"If your schedule doesn't allow time to be with God and draw on His strength, then rework your priorities and make a new schedule. The old one is not working." -Stormie Omartian, Power of a Praying Wife

I find that Christians, speaking generally, have set up a legalistic system. There is an unspoken rule that we must spend time daily with the Lord. "Quiet times", or, "Daily devotionals" must be squeezed into our already buzzing schedules. Nifty little books promise the best return out of only a small time commitment. "Start with just 10 minutes a day, then slowly increase your time", we're instructed. Oh, Church, when did spending time with our Lord become to us so burdensome? Is He not the One who takes all of our burdens upon Himself? Is He not the one who instructs us to cast them all upon His shoulders? How, then, has that in itself become such a burden?

I would compare it to a desire of physical health. We know it is "good for us". However, we also know it beseeches us for our time, entreats us for sacrifice, implores from us maybe a little more than we are willing to give. After all, we assume there will be challenge. There may be even a confrontation of unhealthy habits, and a requirement of change.

"Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." Matthew 11:28

Yet we are too labored, too busy, too weary, too tired to come to Him. 

 He who made such a sacrifice to make possible our coming to Him. He who shed His own blood, tearing the veil that separated us from God. He who made possible our access to boldly come before the throne of grace, and to find mercy and grace to help in time of need. It is He who we find a burden.

 

"Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water." Hebrews 10:19-22 

 Oh that my heart would echo the cry of the Apostle Paul's in proclaiming, "More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ" Philippians 3:8

Without Him, all is loss. Nothing matters. Daily I must draw from Him my strength. Apart from him I am no wife, I am no mother, I am no friend. Apart from Him I have nothing to offer. I must cast my burdens upon Him, my Shelter, my Refuge, my Strength. 

He has freed us! Let us not place ourselves again under a law, a guilt-laden mind game we cannot win. And let us not lose heart, or punish ourselves if a day goes by that we do not open His Word. Rather let us use it to learn just all the more desperately we need His Truth in every area of our life. Let us simply draw near with true hearts to the One who has made possible the way to do so.