freedom and peace He has called us to, rather than as heavy burdens and restrictions that weigh us down.

Through Jesus, there is no condemnation or punishment. There is only the easy yoke of forgiveness and the light burden of grace. There is the opportunity to repent and start again as God works in our hearts and helps us to desire and pursue Him. It's no longer about the law and what we do for God... it's all about grace and what He did for us. Our actions become a reflection of a grateful heart that loves God and others rather than the impossible pursuit of religious perfection. So, we don't have to carry the heavy burdens of religion and striving and straining to please God. My prayer for you is that you would simply rest in the goodness of your Heavenly Father knowing that you don't have to do anything to earn His love. I pray that you would receive God's free gift of grace that covers you abundantly every time you fall short of His perfect law because it was fulfilled in Christ Jesus. ♥