Blog Layout
Carrying One Another's Burdens
Andrea Lende • December 16, 2020
Galatians 5:2 and 5
Carrying One Another’s Burdens
You can also listen to the devotion and prayer at: https://anchor.fm/andrea-lende/episodes/Carrying-One-Anothers-Burdens-ent425
Galatians 5:2 and 5
“Bear (endure, carry) one another’s burdens and troublesome moral faults, and in this way fulfill and observe perfectly the law of Christ and complete what is lacking.”
“For every person will have to bear (be equal to understanding and calmly receive) his own [little] load [of oppressive faults].”
As I read Paul’s instructions to the Galatians, I wondered how we bear one another’s burdens.
Certainly, we can listen to one another and empathize with their struggles.
We can help in whatever ways the Lord puts on our hearts.
But what else can we do?
We can pray.
Praying is a most powerful tool.
We can also forgive one another.
If we are to bear the burdens of their faults, we must forgive them.
This is the difficult piece.
Paul tells us to endure one another’s troublesome faults.
Well, other people’s troublesome faults affect us.
We may become offended by someone’s shortcomings.
We may be hurt in any number of ways by their shortcomings and sins.
The faults of those close to us will likely impact us in some way.
Paul says to bear them and carry them so we may fulfill the law of Christ.
The law of love.
Love is the law Christ laid down His life for us to receive and to give.
Forgiveness is love.
Caring, compassion, and bearing one another’s faults is love.
Paul says we all have our own faults and burdens to bear as well.
We all fall short of kingdom living.
Not one sin is greater than another.
So, we must bear the burdens of our own faults and bear the burdens of other’s.
In this way no one is better or worse.
We can leave all judgment and vindication to the Lord.
It is our position to love and to help carry burdens.
Today I choose to carry the burdens of those around me as I carry my own, give grace to them and me, and offer forgiveness wherever needed.
May you find as you help others carry their burdens and endure their faults that yours will be carried and endured as well.
Daily Prayer:
O Lord, my God, thank You for showing me I need to help carry the burdens of others. Thank You for showing me I also need to endure their faults and offer forgiveness as You forgive me. Help me be quick to forgive and slow to judge and condemn. Help me endure the faults I possess and strengthen me to overcome those faults with Your grace. May Your grace be sufficient to cover all of us, Lord. May we lean on You to strengthen us and lift us up above the burdens we carry. Help us leave those burdens at Your feet. May Your Holy Spirit permeate our hearts and minds so we can be more like You, Father. Help us seek You over the world and what this world offers. You are the One Who provides all we need. You are the keeper of our hearts and the lifter of our spirits. May we sit in Your presence today, Lord. Help us bless others as You bless us. Thank You for hearing our prayer.
Answer: My grace is sufficient for all My people and My Holy Spirit will fill them with all they need to love beyond one another’s faults.
Response: Thank You, Almighty and all gracious God.
We start a New Year! How exciting! Paul had just finished telling the Ephesians to put off their old nature. They had been run around by their feelings and desires. He told them to be renewed in their spirit. The Amplified Bible defines this to be “having a fresh mental and spiritual attitude.” As we say goodbye to this year, let us put on the new and leave the old behind. We have an opportunity to reflect on what to bring forward into this New Year.
This is a great message for the New Year. We can be in control of our own words. As a mother, I used to tell my children to use their words to explain what was happening in their minds. I tried to help them find the right words. Words that would help the situation and not make it worse. I must do the same thing when talking to them. It’s important to use words that do not damage their spirits. Words that lift up instead of tear down. Even though my children have grown, I still want to be careful how I speak to them because my worlds will impact them for the rest of their lives.
As we approach the New Year, it is a perfect time to take inventory of what part of our lives, our hearts, and our souls are not bearing fruit. What can we give up as this year comes to a close? What do we need to give to the Lord for His cleansing and pruning? The answers to these questions take time. Time with the Lord. We are creatures of routines and habits which serve us well. But we can also change our routines and habits to serve us and the Lord better. So, we can ask God to show us what He wants us to give up so that He can have more of us.
I cannot think of a better verse to meditate on as we approach the New Year. Jesus said, "the kingdom of God is within you [in your hearts] and among you [surrounding you]." For so many years I believed I had to wait to go to heaven to experience the kingdom of God. I have longed to step into heaven and meet the Lord and His Son. However, as we read the Gospels and study Jesus and all that He said, we begin to understand the kingdom of God is all around us. The kingdom of God is within.
Paul wrote to the Colossians and told them he was praying for them. He prayed they would be refreshed, renewed, and invigorated. He also prayed they would be strengthened. May his prayer be heard by the Lord God Almighty on our behalf today just as it was received two thousand years ago. God is the Source of all things beautiful and wonderful. There is no shortage of renewal, refreshment, or inspiration in His kingdom. And as the Creator of this universe, He continues to pour all good things into His people. Paul wrote that refreshment and strength are needed so we may have endurance.
This verse is the perfect verse to reflect on as Christmas comes to a close. The Lord sent His Son to us. He sent Him to this world as a babe. Jesus was given the task of growing up. A difficult one for all of us. He endured the awkward stages we all go through as we grow past them. I look back at old picture and cringe, yes, I cringe. This life provides plenty of opportunities to feel awkward and just plain weird, but our Father loves us as though we are perfect every day of our lives. This is why Jesus came. He came to make us perfect in God’s sight.
God made Himself flesh so He could take away the sins of the world. The story of the very first Christmas was humble, yet the most powerful and loving birth ever recorded in history. All humanity changed in an instant. When Jesus was born, love filled the earth. Love came down and lifted us up. The angels came to tell the shepherds of this beautiful birth. The stars in the heavens also told the story. As we do all tasks that we do to ensure a beautiful Christmas day, may we remember the miracle that God sent long ago. The miracle of all miracles.
The first Christmas was going to be documented, so that it could be read many times over for all Christmas’ to come. It was also documented so the prophecy of the Messiah’s birth would be known to be fulfilled. Prophets of old foretold Jesus would come from the house of David. They also prophesied that He would be born in Bethlehem. And all this came to pass. Even though Jesus would be known as a Nazarene, His beginning began in Bethlehem. God’s divine plan was set in motion with the first census while Mary was at the end of her pregnancy.
What a wonderful passage to read during Christmas week. Our passage touched my heart as I read it through the lens of Jesus’ birth. “It was God [personally present] in Christ, reconciling and restoring the world to favor with Himself.” We have so much to be thankful for in these few short words, “restoring the world to favor with Himself.” So undeserved and yet so graciously given. We are offered favor with the Lord. Imagine having favor with the almighty God, the Creator of the universe. Jesus chose to leave heaven’s door where all was perfect. He chose to be born into this dusty messy world.
Jesus had just spoken to a fig tree and deemed it unworthy to live because it had no fruit on it. His disciples were amazed when they saw the fig tree wither and die. Then the Lord talked to them about prayer and belief. He told them that whatever they asked for, if they had the faith and belief, they would receive it. I remember the day I started hearing music and lyrics. I had just bowed my head at the piano and asked if the Lord would bless praise and worship music. As soon as I prayed that prayer, the Lord bestowed the gift of song writing upon me.