Lord, forgive me are the words of a repentant sinner who releases a great weight like setting down a heavy backpack. I remember hiking in the Rocky Mountains; my pack seemed more burdensome over time. It would have been easier if I had dressed like a distance runner with lightweight clothes and shoes. Unfortunately, when you are hiking, that is not the type of gear you wear.
Unrepentant sin in our lives is like wearing a large backpack that weighs you down. Each day, you add more weight to your pack until you can hardly move. God has not designed us, nor wants us to be, weighted down with our sin. There is hope! We can take our burden to the cross.
Jesus Takes Our Burden
Matthew 11:28Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.”[1]
In our story, a woman was caught in adultery. The burden is heavy. The Pharisees tested Jesus and suggested that she be stoned. John 8:7 They kept demanding an answer, so he (Jesus) stood up again and said, “All right, but let the one who has never sinned throw the first stone!”[2]
All the Pharisees realized they were sinners and left. The truth is that Jesus is the only one who has never sinned. He was the only one who was qualified and could throw a stone. John 8:10 Then Jesus stood up again and said to the woman, “Where are your accusers? Didn’t even one of them condemn you?” 11 “No, Lord,” she said. And Jesus said, “Neither do I. Go and sin no more.”[3]
The woman doesn’t have to continue carrying the burden of sin and has hope for a new life. The Light of the world had come to banish the darkness of sin. As sinners, we have two choices. We can take our burden to Jesus or keep carrying it.
Asking the Lord to Forgive Us
The Lord’s forgiveness is a fantastic gift. We no longer have to carry the burden of sin weighing us down. Are you weighed down with sin today? God promises that we receive His forgiveness when we confess our sins. Psalm 103: 12 He has removed our sins as far from us as the east is from the west.[4]
Prayer
Lord, forgive me. I come before you burdened with sin that has crushed me down. I confess my sin now that is overwhelming me (Confess your sins to the Lord). Thank you, Jesus, for taking all my sins on the cross to make forgiveness possible, lifting me out of the muck and mire. Amen.
To hear more, listen here:
https://podpoint.com/light-of-christ-church-podcast/light-in-sin
[1-4] Tyndale House Publishers. (2015). Holy Bible: New Living Translation. Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers.