Dont fall.

Galatians 5:1
Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage.

I think somewhere in the Bible Christ actually mentions allowing Him to shoulder our burdens. Oh yeah, it’s in Matthew 11:28-30. Christ calls all of us who labor to come to Him and get rest. He’ll take our yoke (burden), and we get to take His yoke. This is a really good deal for us! He does our work, we get His easy life of Kingship. It’s not really a fair trade, but hey, He’s God, if that’s His desire, then I’m all in!

Before going any further, we have to be agreed on the definition of labor. Labor is both a noun and a verb. As a noun, labor is defined as a productive act or job that has to be done. Labor is also the name of the very painful contractions a woman feels during childbirth. As a verb, labor means to exert one’s power, to strive and toil toward a goal. It’s the pitching and rolling of a ship at sea. During childbirth, labor is the actual process of giving birth.

Now that we are secure in our understanding of the word labor, we can move on through the scripture and learn how we can apply it to our lives, through Jesus Christ. Jesus wasn’t talking about labor in reference to the issues or physical labor that we face, whether that be in the job force, at home, while parenting, or when mowing the lawn. Jesus was referring to our spiritual labor, that is, our attempts to gain God’s approval through keeping the law.

When we live our lives subject to the law, we become bound by its rigidity. That’s part of the reason God wrote the law on rocks. Rocks do not bend; they don’t give; they are unforgiving! Christ came to fulfill the law, to meet all of its requirements, so that we could be set free from our labor in it. (Matthew 5:17) He used the word “labor” because there isn’t a more perfect word to describe our constant pain and strife under the law.

When we choose to live according to the law, allowing our own accomplishments and works to speak for our “goodness”, we live a life of toil and strife. Every day we wake thinking, “Today I have to be a good person (we set a goal). I have to work hard to be that good person, toiling with my nature to avoid the wrath of God.” Throughout the day we make mistakes. Maybe we overreact to our children’s behavior, or maybe we flip that guy off who didn’t use his turn signal. Like a ship at sea, we are tossed from side to side by the waves of life, struggling to stay afloat.

The point is, there is no rest! But with Christ, He promises rest. What Paul is telling us is with Christ we are no longer tossed around by the waves; we stand fast! With Christ, we are not saddled with the burden of the law, but completely covered by His Grace! It’s all too easy for us, as Christians, to get caught back up in the labor of good-doing, and re-subject ourselves to the law. If we live like that, we are fallen from Grace. (Galatians 5:4 You have become estranged from Christ, you who attempt to be justified by law; you have fallen from grace.)

The Grace offered by Christ at the cross is on a higher level (spiritually) than the Law given to Moses at the mountain. The Law will never save us; it only condemns us. (2 Corinthians 3:9) It is good, it is God’s, but we can’t fulfill it, so to try is futile. But Grace, Grace is what saves us! (Ephesians 2:8) Grace is what brought Christ to earth in the first place. Grace is what makes the rest of the world say, “Huh?”

Please don’t misunderstand me or misconstrue what I’m saying; it is good to try to live a “good” lifestyle. However, even the best lifestyle can’t hold up to the perfect Law of God. It is better to accept a Grace lifestyle, and to live under the blessings of the cross. It is best to let the incredible works of Christ speak on your behalf, both to the Father, and to the world around you!