Carry each other's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. Galatians 6:2
You are carrying two bags of groceries home. Your arms ache, and your legs are rubbery. A friend meets you and carries one of the heavy bags for you. What a relief!
The Bible tells us to carry each other's burdens. What burdens? We may do this by sharing with others their sorrows, unrelieved problems, or ugly, inescapable situations. We sometimes forget that those who are alone need someone with whom they can talk. If we are willing to listen discreetly and respect the other person's confidence, we can help the lonely see things more clearly and help them in making decisions.
Christ told us to love one another as He loved us. We do that when we concern ourselves with the needs of others, easing their burdens by our words and deeds of love.
As we carry each other's burdens, we are mindful that Christ "took up our infirmities and carried our diseases" (Matthew 8:17). For Jesus' sake God lifts the burden of our sins from us. That's the greatest relief of all. Set free from this load, by God's grace we are both willing and able to help carry another's burden.
PRAYER: Gracious Lord, make us unselfish and loving so we may help others carry their burdens; in Jesus' name. Amen.
(Devotions from "The Abundant Life" copyright 1998, CPH. All Rights Reserved. No part of this publication may be printed, reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior written permission of Concordia Publishing House. Permission is granted for one-time e-mailing of this link to a friend. For information on other devotional material, please contact CPH at 800-325-3040 or visit CPH at www.cph.org.)
Today's Bible Readings: 1 Chronicles 20-22 1 Corinthians 14:1-20
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