Faith
December 16, 2011 – Beasts of Burden, Baggage, and Consistency
22 Cast your burden on the Lord [releasing the weight of it] and He will sustain you; He will never allow the [consistently] righteous to be moved (made to slip, fall, or fail). – Psalm 55:22 AMP
Today’s verse and title may not seem to flow together perfectly. Beasts of burden as we know them from yesteryear are animals such as the donkey or ox. They are animals that would carry heavy loads for our ancestors from one place to another and were even used to till soil. Today these animals for the most part have been replaced by the train, tractor, pickup, and even eighteen wheelers, as they perform tasks with much more efficiency than the beasts of old. But I am talking of neither those beasts nor the burdens they carry.
The burdens I am speaking of are the ones I have seen Christians refer to in their everyday life. I have seen Christians for years talk about burdens Christ had them bear. Some even referred to them as their own personal cross to carry. Maybe such believers are like Paul and feel God gave them a burden or a thorn in the flesh to keep them humble (2 Corinthians 12:7). Maybe they are just assuming they have to carry around baggage in their life because Paul said we would all have to carry our own load of faults (Galatians 6:5). Whatever the case, such believers have forgotten Jesus’ words and have made themselves modern day beasts of burden.
28 Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy-laden and overburdened, and I will cause you to rest. [I will ease and relieve and refresh your souls.] 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn on Me, for I am gentle (meek) and humble (lowly) in heart, and you will find rest (relief and ease and refreshment and recreation and blessed quiet) for your souls. 30 For my yoke is wholesome (useful, good – not harsh, hard, sharp, or pressing, but comfortable, gracious, and pleasant) and My burden is light and easy to be borne. – Matthew 11:28-30 AMP
For years I have seen Christians claim they have carried burdens for all sorts of things. Some carried burdens for unsaved family members or co-workers. Some carried burdens by being a listener and an advisor to those in need. Some even carried burdens in their life as sin “they just couldn’t get rid of.” They allowed such burdens to weigh them down to the point they looked miserable. They were all “suffering for Jesus.” I guess they thought all of Jesus’ suffering was in vain.
Today’s verse says very plainly for us to cast our burdens on the Lord. But how do you do that exactly? This is where I and many other Christians have stumbled over the years. I looked for anyone and everyone except God to cast my burdens on. I even played the blame game. But there is more to this verse than casting cares. They key comes in consistency.
This verse says that God will not allow the consistently righteous to be moved. It means Christians have to be righteous before God and not waver. It means standing for Him whether you’re alone or in a crowd. Righteousness is not something you can turn on and off. You can’t be a super spiritual “I have arrived” Christian in front of a crowd then pull out your hidden sin in private. That’s a far cry from consistency.
This is where modern day Christians have become beasts of burden and have stumbled. If you see Christians always burdened by something, there’s a good chance their righteousness is lacking in the consistency department. Look at Paul. He had the burden of caring for the countless number of churches he had established (2 Corinthians 11:28), but he never went around with a “poor old burdened me” attitude.
I think the bottom line is that these burdened Christians just want attention. In Matthew Chapter Seven, Jesus talks about such people. He calls them hypocrites. He says they do good deeds, give to charity, pray openly, fast openly, but have just sought approval from men rather than God and have received their full reward already. They got all the attention they were looking. Why do they crave such attention? There could be several reasons. The bottom line is that their heart is not right toward God. Their life lacks the consistency in living that makes their burdens light.
Do you have a burden? Is it weighing you down? Is the burden hiding sin in your life? God would have you cast all of those burdens on Him. But hey, there’s a catch. Only when you’re living a life consistently righteous to Him will He help carry your load. That’s all it takes. Are you ready to live that way, or do you need to buy a cart to help you carry around your burdens? Unload or hitch-up, the choice is all yours.
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