Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. Galatians 6:2
Verse 2 builds on verse 1, where Paul encouraged his Galatian friends to help others who are in sin. My Concordia also references verses that talk about how people who are wise to the ways of the world are not necessarily wise to the ways of the Lord. We should temper everything we say and do with this knowledge because it might make a much-needed difference in their lives.
You know where I’m going with this. Face it, my friend: sometimes, that’s us. Sometimes I need someone to tell me that I’m being unwise, especially in the ways of the Lord. Sometimes, you need a reminder that you don’t know it all. Sometimes, someone in our circle needs a loving word that they are in danger of dangerous sin.
One way we get to help each other in this is to carry each other’s burdens. Listen to a family member or a friend. Help out financially; help out physically. Visit someone in need, at a hospital, at their home, in jail, just in any bad way. If you can’t do that – and sometimes we can’t – then at least simply be kind. Live those fruits of God’s Spirit. Carry someone else’s burden for them, especially the emotional burdens; the things that worry us, worry others. Help someone out. In doing this, you and I get to fulfill the ‘law of Christ,’ which is to share loving faith in Him. It may take awhile; they may need you for awhile. Maybe the Beatles said it best: you’ll carry that weight a long time.
But it doesn’t mean codependence. It doesn’t mean always doing everything for someone. It doesn’t mean being a controller, or being judgy, or boasting, or enabling someone to be a freeloader. It doesn’t mean getting into our friends’ sins with them. All these things that we have a tendency to do are exactly what Jesus wouldn’t want us to do for others. Nowhere in Scripture does it say, “do something for your brother because then you get to brag about it.” Instead, Jesus does tell us to take up His cross every day – literally, be willing to die and live for our faith in Him – and then to love our neighbor as much as we love ourselves & Him…because of law of Christ is selfless love.
Living in our sins demonstrates when we’re unwise to this love-law of Christ. That law of love, however, means there’s always a road home. We can always go home by turning back to Christ, then letting Him begin the processes of forgiveness, repentance, and healthy change.
For further reading: Luke 9:23, Romans 12:3, 1 Corinthians 3:18, 1 Corinthians 8:2, Galatians 6:3
Lord Jesus, help me today to live under Your law of love by helping someone else, by carrying their burden.
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