Does your relationship with Jesus weigh you down?
Are you weary from the constraints of following God?
Is Jesus getting too heavy for you?
Then somehow, somewhere, things have gotten backwards,
topsy-turvy,
uncomfortably upside down,
because God makes something very clear:
Humans carry idols
The Living God carries us.
Religion is a burden –
a heavy one we often wear around our necks
in our hearts
on our backs
But no one knows how much Jesus weighs
because none of us carries Him – He carries us.
God told Israel:
““Listen to me, O house of Jacob, all the remnant of the house of Israel, who have been borne by me from before your birth, carried from the womb; even to your old age I am he, and to gray hairs I will carry you. I have made, and I will bear; I will carry and will save.” Isaiah 46: 3-4
He is quite insistent about this point.
It’s a sticking point by which He distinguishes Himself from false gods (and false gods abound):
“To whom will you liken me and make me equal, and compare me, that we may be alike?
Those who lavish gold from the purse, and weigh out silver in the scales, hire a goldsmith, and he makes it into a god; then they fall down and worship!
They lift it to their shoulders, they carry it, they set it in its place, and it stands there; it cannot move from its place. If one cries to it, it does not answer or save him from his trouble.” Isaiah 46:5-7
The Living God is SO unique, so different, so incomparable, that even the gods we invent pale in comparison.
We create gods we must prop up in order to lean on them.
We cry out and beat at them with bargaining sticks, pleading with them to save us.
But they remain silent and still. Unable to rescue us because they are no gods at all.
Jesus saves.
Completely.
In every way a person needs to be saved.
Jesus acts.
Jesus moves.
Jesus speaks.
Jesus loves first.
Jesus hears and responds.
Jesus carries us.
“Remember this and stand firm, recall it to mind, you transgressors,
remember the former things of old; for I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me,
declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things not yet done, saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all my purpose,’
calling a bird of prey from the east, the man of my counsel from a far country. I have spoken, and I will bring it to pass; I have purposed, and I will do it.” Isaiah 46:8-11
If you are weary from the burden of following Jesus
then you are not following Jesus at all
because His burden is light.
Right now, perhaps, you are laboring under a false notion
taught to you by another who was mistaken
or
maybe the evil one has slipped a burden on your back
in the guise of good religion
and you are carrying it with the best intentions
but you are so weary
you’ve considered leaving Jesus by the side of the road
None of us knows how much Jesus weighs
because He carries us.
If that’s gotten turned around for you,
don’t despair
Cry out to the Living God who will answer
He will lift you in His arms
as your burden drops
and you will find that following Jesus
is a light journey
a Light journey
as your soul takes flight.
Sound too good to be true?
Because He is so unique, we could not imagine Him. He imagined us.
It is the truth.
And it is good.
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Thank you, Lori. You make the truth of God so clear and relevant. You are an inspiration!
Enlightening.
What an incredible truth, Lori. And one we so often fail to recognize. Thanks for this.
Jesus reprimanded the Jewish temple leaders for burdening the people with their religion. He says, “My burden is light.” and so it is. You’ve once again reminded us that FAITH and RELIGION are not the same. I’ll try to remember this blog when things at church get heavy! MOMMA
Since I was totally depraved and without hope in the world, my favorite of all Christ’s actions is that He SEEKS.
“For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost.” Luke 19:10