Burdens

You know why I believe that the Bible is true? Well, there’s a million different reasons why it’s true. But one of the reasons why I hold to the Bible is that I think it just really lays out how we should live.

I can’t think of anything else that paints a picture of how relationships should go, with God, with each other, with family, with everything. The Bible just so clearly lays out how we should live and what we should do.

For instance, check out what we are told in Galatians 6: 1-5:

Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted. Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. For if anyone thinks he is something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself. But let each one test his own work, and then his reason to boast will be in himself alone and not in his neighbor. For each will have to bear his own load.

Now there’s a lot of thing that we could focus on here, but the thing that jumps out to me in the word “bear.”

First, we are told to bear one another’s burdens. Be there for each other. Help each other out. Support each other. Care for each other. Be there.

But wait you say, a few verses later it says each will have to bear their own load? So which is it? Are we to bear each other’s burdens? Or are we to bear our own?

Yes.

Yes we are. Wait, what? I think this lays it out perfect. We are each to bear our own burdens. We are to take care of ourselves. I am to take care of myself and my family, take care of those that I love.

And this is why. If my things are taken care of, then I am able to help you take care of your burdens. When I have taken care of my stuff, I can help you take care of your stuff.

And here’s the thing. You need to take care of your stuff. Because there’s going to come a time when I can’t take care of my stuff. And I’m going to need your help.

If you bear yours and your burdens are taken care of, then you can help me.

And if I bear my own and my burdens are taken care of, then I can help you.

That’s why we bear our own. So we can bear each others.

That’s beautiful. That’s what it should look like. That’s what faith, what family, is called to look like.

So, today, may we bear our own burdens. So that we have taken care of what we can take care of, and we can fully and easily bear each other’s burdens.

We need each other. Today and each day. May we never forget.

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Burdens and troubles are part of life. I will have them. You will have them. Each of us, today, as we are reading this, has some type of burden that we are dealing with. There is something in our life that is wearying for each of us.

Paul today in Galatians gives us some advice for handling our burdens. Listen to what he says in 6:2-5:

Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. For if anyone thinks he is something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself. But let each one test his own work, and then his reason to boast will be in himself alone and not in his neighbor. For each will have to bear his own load.

He basically gives us two pieces of advice that seem to be the opposite of each other. First, he says in verse 2, to bear each other’s burdens. We are supposed to help and take care of each other. That’s what our command is as Christians, to care for and to love one another.

But, look what he says later on in verse 5, each of us must bear our own load.

Wait, what? How does that work? On one help each other, and on the other, take care of yourself. What is the deal here?

This is what Paul means and what we should do as Christians. First, we should our very best to take care of our loads and our struggles. We should do all that we can do to take care of our burdens and struggles.

Why?

Because there is a time when our friend won’t be able to take care of theirs. And we have to be there to help them. It’s sort of like why we should save money, to be able to help someone out in their time of need. If we don’t have any money saved, we can’t help.

But, if we do, we can help them out.

So, if we take care of our burdens, we are free to help each other out.

And, there will be a time when we need that help as well. We are going to need help with our burdens and struggles and worries. We will need help. We will need support.

We will need each other.

So, today, we bear our burdens. So that we can bear one another’s burdens.

Today, may we be there for each other in our hours of need.

Don’t forget, you can click here to download Asbury’s mobile app and read these devotionals, as well as listen to my sermons on your smart phones.

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Tag Archives: Burdens

Burdens and Why I Love the Bible