Such A Burden
Why does living for God seem like a burden to some people? Because, they are serving God with the wrong motives. They are serving for what they can get out of it, and not just because they love Him.
Matthew 13:44-46 “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it.”
When you live for God because you are obligated to, your relationship can become very dry and difficult. You should live for God because nothing else can compare to the joy of knowing Him. In this passage, Jesus gives us an illustration of what the Kingdom of God is like. First, there was the discovery of the treasure and an awareness of its worth. Secondly note his heart motivation: “…in his JOY, he went out and sold all he had…” The treasure and the knowledge that he could possess brought him joy. It was not a sacrifice. It was not a burden. It was a joy. Even though it cost him everything he had—the sacrifice of the merchant was nothing compared to possessing the treasure. Giving up everything allows us to be dead to sin and alive to Christ. He is our treasure and His kingdom’s rule in our lives is the why we were created—the hope, the peace, the life, and the love that only He can give.
Alex E. and 
Josh K 4:44 pm on June 13, 2008 Permalink |
Your words are as always full of wisdom and insight. You are one of my heros.
Josh
Alex E. 10:43 pm on June 13, 2008 Permalink |
One reason we serve from obligation and burden is because we misunderstand what the NT command “serve the Lord” means. There is a way to serve the Lord that is a turn-off to Him, and a way that’s a sweet smelling aroma to Him.
It’s the difference between approaching God clothed in our own works vs. receiving grace from Him to do the works on our behalf. One approach relies on our efforts to please God. The other relies on CHRIST SERVING US FIRST, and then we let it affect us and our response to Him and others. (ie. “The Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve…”)
Generally speaking, we in church get this mixed up almost as much as the world. We begin in grace, but then shift back to works as we “serve the Lord.”
The “works” approach can’t help but feed the pride in us that says, “I deserve glory for what I’ve done. God, You owe me now.” (Gosh, how many times I have seen this in my own heart.)
The “grace” approach lays an axe to the root of pride and self-glorification and says, “God, You owe me nothing good. I need You.” The cool thing is that God in turn shows grace to the humble… the very thing that the humble one knows is his only hope. This grace causes the humble one to view God as the treasure worth living and dying for. His response to God is now the kind of worship that pleases God.
The question then becomes, “Who is the one giving?” Because, based on 1 Peter 4:11, the giver gets the glory.