Devotion Booklets for Seasons of the Church Year Lent 2018 | Page 50

Things We Shouldn’t Carry
Tuesday, March 27th
Isaiah 53:4-5
One part of life that is equal parts frustrating and exciting is watching kids growing up and becoming
independent. Recently this has been playing out in my life in the form of my preschooler “helping”
carry in the groceries. When the bags are filled with cereal boxes, things go smoothly. When there’s a
full gallon of milk or a glass container involved, things can be a bit more dicey. I’d rather not deal with
my child’s failure to carry those groceries. At this juncture in life, it is just better if I carry those things.
There are a handful of emotional and spiritual issues that people (believers and unbelievers alike)
carry around. Worries about the future, emotional scars from the past, and guilt brought about by our
sins are all uncomfortable burdens. What should you do? How does God want you to carry these
burdens?
Scripture makes it clear that your only hope for relief from these burdens is to give up. Give up
worrying. Give up fretting about the past. When worried about disease and death, both Jairus and a
woman with a bleeding condition gave up and relied on Jesus who could take up their infirmities (Luke
8:40-56). When Joseph met his brothers after years apart, he gave up on vengeance and pointed to the
work of God who could carry his sorrows (Genesis 45).
More important than giving up in these temporal matters is the giving up that we need to do when
faced with the guilt of our sin. We dare not stand up to God claiming an excuse. We can’t hope to hide
our “small” sin in the shadow of another person’s “big” sin. No matter how hard we try to mold and
adjust God’s immutable will, we can’t change it or make our sins acceptable. When we try to carry the
guilt of our sins, we find ourselves in a far worse condition than a four-year-old carrying too many glass
bottles. We have no hope. We have no defense. Give up! Repent!
Jesus has taken your sorrows. He has taken your sickness. He has taken your guilt and your
punishment. He is your Savior.
Prayer: Heavenly Father, strengthen me with a firm reliance on you. Remind me that I cannot hope to
carry all my guilt and sorrow. Make it plain to me that you have carried these for me. Enable me to
share this message with others. Amen.
Activity: Read Luke 8:40-56 and Romans 4:1-8. Find evidence of Jairus, a sick woman, Abraham, and
David giving up on themselves and putting their trust in God.
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