Kind

Many a preacher thinks a good ol' "hellfire and brimstone" sermon will cause quaking in the hearts of sinners, leading them to repentance. Yet, while I'm sure some people have met Jesus through such a method, Romans 2:4 tells us it is God's kindness that leads us to repentance.

We see this kind heart of God in the very last phrase of our key passage for this Heart of Christ blog series. At the end of Matthew 11:28-30, Jesus says, "For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light."

A Light Load

Too often, religion is about what you need to do to live a holy life. Therefore, most religious people try to follow some sort of list of legalistic do's and don'ts so they can "keep God happy."

But for many people, this legalistic to-do list feels burdensome and heavy. Yet, as Jesus pointed out earlier in our key passage (in Matthew 11:28), we already feel burdened by our religious laborings. So He didn't come to put more religious tasks on our backs. Rather, He came to unburden us. And that unburdening happens through the taking on of His yoke (His teaching, His ways, etc.—see Matthew 11:29), because His yoke "is easy" when compared to the exhausting labor of legalism.

And what a kindness that is! Too often, people see God as some sort of task master. Yet, He isn't in Heaven demanding you do more and more to appease Him. Rather, He has already done everything for you through the cross of Christ, taking off of you the yoke of slavery to sin and legalism, and exchanging it for a much lighter yoke of grace and joy.

May you rejoice today in the kind heart of your Savior who kindly offers you the much lighter burden of following Him.