“Carry one another’s burdens; in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.” (Galatians 6:2 HCSB)
In today’s verse of scripture, we find one of the ways in which God expects, us, as Christians, to live our lives. Notice that this is command, not a suggestion. So, as Christians, we are to obey what He commands us to do. This shouldn’t be hard to do. Jesus is our example. He lived His life this way and we are to imitate Him.
Lets break the verse down and see what it truly says so that we can obey it correctly:
- “Carry…” – this is a command to go, get underneath the burden, and carry it. There is no, “if you feel like it, go.”
- “one another’s…” – this involves all Christians, with no exceptions. All Christians are to be involved in ministering to one another. Jesus did this for us, even when we didn’t even deserve it. We must do the same.
- “burdens;” – this means weight. There are many Christinas who are weighted down with so many problems that they’re about to collapse. We are not to let that happen. If we know that they’re suffering, we don’t ask them if they need our help, because their pride will convince them to say, “no.” We just go and do what we can do to help.
- “in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.” – when we carry each other’s burdens, we fulfill Christ’s moral law. In another passage of Scripture, God, through the Apostle Paul tells us;
“Now we who are strong have an obligation to bear the weaknesses of those without strength, and not to please ourselves. Each one of us must please his neighbor for his good, to build him up. For even the Messiah did not please Himself. On the contrary, as it is written, The insults of those who insult You have fallen on Me (Romans 15:1-3 HCSB).”
As Christians, we are to live for the benefit of others, at the cost of our own benefit. Jesus is our example, and this is the way that Jesus lived His life everyday. God, through the Apostle Paul, teaches us that as God’s children, we are to be imitators of God:
“Therefore, be imitators of God, as dearly loved children. And walk in love, as the Messiah also loved us and gave Himself for us, a sacrificial and fragrant offering to God (Ephesians 5:1-2 HCSB).”
If we are Christians, Christ lives in us, and if Christ lives in us, His love and compassion for others lives in us as well. Then, His Spirit of love and compassion compels us to love and have compassion for others. If we are not filled with love and compassion for others, there’s a problem with our relationship with God that needs to be addressed immediately.
Are you carrying a heavy load? Only when we carry someone else’s load can ours be lifted.
So then,
- how will we obey today’s Scriptures?
- With whom will we share today’s lesson?
- With whom will we share the story of our salvation and the story of wehat Jesus did for us?
In Christ’s love,
Phil
Phil Covone's Blog 