March 14, 2013
espi180
Posts: 80 Member
Galatians 5:1 (ESV)
"For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery."
I cannot deny the context of this passage in reference to our salvation in Christ. We are free from sin! There is the reality, however, that we are not free from this world of sin. Only when we move from this life to our eternal life will we finally experience that great reward! Life in him, however, makes life in this world more tolerable.
There is still a burden, only a different one. In Matthew 11:30 (ESV) Jesus says, "My yoke is easy, and my burden is light." When you search the meaning of "yoke" in each of these two passages, they mean two different things. In Galatians we are yoked to sin, in Matthew our yoke is to salvation. In either case, there is a yoke! For eternity's sake... choose your yoke wisely!
The yoke in many ways represents our lives and the work involved. This life is tough, and there is a choice that must be made. Even as we venture into more disciplined lives of health, there is a choice. We can be "yoked" to old habits that destroy us, or to new ones that benefit us and give us vitality and health. Either way it's a burden. It's a burden to sit, do nothing and deal with the consequence of illness, or it's a burden to rise up daily, deal with a bit of pain and discomfort from a sore muscle and a few less bites of food.
The choice really is ours. What will be your burden today?
"For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery."
I cannot deny the context of this passage in reference to our salvation in Christ. We are free from sin! There is the reality, however, that we are not free from this world of sin. Only when we move from this life to our eternal life will we finally experience that great reward! Life in him, however, makes life in this world more tolerable.
There is still a burden, only a different one. In Matthew 11:30 (ESV) Jesus says, "My yoke is easy, and my burden is light." When you search the meaning of "yoke" in each of these two passages, they mean two different things. In Galatians we are yoked to sin, in Matthew our yoke is to salvation. In either case, there is a yoke! For eternity's sake... choose your yoke wisely!
The yoke in many ways represents our lives and the work involved. This life is tough, and there is a choice that must be made. Even as we venture into more disciplined lives of health, there is a choice. We can be "yoked" to old habits that destroy us, or to new ones that benefit us and give us vitality and health. Either way it's a burden. It's a burden to sit, do nothing and deal with the consequence of illness, or it's a burden to rise up daily, deal with a bit of pain and discomfort from a sore muscle and a few less bites of food.
The choice really is ours. What will be your burden today?
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I like to think of it in terms of choices. Once you make the choice and decide to be either healthy father or mother, faithful husband or wife, someone who either raises people up or drags them down... Once you "decide" what and who you want to be then there is no other route to take.
Not to say there won't be times of weakness. When those times arise, look to your own personal motivations. What makes you show up every day? For my health it is my wife and son. I want to be around for them for a long time.0
