1 Peter 1:3
Praise God, the Father of our Lord Jesus
Christ. God is so good, and by raising Jesus from death, he has given us
new life and a hope that lives on.
Scripture taken from the Contemporary English Version © 1991,1992, 1995 by American Bible Society, Used by Permission.
My
friend Marla was telling me how frazzled her daughter Molly is these
days. Molly is the working, single mother of three children…and they
are all going in different directions. She has been driving her oldest
son to a night-time “band camp” this week to prepare for his entry into
high school band next fall. The two younger children are involved in
gymnastics classes. Marla said that when she visited recently, Molly’s
kitchen table was littered with applications for a number of summer
camps. She said, “It’s all about to drive Molly crazy!” And many of
you can relate.
Even if you don’t have three children and a
job, you may have a “to-do” list that seems insurmountable. I can
remember days when I worked full-time and was so frazzled and exhausted
by all that I had to accomplish that I woke up thinking, “If I can get
through this day, in 10-12 hours, I can go back to bed!” Does this
sound familiar?
What if our spiritual life was like this? In
the Old Testament, we read about making blood sacrifices for our sins.
If you think people in Biblical times had it easier, think again! They
didn’t have cars, microwaves, smart phones, computers, or even running
water (at least your average Joe didn’t!). So in addition to toting
water…hunting and killing – or growing – their food…gathering fire
wood…protecting their property and their physical body from the
elements, predators and enemies… and even the logistics of getting from
Point A to Point B…they had to select the purest lambs, carry them to
the high priest, confess their sins, then kill the lamb with a knife and
spill its blood in atonement! Whew! Makes me tired just to type all
of this!
I’m thankful for all of our modern conveniences. But I
am even more thankful for the blood of Jesus that bought and paid for my
sins - once and for all. Now understand, this is not a “given”…we
cannot just assume that Jesus died on the cross for our sins and go on
with our merry lives. We must humbly confess before God that we are
sinners. We must ask for His forgiveness. We must request the gift of
eternal life by the blood of Jesus. THEN He will bestow it! And we’re not done…we still have obligations. We must be good stewards of our gift of Salvation in Jesus.
We
have to live in a way that honors this gift and truly demonstrates our
desire and efforts to enjoy a life free of sin. But “resting in the
LORD” is so much more peaceful and soothing than constantly worrying and
examining your life and rushing to a priest with a living sacrifice.
Even more importantly, once we confess our sins and vow to follow Jesus,
we are free of the “after-burden” of our sins. We don’t have to carry
the added weight of picturing a precious lamb suffering, quite
literally, under the knife of our transgressions…and the knowledge that
we will have to repeat this act over and over and over throughout our
lives.
Acceptance of Jesus’ gift of salvation allows us to rest
in His love and to concentrate our time and energy on other things…like
serving Him and loving others – and enjoying the new life that He has
given us! Our new life in Christ won’t take all of the tasks off of our
“to-do” list. We will still have jobs, spouses, kids, family
obligations, civic duties, and ministries to tend. But we will not have
the heavy burden of sin looming over our heads. I don’t know about
you, but for me, this is HUGE!
Summer is a time when we often
think of a slower, more relaxed pace…afternoons lounging in a porch
swing or hammock…sunny days spent playing in the water…the fun and
camaraderie of a baseball game…camps and vacations…and so much more.
Let this summer be the one that you leave behind the burden of sin.
Truly humble yourself and ask Jesus to forgive you…to wash you in the
blood of His sacrifice…and be done with it, once and for all! Rest in
His hope; relax in His peace. See if this doesn’t make your crazy
“to-do” list just a little more tolerable. Aren’t you ready to “rest in
the LORD”?
©2014 Debbie Robus
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