In fact, this is love for God: to keep his commands. And his commands are not burdensome.
1 John 5:3 NIV
Not Burdensome
The cost of living in Canada is a burden for many in this country. The average cost of living in Canada is $2,611 per month. The average cost of living for a couple in Toronto is $3,326.50. To live comfortably in that city, you need to earn around $35 an hour or about $70,000 per year. Earning a minimum of $40,000 to $60,000 annually can help you live decently in many other parts of Canada. Overall, Canada is more affordable than the US, but the latter has a higher median income.
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What really bothered Jesus was the burden that the religious leaders put on the people with the law. He accused them of putting a burden on them with laws that they themselves didn’t keep. It was the classic example of do as I say and not as I do – the classic definition of hypocrisy. He came to set the people free from this – and yet to many in our day, Christianity is viewed by so many as keeping an impossible set of rules. If that is your view of the Christian faith, listen to what the apostle writes in 1 John 5:3: “In fact, this is love for God: to keep his commands. And his commands are not burdensome.” Jesus had made the laws simple – love God with all your heart and love others as you love yourself. It is not a burdensome thing to love others, expressing the love of God that we have experienced in Jesus. It is not a burdensome thing to love others as we love our redeemed selves.
These have been words from the heart.
Bob Beasley