PSALM 119:136 -My eyes shed streams of tears, because people do not keep your law.
THEME OF THE DAY. THE BURDENED CHRISTIAN. Every human being has burdens. Every human being carries burdens. A burden is defined as something heavy upon a person. It could be literal like something too heavy to carry. It could be emotional that weighs a person down in spirit. Synonyms for burden include load, grievance, sorrow, concern, and even the phrase “thorn in one’s side.” Yes, all human beings carry burdens and have burdens. It is simply the reality of living in a world gone wrong. It is the fact we live in a world of sin that weighs us down in so many ways. Yet, there is something else about burdens that is unique for Christians. The unbeliever will not and cannot have this burden. This burden in Christians is good. It is actually a sign of a vibrant spiritual life. The absence of this burden should cause spiritual concern. This burden is the spiritual weight upon us when we observe the world of lost people and a culture ignoring God’s law. It is what we see in today’s scripture. The Psalmist is so burdened that God’s created beings are not honoring Him through obedience to His Word. And this burden was so intense that he shed tears, not a few, but a flood. It reminds us of the heart of Jesus when He looked over the masses of people and saw them lost without a shepherd (Mark 6:34).
Do we have such a burden? When we leave for church on a Sunday morning, driving through our neighborhoods, looking at our neighbor’s houses, are we burdened for their souls? Are we “shedding tears” of intercessory prayer for their souls knowing many of them won’t be in the house of the Lord; many have no interest in the Lord; many are lost and see Sunday as just an extension of the weekend? This is a burden for the lost that Jesus gives those of His followers who are close to Him. A person cannot be intimate with Christ and lack an agonizing burden for those who don’t know Him. We cannot have the heart of Christ and be indifferent to the lost. So, if this burden in us is a little weak, lacking perhaps what we find in the Psalmist, how might we change this heart condition? Four things to put into our lives taking us from the sin of indifference to the joy of sharing the burden for the lost like Jesus.
First, confess and repent of the sin of selfishness. We cannot have the eyes of Jesus to see the lost unless we have our eyes off ourselves. My biggest problem when it comes to a burden for the lost is that I allow, even focus, way too much on my personal burdens. Unless the chains of selfishness are broken in my heart, I cannot have the broken heart of Jesus over the state of the lost.
Next, pray. Not first for gospel opportunities but for the spiritual eyesight to see people as Jesus does. And this seeing is really loving them. Charles Spurgeon said, “The soul-winner must first be a soul-lover.” Ask God to give us a heart for the lost; a heart that models the Psalmist – even weeping over souls and sharing the gospel will happen regularly.
A third thing to do is commit to getting as close to Christ as a human being may through the Word and fellowshipping prayer. This will keep our Christian lives from being driven by activity. Our spirituality, even our effectiveness for the Lord, is not based on activity for Him but abiding in Him. Make knowing Christ life’s chief pursuit and the closer we get, the more burdened and love for the lost we will have.
Finally, never drive through our neighborhoods without praying for each house. See our neighbors as sheep without a shepherd. Start making our drives through our neighborhoods praying drives through our neighborhoods.
Burdens. Every human has them. As Christians, let’s ensure we also have the good burden for the salvation of the lost just like our Lord Jesus.
PRAYER: “Father, help me to see the world as You, Your Son, and Your Spirit do and live in that light.”
QUOTE: “We cannot love and be burdened for the lost unless we have the eyes of Jesus to see the lost.”