... a burden you need not carry!
This is a central
theme throughout the Word of God. And God soooo wants us out of it!
God supernaturally brought His
people to the promised-land, overflowing with milk and honey (representing each
and every good and perfect gift) … and yet, they defied Him and thought nothing
of it. They did not desire to have intimacy with Him …
He sent them messengers to openly
profess His goodness and who He is. But they killed them.
They drank the wine of the
harlot nations they encountered and conformed to the pagan world around them
instead.
This sounds very much like a
prophecy for today.
Yet, in the days of the prophet
Amos (whose name incidentally means burden) it was not much different.
When God speaks through the
prophet, Amos, He pours out His heart to his people. He says (allow me to paraphrase based on the Hebrew text):
Amo
2:12 But ye gave the Nazarites [those dedicated to
preach the Gospel] wine to drink [intoxicating them with deception and lies];
and commanded the prophets, saying, Prophesy not [those bringing the true
Gospel of His Salvation – His Grace].
Amo
2:13 Behold, I am pressed under you, as a cart is
pressed that is full of sheaves [the
root word talks about manipulation – the perversion of the truth].
Amo
2:14 Therefore the flight shall perish from the swift
[even those who justify themselves by own works are the same as the ones who
are of little account – who despises God. Both perish.], and the strong shall
not strengthen his force [those justifying themselves with self-righteous acts],
neither shall the mighty deliver himself [even the one who regards himself to
be mighty such as the Pharisee in the law]:
Amo
2:15 Neither shall he stand that handleth the bow
[the one who delivers the self-justification]; and he
that is swift of foot [the cunning and shrewd in] shall not deliver himself: neither shall he that rideth the horse [esteems
himself] deliver himself.
Amo
2:16 And he that is courageous among the mighty shall flee
away naked in that day, saith the
LORD.
Another prophet describes what happens in the "day of the Lord" when he says: "And thy mighty men, O Teman, shall be dismayed, to the end that every one of the mount of Esau may be cut off by slaughter" Oba 1:9
"Mount of Esau" talks about the works of self-righteousness. The root word for Esau (asah) talks about labour and own works. Mount talks about power. Thus, it says power in own works. No wonder God says He hated Esau Rom 9:13 & Mal 1:3.
“that day”
refers to the Day of the Lord. It is in that day that the self-righteous would
not be able to stand. That day was appointed to Jesus. It was the day that the
enemy was defeated. It was the day when the burden was taken on and by Him. It
was the day when He declared: “It is Finished!”
Today, we have a
choice. We can keep bearing the burden. We can take up the burden in various
forms. We can pile it up and carry it on and on ...
or …
We can abide and
rest in the fact that He has already taken it upon Himself.
Grace says: “There
is nothing you can do to earn me!”
Grace says: “I
am your free Gift!”
Grace says: “I
am all for you!”
Grace says: “I
am undeserved, unmerited favour and I am yours!”
Grace says: “I
have a Name … Jesus!”
You cannot earn
Grace. You cannot buy Grace. You cannot deserve Grace.
The only thing
that Grace requires is to be received.
If you add to
Grace, it is no longer Grace. It becomes something else. Even the name changes
because it becomes something you can attain for yourself.
How do we
receive?
We rest in the
fact that He had done it all. We open our hands and our hearts and receive
abundantly from His abundant heart.
All that remains … is to sayThank You Jesus!
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