Three Types Of Burdens - Only One Way To Lighten Your Load

My Utmost For His Highest

 

Cast your burden on the Lord… —Psalm 55:22

 

“We must recognize the difference between burdens that are right for us to bear and burdens that are wrong. We should never bear the burdens of sin or doubt, but there are some burdens placed on us by God which He does not intend to lift off. God wants us to roll them back on Him— to literally “cast your burden,” which He has given you, “on the Lord….” If we set out to serve God and do His work but get out of touch with Him, the sense of responsibility we feel will be overwhelming and defeating. […] Many servants set out to serve God with great courage and with the right motives. But with no intimate fellowship with Jesus Christ, they are soon defeated. They do not know what to do with their burden, and it produces weariness in their lives. Others will see this and say, “What a sad end to something that had such a great beginning!”” CHAMBERS

 

Seems to me that there are three types of burdens, the burden that comes from personal sin, the burdens that come from living in a fallen world, and the godly burden that God places on you as part of His purpose for your life.  Psalm 37:4 says “Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart.”  I don’t believe that means God will give us what we want, but will give us a passion or godly burden.  God never calls us to something that we can do on our own.  We will always need Him to accomplish it.  I have seen many people start out in service like a rocket in great glory only to fizzle out in defeat.  I can remember speaking to a group of missionaries in Haiti about this.  After I listened to them talk about how hard serving in Haiti was, I told them that if they had come to Haiti, and God had not called them to come, but they had come for some other reason, they should go home.  Service in Haiti was too hard to be doing it on your own.  In other words, if God was not the source of their calling and their strength, they were in trouble.  My words may have sounded a little harsh at the time, but they needed to be reminded that what we do is spiritual.

 

It is the same way for Christians who are trying to live the Christian life by their own wit and effort.  Impossible is an understatement.  One of the first verses that I learned as a Christian was 1 Peter 5:7.  Martie bought this big coffee mug for me with a cross and that verse on the front of it.  “Cast all your cares on the Lord because He cares for you.”  For all three types of burdens, God is the source of relief.  The solution is so simple, but oh how we struggle by trying to carry the burden on our own.  Jesus said “Come to Me all you that are weary and heavy laden and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28)   How ‘bout it?  ELGIN

 

Charley Elgin