Stop and Think
When observing The Bible it is important to often times to “stop and think”. While I was reading Galatians 6 I stop thought about what I was reading. I thought about 6:2 that says “Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ.” It was that pause that allowed me to think about what the passage was really saying.
Contrary to the isolated burdens we saw in yesterday’s study, often we encounter community burdens. These are burdens that should be shared with other members of the body of Christ. A great fault of the church today is we often don’t share the burdens of others. Someone may have a burden of temptation and need counsel. Others may be suffering financial setbacks and could use a gift.
Perhaps there are older folks that need assistance with everyday tasks. Whatever the burden is, it should be shared by the church. We need to share one another’s problems without delay. Church attendance shouldn’t just be for our own benefit. We should be observant and see who needs a word of encouragement or a listening ear. Sometimes, we may even need to give a little of ourselves.
Perhaps we could take someone out to lunch and listen to his or her burden. When we are faced with a burden ourselves, we should be willing to let others share the load. I don’t mean we should empty all our complaints on the first listening ear, but we shouldn’t be too proud to let others help us out. This is what God ordained the local church to do. Perhaps there is someone in your church that needs you to share his or her burden. God may be leading you to be that listening ear or helpful hand. Don’t brush it aside. Make their burden your own.