Nov. 18, 2025

Tired of Religion? How to Rest Instead of Perform

Send me a text Are you tired of trying to earn God’s approval through religious effort? Discover the rest Jesus offers when you stop striving and trust His finished work instead of carrying the heavy yoke of religion. Ever feel like you’re trying so hard to be “good enough” for God? You pray, you serve, you follow the rules, and somehow it still feels like you’re dragging a heavy load behind you. Like the harder you try, the more exhausted you become. In this episode, Bart shares the story of...

Send me a text

Are you tired of trying to earn God’s approval through religious effort? Discover the rest Jesus offers when you stop striving and trust His finished work instead of carrying the heavy yoke of religion.

Ever feel like you’re trying so hard to be “good enough” for God?

You pray, you serve, you follow the rules, and somehow it still feels like you’re dragging a heavy load behind you. Like the harder you try, the more exhausted you become.

In this episode, Bart shares the story of his grandfather’s old farm mules, straining under wooden yokes as they pulled a plow, and how that picture mirrors the way many of us try to relate to God. We pile on religious pressure, rituals, and performance, hoping God might finally accept us.

But Jesus offers a different way.

Through the lens of Matthew 11:28-30, you’ll see that being right with God isn’t a heavy yoke. It’s rest. Jesus didn’t come to load you down with more rules; He came to lift the burden completely through His finished work on the cross.

Main Scripture:

Matthew 11:28-30 (NLT) – “Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.”

By the end of this episode, you’ll discover:

Why man-made religion leads to exhaustion, not life
What Jesus meant when He offered an “easy yoke”
How resting in His finished work leads to real peace with God
Why salvation isn’t earned—it’s received

Today’s Challenge:

Write down one area where you feel like you’re still “performing” for God.

Then write this truth beside it: “Jesus already finished the work.”

Ask Him to help you trade performance for trust.

Encouraged by today’s devotion?

Share this episode with someone who’s tired of religion and needs the hope of God’s grace.

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Feeling spiritually drained? Start here. Download your free copy of my eBook Making Time for Jesus here.

WEBVTT

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I grew up on a farm. My granddad lived during the Great Depression and was never one to waste anything. I remember he kept two old mules even after he bought a tractor. One day, I asked him why he kept using those stubborn things when he had a tractor that was much more efficient and worked harder and faster when he got on the throttle. Because some days, he acted like he wanted to throttle those mules. I know firsthand where the saying, stubborn like a mule, comes from. Some mornings, I'd watch him take those wooden yokes off the wall in the barn and put them around those mules' necks and hitch them to a heavy plow. When the blade hit the dirt, they strained and their hooves were digging in while he snapped the reins and called out, ya, it was hard work. And when I think back on those days, it reminds me of how a lot of us try to get to God the same way, by doubling down on religion and jumping through all kinds of hoops. it's exhausting. But is that what God expects?

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to Daily Devotions for Busy Lives. I'm Bart Leger, and today we're talking about something a lot of people secretly wrestle with. That is, feeling like they have to work their way into God's approval. And if you've ever felt the pressure to do more or to be more religious, so God might finally be pleased with you, then this episode is for you. Let's see what Jesus says. We hear in Matthew 11, 28 to 30, Jesus doesn't offer a heavier yoke. He offers rest for the soul. Now let's go back to the farm for a minute. I can still see those old mules in my mind's eye. The oaks and the dust clouds they raised, and the strain. Oh, how they strained.

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And then I remember, there was a tractor in the same barn. My grandfather didn't always use it, but when he did, the dirt in the field moved a whole lot easier.

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And that's what Jesus is getting at with his easy yoke. He isn't yelling from behind, driving you to perform. He's inviting you to walk with him side by side, where the real power isn't in how hard you work or how closely you follow your religion. You know, I know you can't see me, but I'm using air quotes. It's not about religion. It's about Jesus' finished work on the cross for us. My grandfather would hang those yokes back on the wall at the end of the day, and the mules would finally catch a breath. That's the shift Jesus offers from dragging a heavy religion to resting in his finished work on the cross. No more religious performance. Not working harder so God might love you, but walking with him because he already loves you.

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Now, let's bring that into your life. So many people live under a spiritual yoke God never asks them to carry. They think, accept me. If I fix myself, then he'll love me. Or, if I clean up my life, he'll finally be pleased. But that's not the gospel. That's not what God wants. Religion says, earn God's love. Jesus says, receive it.

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Religion says, do more. Jesus says, it is finished. And that was his final words from on the cross. You don't get right with God by straining and pulling harder. You don't get saved because you plowed harder than the next guy. And you don't earn forgiveness through spiritual muscle. You are made right with God because Jesus did the work for you on the cross in your place once for all. Isn't that good news? When you trust him, you step out from under the yoke of religion and into the rest of Jesus' promises. And here's today's challenge. Ask yourself, relying on Jesus' finished work?

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Then, pray this simple prayer.

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Lord, I lay down the yoke of performance. I realize I'm a sinner and don't deserve God's love or forgiveness. Right now, I'm trusting in Jesus alone and his payment for my sin on the cross to make me right with God.

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Thank you, Father. If you prayed that prayer for the first time and meant it in your heart, I'd love to hear from you. Right now, go to dailydevotionsforbusylives.com and click on the microphone in the bottom right corner and leave me a voicemail along with your contact info. When you do, I'll send you the physical copy of my book, The Next Step for Your Journey. Lord Jesus, thank you that I don't have to perform my way into your love. Thank you for the cross. Thank you for your grace. And I thank you for the rest you offer to weary hearts. Help me to trust what you've already done instead of trying to earn what you freely give. In Jesus' name, amen.

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Thanks for joining me today on Daily Devotions for Busy Lives.

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Remember, you don't have to perform for God. You can rest in Jesus' finished work on the cross. Come back next time for more encouragement to help you live grounded in God's truth.

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Until then, God bless and have a great day.

Tired of Religion? How to Rest Instead of Perform

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