Daily devotional, December 1, 2023 The Heavyweight

"But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him, And by His scourging we are healed." Isaiah 53:5

Beasts of burden are domesticated animals that help transport people and goods either by carrying them on their backs or pulling it behind them. Water buffaloes are popular in helping out in farms, elephants meanwhile haul out logs from forests, and camels are used in dessert caravans.

As Christians, we are not designed to carry heavy burdens on our shoulders or backs all by ourselves. Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ asks us to let Him carry these for us. In the often quoted verses in the Gospel of Matthew, the Lord said:

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls."
 Matthew 11:28-30

The burden Jesus refers to in the above passage is the burden and guilt of our sins. We are often weary because of guilt and the consequences of our waywardness. If we allow Him to restore us, He will give us the peace that only a life with Him can provide.

"If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." 
1 John 1:9

So how do we unburden to Jesus the guilt that weighs us down? We just have to accept Him as our personal Lord and Savior, and abide by Him moving forward. To abide means to follow His commands and live according to His purpose. In his letter to the Roman Church, the Apostle Paul explained:

"For, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For one believes with the heart and so is justified, and one confesses with the mouth and so is saved. For the scripture says, 'No one who believes in him will be put to shame.'” Romans 10:9-11

So how do we exactly do all these? We can do this by praying to the Lord and confessing all the sins that bear us down. We have to repent or come to terms with Him and promise to not do these things again. The Lord understands that it is not easy to go “cold turkey” on our sins, but He promises to strengthen us as we try to follow Him. In his letter to the Corinthian church, the Apostle Paul said:

"No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.” 1
 Corinthians 10:13

If we fall, the Lord promises to catch us. He promises to give us chances to change, walk away from our sins, and continue following Him:

"The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases;his mercies never come to an end;they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness." 
Lamentations 3:22-23

Nothing beats the feeling of being redeemed by the one true Savior who chose to die on the cross for our sins. As Rev. Fr. Jerry Orbos, SVD oftenly says “our sins are like drops of water in the Lord’s ocean of mercy.” No matter how sinful we are, God calls us to come back to Him. Jesus already paid for our failures and mistakes. And if you feel like you are not worthy of His love, remember that He knows you by your name, He’s got all the hairs of your head numbered, and you are special to Him!

Thank you for reading through our devotional today. I invite you to ponder on Luke 7:36-50 to dig deeper on today’s topic.

Reflection Question: Are you burdened by the guilt of sin? Have you surrendered these sins to Jesus?

Conversation with the Lord: Lord Jesus Christ, I praise and thank you for dying in the cross for my sins. Thank you for redeeming me and giving me a chance to live in your presence, and spend eternity with you. Give me the confidence to fully surrender my sins, my worries, my anxieties, my burdens and my whole life to you because I have you in my heart as my personal Lord and Savior. Amen.