READING: Isaiah 3-4, Galatians 6
“Carry one another’s burdens.”
Galatians 6:2
I’m not sure I can explain what happens, as I’m not convinced there are words adequate to describe it – so I’ll just try to describe it.
I carry a heavy burden of some type. Perhaps it’s a sin issue that I seemingly can’t defeat. Maybe it’s a consuming worry. It might be heavy concern over loved ones who are non-believers. Maybe it’s a struggle with understanding God’s will. Or, perhaps it’s just a gut-level feeling that the enemy is aiming his arrows at me. Whatever it is, it wakes me up in the morning and keeps me awake at night. The weight is almost unbearable.
And then God sends a brother in Christ to help me bear the burden. He lets me talk, and he listens intensely. He prays for me. He humbly offers godly advice. If needed, he invites others to help. My brother in Christ takes on himself some of the burden, and the weight on me in lessened. I don’t understand how it happens, but I know it does: relief comes because I’m not journeying alone. Hope is renewed.
My brother and I are fleshing out what Paul described in Galatians 6:2 – “Carry one another’s burdens; in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.” As members of the family of God, we’re living out the law of love. The weight of my burden decreases because someone else helps me carry it. Now I, too, must turn and offer the same loving grace to someone else.
ACTION STEPS:
- Thank God for brothers and sisters in Christ who walk beside you.
- Watch for others who need someone to lift them up. Do your best to meet that need.
PRAYER: “Father, thank You for the family of God who help bear my burdens.”
TOMORROW’S READING: Isaiah 5-6, Ephesians 1
