“Your love and obedience to God is an indicator of following His will for your life.”
Thoughts from daily Bible reading for today – February 3, 2023
As the soldiers led him away, they seized Simon from Cyrene, who was on his way in from the country, and put the cross on him and made him carry it behind Jesus. Luke 23:26
A friend recently shared with me about his decision to say no to an international trip. After much prayer, in spite of the pressure to go, he said a hard no…and, in the process, disappointed those who really wanted him to go. Go to serve. Go to experience adventure. Go to build memories. His health was not 100%, so he thought it not wise to risk compromising his immune system to disease in a country with limited health care. While creating a “burden of disappointment” with others, his obedience, he hopes, will result in a better yes in the long run, and Lord willing, he will be 100% for a future trip. Sometimes your obedience becomes a burden to those you love.
Simon from Cyrene experienced the burden of carrying Christ’s cross because of Jesus’ obedience to go to the cross. An interesting detail in Scripture is that Simon came in from the country. Perhaps in his contemplation of God in His creation, the Lord led him to the city to see Jesus. Simon’s obedience intersected with Christ’s obedience and, in the process, experienced the burden of bearing His cross. Simon was originally from modern-day Libya in north Africa, an outsider invited in to be there for Jesus to be a burden bearer…to be crucified with Christ, as Paul would later illustrate our life in Christ. Like Jesus, your obedience may be another’s burden.
“My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So, I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me” (Galatians 2:20, NLT).
Oswald Chambers develops the idea of disobedience bringing immediate relief contrasted to the long-term fulfillment of following Jesus in obedience, “We can disobey God if we choose, and it will bring immediate relief to the situation, but it will grieve our Lord. If, however, we obey God, He will care for those who have suffered the consequences of our obedience. We must simply obey and leave all the consequences with Him. Beware of the inclination to dictate to God what consequences you would allow as a condition of your obedience to Him.” Love first obeys God.
Your love and obedience to God is an indicator of following His will for your life. So, after you make a difficult decision, do not allow regret to rob you of peace. Trust the Lord with the right results, even if short-term pain is part of the outcome. Others who become burden bearers with you have the opportunity to go deeper in relational intimacy with you and with Jesus. Being a burden bearer can be a part of the Lord’s plan when like Simon, you bear Christ’s cross on the way to experiencing Christ’s love on the cross. Burdens laid at the cross are a sacrifice of love.
“Share each other’s burdens, and in this way obey the law of Christ” (Galatians 6:2, NLT).
Prayer
Heavenly Father, lead me to love and obey you, even when it causes another to experience the burden of my obedience, through Christ’s love, and in Jesus’ name, amen.
Application
What decision are you contemplating that may require a hard “no” with no regrets…in place of a decision of an easy “yes” you may one day regret?
Related Reading
Matthew 11:28-30; Acts 15:28-29; Hebrews 13:17; 1 John 5:3
Worship Resource
Lindy & The Circuit Riders: Obedience
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