SAVED FROM THE SLAVERY OF STRIVING

I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt so that you would no longer be slaves to the Egyptians; I broke the bars of your yoke and enabled you to walk with heads held high – Leviticus 26:13 (NIV)

It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery – Galatians 5:1 (NIV)

Paul reminds believers that Christ came to set us free from the yoke of the Law – trying to earn God’s favour by following religious rules. Jesus removed the heavy burden of living by the Law and provided freedom through His sacrifice on the cross. Therefore, I can boldly affirm and confess:

o I stand firm in the freedom of His finished work of redemption.
o Secure in the Lord’s accomplished assignment, I don’t need to prove myself to others anymore.
o The Lord is my Judge; and He has chosen to discharge and acquit me from all condemnation, guilt and wages of sin; from Satan’s dominion; and from all bondage to the law of sin and death.
o Christ has saved me from all shades of slavery, including the SLAVERY of STRIVING.

Friend, ponder a while:
- Are you drowning in all sorts of supposedly good activities that take the excitement and joy out of living, waking up daily with knots of stress in your stomach and struggling through days of dry domestic chores, drudgery and routines…all in a bid to keep some unrealistic expectations?
- Are you under pressure to please others and to do ALL the things you think you HAD to do?
- Is your life hurried, harried and overwhelmed by distractions?

Life is not always about doing so much more – and striving to perform so much better. Many times, in our striving, we live under a yoke of slavery and miss the liberty Jesus generously offers. Freed slaves sometimes returned to their old masters. Having known only slavery all their lives, the early disciples in Galatia were easily deceived into living under the Law again. Paul, the Apostle knew this, therefore challenged the church: Stand firm, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by this yoke.

We may not have been slaves in chains, nor worry about keeping the Mosaic Law, but we sometimes find ourselves trying to prove our significance in some way; trying to live under invented laws and meet up with unwritten expectations. In Christ, you can cease from vain striving and fleshly toiling. Because of Jesus, you don’t need to prove yourself anymore. Jesus is enough. His grace alone is sufficient. You are complete in Christ! When God looks at you, He sees His Son and His accomplished assignment in your life. You are His; He is yours. Lay hold on this and your liberty is guaranteed!

Stop striving! Replace striving with an unrushed, uncomplicated, confident heart. REST confidently, standing fast and firm in your freedom. That’s the Father’s will for you in Christ! He has broken the bars of your yoke; it’s time for you to walk with your head held high!