Galatians 6:2 – Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.
THEME OF THE DAY. THE BURDENED CHRISTIAN LIFE. Life is full of burdens. Life is hard. Life is trying. We are confronted with much this side of heaven which seems to overwhelm us, drown us, and if not careful, will cover us with a blanket of hopelessness. Even for Christians. And it is important we understand that life under the sun and this side of heaven will always be full of burdens. Sin and Satan ensure there will not be a single life on earth that is pain-free, care-free, and burden-free. Yet for the Christian, we have a Burden Bearer who knows our weaknesses, cares for us with a love beyond description, and comes alongside us to be our burden-bearer. The Apostle Peter commands of us, “Cast all your anxieties (burdens) on Him because He cares for you” (1 Peter 5:7). It is a command to not let life weigh us down but to take all things in life to the One who is never weighed down. And the Burden-Bearer Himself gives those with heavy burdens this wonderful invitation – “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light” (Matthew 11:28-30).
Yes, this life is a burdened life but for the Christian, the burdened life takes on another shape than just giving our burdens to Christ. In today’s scripture, the Apostle Paul gives us a command to “bear one another’s burdens” which means to “to pick up, to carry.” It is us saying to someone, “Hey, let me give you a hand. That is too heavy for you. I got this.” And that is how the Christian life is to be lived in the community of one another. We are called to do two things with burdens. First, our own we are to give to Christ. All our burdens, all our cares, all our anxieties, and all our stresses are to be cast upon Him and left there. Don’t fear to do this. Jesus’ shoulders are big. He can handle all of our burdens. But we don’t stop there as Christians when it comes to burdens.
The second thing we are to understand about burdens is the call to action beyond giving our burdens to Christ. We are called to obey today’s scripture of carrying the burdens of others. We are to become that oasis of refreshing water in desert times for the downcast brother or sister. We are to be light in their seasons of spiritual darkness. We are to be that friend sticking closer than a brother with listening ears and times of just holding their hands as they share their burdens (Proverbs 18:24). And the burdened Christian life extends beyond caring for suffering brothers and sisters. We are to be burdened for the state of the lost outside of Christ. We are to be burdened for those sheep of the Lord who have drifted into forbidden pastures of the world. We are to be burdened for the Lord’s church to be awakened from her spiritual sleep.
It is in the process of becoming burdened for others and the things of the Lord, we become more like Christ and fulfill His law of love; marking us, identifying us as His children. And as we live the burdened Christian life, our prayer lives will deepen, drawing us closer and closer to Him who bears all our burdens and makes Himself known in and through our burdens.
PRAYER: “Lord, help me to do two things with burdens; give mine to You and carry those of others.”
QUOTE: “In carrying the burdens of others, we fulfill the law of Christ which is the law of love.”