“For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome” (1 John 5:3).

Did the apostle John just say that keeping God’s commandments are “not burdensome”? Some of them, sure. But all of them?

Friends, hear this: The closer you get to God, the less burdensome his commandments become.

Something John stresses in his letters is “abiding” in Jesus. What does this mean? The editors of the NET Study Bible define it like this: “a close, intimate (and permanent) relationship between the believer and God.” That’s what it means to “abide” in Jesus. 

The idea of closeness comes from Jesus himself. In Matthew 11:28-30 he says: “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

Note the words “yoke” and “burden.”

A yoke was a bar or piece of wood that connected two animals as they plowed a field together. With that in mind, Jesus speaks about being tethered to him with a yoke. The obvious thing (that we often overlook) is that we need to be close with Jesus to be under the same yoke. You need to be right there beside him. When that happens, he is the one who provides the strength to do the work! But if we’re far from him, we won’t be yoked to him, and the burden will be too heavy to bear on our own.

Over time, we can become distant. We don’t speak to God. We neglect his word. Our faith becomes more about rituals than discipleship. Love for Jesus and others grows cold.

When that happens, recognize it. Turn back to God. Abide in him. Draw close. Discover fresh joy. And you will find rest for your souls.

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

Notes:

-Bible quotes are from the ESV.