Freed from the Burden of Sin.

This He established in Joseph as a testimony, When He went throughout the land of Egypt, where I heard a language I did not understand. “I removed his shoulder from the burden; his hands were freed from the baskets. You called in trouble, and I delivered you; I answered you in the secret place of thunder; I tested you at the waters of Meribah. Selah “Hear, O My people, and I will admonish you! O Israel, if you will listen to Me! There shall be no foreign god among you; nor shall you worship any foreign god. I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt; open your mouth wide, and I will fill it. Psalm 81:5-10

Sin should weigh heavy on your shoulders, but know that it weighs heavier on Christ’s.

The testimony of God’s goodness is that He has removed the heavy burden from your shoulder. While you bore the guilt of your sin, Jesus carried your basket of burdens to the cross and bore the full weight of your sin to pay for both the guilt and the debt of sin. No foreign god would be so generous to suffer himself so that His creation wouldn’t have to suffer. God doesn’t minimize that you were in a place of trouble where your grumbling could be as loud as thunder. He visits you in your place of distress and delivers you by His righteous right hand. Though you were in the valley of the shadows of death, Jesus entered into the deeper depths of death to deliver you.

God wants the purity of your heart, not just the purity of your actions.

Jesus didn’t die for the heavy burden of your sin; He died for you. He didn’t want you to be crushed under sin and death as the law demands, so He was crushed in your place.

O Death, where is your sting? O Hades, where is your victory?” The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. 1 Corinthians 15:55-57

Jesus’ death on the cross paid for the impurity of your actions and made you holy. Your heart can only be purified if your actions have been cleansed, and if your heart is purified, pure actions will flow out of it (James 3:10-11). Your heart and your actions are connected, but God seeks to change your heart first in order to get to your actions.

You don't have to have your Bible or your special place to spend time with God.

Since God is omnipresent, you can spend time with Him anytime, anywhere. His mere presence in your life creates a purity of heart in you. Jesus said, “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28). Simply coming to Jesus removes the burden from your shoulders and frees you from your distress. You don’t have to only have moments of freedom in your day and week. You can be free whenever you wish because God is not limited to a special place or a special time. This doesn’t mean that a time and place habit are bad or that your regular habit won’t generally result in a deeper spiritual connection. Every spiritual connection purifies you, and you can be spiritually connected whenever you wish. Therefore cast your burdens on the Lord and He will bear you up as He joins you under the burden and then lifts it off you.