by Desiree Bustamante

The weight of guilt is much too heavy to carry.

You can listen to today’s devotion by clicking this SoundCloud link.

“My guilt overwhelms me—
    it is a burden too heavy to bear.”
Psalm 38:4 New Living Translation

I’m sure you’ve tried to lift something that was way too heavy for you. Maybe you attempted it and strained your back. Perhaps you dropped something and it broke, hopefully not on your foot!  It’s tempting to prove you can carry any burden even though it’s massive.

Yet we can be crushed by a burden that’s too heavy to bear—guilt. We just can’t let it go. We drag the load around until we feel weak, useless and miserable. Why do we do this? Satan convinces us how unworthy we are and lies to us that God couldn’t possibly love us, or forgive us, because we are hopeless sinners. We forget that we were bought with a price—the precious blood of Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior.

“Let us go right into the presence of God with sincere hearts fully trusting him.
For our guilty consciences have been sprinkled with Christ’s blood to make us clean, and our bodies have been washed with pure water.
Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep his promise.”
Hebrews 10:22-23 New Living Translation

Lent reminds us that Jesus died for us long ago on the cross, carrying our burdens, guilt and shame to the grave with Him. When Christ rose from that tomb to free us from sin’s chains, He conquered Satan! We never have to carry that weight again.

Remember that truth and unload your burden of sin onto Jesus. He loves you so much and doesn’t want you to drown in guilt over the very sins He died to free you from. Jesus wants you to have a soul at peace and at rest in His forgiveness.

Copyright Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Colorado Springs, Colorado