Isaiah 46:1-4 (Written 12-1-2010)

Bel bows down; Nebo stoops;
their idols are on beasts and livestock;
these things you carry are borne
as burdens on weary beasts.
They stoop; they bow down together;
they cannot save the burden,
but themselves go into captivity.

“Listen to me, O house of Jacob,
all the remnant of the house of Israel,
who have been borne by me from before your birth,
carried from the womb;
even to your old age I am he,
and to gray hairs I will carry you.
I have made, and I will bear;
I will carry and will save.

Talk about your major distinctions.

The idols must be carried, borne. They are a burden to their followers.

But God carries His people, bears them, their sorrows, their sins.

And I think that’s true of every religion but Christianity. Followers are charged with carrying out the rules, performing the rituals. They bear the potential for success or failure.

But Christ creates success. He bore our sins. Rituals remind us, they don’t save us.

Of course, there’s another word for God bearing our burdens: Grace.

[Father, thank You that even my faith doesn’t depend on me, but rather on Your grace.]