Bearing One Another’s Burdens.
“Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.”
Galatians 6:2 NKJV
The law of Christ is simply the summation of the entire law given to us by God through Moses, and aptly called the golden rule which is simply to love God with all your heart and to love your neighbor as yourself. One opportunity God has given us to fulfill the law of Christ is to bear one another’s burdens.
Bearing one another’s burdens is simply exercising a duty of care and mindfulness that we have for one another not just as children of God, but also as human beings created out of love by the Almighty Creator. When we bear one another’s burdens, we hold space for one another. We make ourselves available for one another as God gives us grace. We do this by listening to one another from a place of genuine empathy and care, praying for one another, protecting one another, sharing our resources with one another, counselling and strengthening one another as God leads us to. This is the most important element of bearing one another’s burden— being led by God through it. We cannot afford to be emotional about these things, even though God has given us emotions to serve as indicators that inform us about the state of our hearts and souls.
Bearing one another’s burdens is a very intentional way of life that displays an understanding of the nature of God who bears all our burdens, and an understanding of our purpose as the ones made in the image of this God for His glory to live on earth as He is in heaven. This is why we cannot reduce the idea of bearing one another’s burdens to an emotional response or a means to the end of being relevant, powerful or admired before men.
What this means for us is that we recognize that we are primarily conduits… channels through whom burdens pass unto God, and solutions pass unto men. We do not generate any help for men in our own capacity. All we do is fully sponsored by God. So we must never entertain pride or be moved by a saviour complex, where we think of bearing the burdens of others as us saving or helping people simply because we are inherently capable of doing so or doing these things to rack up brownie points before men and God to boost our self-esteem.
We live in a world where people classify this duty of care and mindfulness as good deeds that either make us good people who are worthy of accolades and admiration or prove that we are such people. Especially in today’s age where everything is televised and displayed as sensational content on social media. As believers who are in this world but not of it, it must be engraved on our hearts that bearing the burdens of one another is primarily to honour God by fulfilling the commandments of Christ Jesus. This is one of the ways through which we become and stay Christlike for the glory of God, the one who loves us and makes it possible for us to love as well.
In essence, we are made for a solid and genuine connection that positions us to rely on God and help others to the extent that we have relied on God for the glory of His name. We need the help of God to bear one another’s burdens since He is the end of the duty.
Prayer Point:
Dear God, I thank You for the privilege to love like You, to honour and surrender to You by bearing the burdens of others. I receive the grace to do this in complete obedience to You in the name of Jesus, Amen.
Meditation Prompt:
Spend some time speaking to the Holy Spirit about today’s devotional. Don’t forget to journal!
Prayer Prompts:
6:00 am: Pray for Northern Nigeria. Pray that the gates of hell will not prevail over the church in the North. Pray for strength for our siblings there.
9:00 am: Pray for the grace to enjoy and love communion with God.
12:00 pm: Pray for five ministries that come to mind. Speak blessings over them as led by The Holy Spirit.
3:00 pm: Pray for your city, that God is glorified and His light shines throughout.
6:00 pm: Pray for divine protection, that you and everyone you hold dear is safely cocooned in the hollow of God’s palm.
9:00 pm: Ask God what He wants you to pray about.