The Burden of Resolutions

Jesus said, “Take My yoke upon you, and learn of Me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For My yoke is easy, and My burden is light” (Matthew 11:29-30 KJV). Why then, do people put burdens on themselves and make life difficult? When people place burdens on themselves in the name of being a “better Christian,” they become religious or even self-righteous. They place self-imposed standards of holiness on themselves that they cannot possibly live up to, especially in their own efforts. While having the desire to have a deeper relationship with God and to serve Him well is wonderful, the methods people choose to get there may not be so wonderful.
It is easy to make a vow or resolution at some watermark event. Hence, there’s the proverbial New Year’s Resolution because it represents a “new beginning.” For others, it might be a conference or even something catastrophic that brings hardship. Whatever represents some new beginning can also be the start of a new burden that should not be borne. It is ironic that Jesus can set people free of the yoke of bondage, only to have some put an even heavier one on their own neck. Religious bondage is not freedom. So what is the solution? Relationship.
The interesting thing about faith is that is starts the relationship with God and it requires a relationship with Him in order to function. Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God (see Romans 10:17). Rhema is the Greek used for “Word,” which denotes the spoken word, and what can be uttered in speech and writing. More specifically, it refers to what the Holy Spirit speaks to us, in spoken or written form. This verse carries a least a couple of applications. One is that it refers to when a person hears the Gospel, the Holy Spirit breaths on the message, a person receives it and enters into the relationship by calling on the Name of Jesus. Another application is that in order to walk by faith there has to be interaction with God. Jesus said that, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every Word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4). That means in order to do something by faith, we have to hear from God first, and that means what we do should be the result of the relationship.
Here’s the key: faith works by love (see Galatians 5:6). That means the first step in walking by faith is walking in love. Love will fulfill all those resolutions people make without the religion. Love absolutely destroys the yoke of bondage. For example, someone might make a resolution to be more obedient to the Lord. In his mind he has an idea of what that looks like. Pray more; in fact, get up early to pray. Go to church more, read the Bible more, and of course, don’t cuss. It becomes some kind of religious list of dos and don’ts. When we grasp what obedience really means, it may be easier to fulfill. Obedience is the intent to believe what God says and conform to His desires out of love. In other words, obedience requires love to be genuine.
If a person does things out of self-imposed compulsion or even as the result of pressure from others, it will not take very long before failure soon follows. Resentment and feelings of unworthiness will come along for the ride as well. Then comes another vow to do better and the next thing you know, he is in a vicious cycle. All this “I will do more and I will not do” stuff is nothing more than dead works. They are not faith-based; they are self-generated.
Get back to the relationship through Jesus Christ. Spend time with the Father. Let Him speak to you and simply listen to what He has to say. If He leads you to pray, then pray. If He leads you to do something specific, then do it with gusto as unto the Lord. Please understand that being a disciple of Jesus Christ does require discipline. Meaning, we have to be careful about “not feeling led” simply because we do not feel like it. Relationships sometimes embrace hardship for Love’s sake. The flesh hates discipline and obedience that may require hardship. Because of Love, Jesus endured the Cross. So yes, you may need to have a specific time to meet with God. Sometimes discipline is needed in order to spend time in your Bible and so on. However, in the relationship, the Lord may give you the specific parameters as to the how, what and when aspects. For example, He may lead you as to when you should read your Bible and what you should study. The relationship will actually define the parameters of faith when you walk in love. One last thought: if you are new in Christ Jesus, you do not need a new day to be new because you already are in Him.

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