The Mirror of the Word and other works by C.E. White can be purchased on her website, cewhitebooks.com or on Amazon

“For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments; and his commandments are not burdensome.”

—1 John 5:3

The more we practice the Lord’s commandments, the more we come to realize that they are not burdensome . . . they are freeing.

The command to “consider others more important than ourselves” (Philippians 2:3) is freeing because we no longer have to worry about whether we’re getting ahead or someone else is getting something we think we deserve. We can trust God that whether we get any reward in this life or not, we will reap a good reward in God’s timing if we don’t give up (Galatians 6:9).

The command to forgive others is freeing, because we no longer have to hold on to anger or seek justice. God will handle that.

The command not to fear, not to be anxious, and not to fret are all freeing because they assure us that God is in control even when we know we’re not.

And the more we understand who God is, the more freeing his commandments feel, because we come to see his love, trustworthiness, and sovereignty in them.

It’s when we try to follow the Lord’s guidelines without having a relationship with him that they feel burdensome; they all feel like arbitrary rules for him to exercise control.

We learn from the relationship that his commandments are set because he loves us, wants the best for us, and wants to protect us from false hopes and painful consequences. When we believe someone wants good for us, we trust their advice.

When we truly learn who God is, his commandments set us free.

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