1 Peter 5:8-9 "Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. Stand firm against him, and be strong in your faith. Remember that your family of believers all over the world is going through the same kind of suffering you are."
One of Satan's greatest lies is that we are alone in our struggles and no one will understand what we're going through or our struggle with our sin nature. If he can convince us to believe that lie, we will pull into ourselves and pull away from the very ones he has put in our lives to help us.
Galatians 6:1-2 "Dear brothers and sisters, if another believer is overcome by some sin, you who are godly should gently and humbly help that person back onto the right path. And be careful not to fall into the same temptation yourself. Share each other’s burdens, and in this way obey the law of Christ."
This applies to any type of struggle not just sin issues. We are all part of one body.
1 Corinthians 12:20, 26 "Yes, there are many parts, but only one body. If one part suffers, all the parts suffer with it, and if one part is honored, all the parts are glad."
When cancer develops in a person's body, the good cells from all over the body come to fight. The good cells in the leg don't say, "That is the breast's issue. I'm staying right here where it is safe and cancer free." In the same way, sometimes bearing each other's burdens can be messy too. We are commanded to bear the burdens of others, yet warned to be careful.
If we only want to "help" those whose lives are mess free, we will never fulfill the command to "bear each other's burdens." Life is messy and sometimes we need help with the messy stuff. The most amazing feeling and reward comes when we get down in the pit with a fellow believer and help them dig their way out.
I know that it sounds more religious to say, "We can lower a ladder down and let them climb out." But in my life I've found that the greatest help comes from those who are not worried about getting dirty. Those who will get in the pit with me. This does not mean they participate in my sin or struggle (heed the warning in Galatians 6:1-2) but that they fight beside me as I fight my way out.
The Christian walk is a daily battle field, as is evidenced by Paul's statement in Ephesians 6:12 "For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places."
Bearing each other's burdens often involves sacrifice on our part. It may involve being available 24/7 for a friend, sacrificial giving to help with a need, or hours of intercession and spiritual warfare on behalf of another. Whatever the cost to us, we need to remember two things:
1. One day we will be the one in need. Will there be someone to help bear our burden?
2. Jesus bore all our sin, guilt, and shame on his back when he died on the cross. How could we refuse to partner with him to help someone in need?
When we partner with Christ, to bear other's burdens, we become a force to reckon with. Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 "Two people are better off than one, for they can help each other succeed. If one person falls, the other can reach out and help. But someone who falls alone is in real trouble. Likewise, two people lying close together can keep each other warm. But how can one be warm alone? A person standing alone can be attacked and defeated, but two can stand back-to-back and conquer. Three are even better, for a triple-braided cord is not easily broken."
Wether we are the one in need or the burden bearer, we can cling to the promise found in Psalm 18:2 "The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my savior; my God is my rock, in whom I find protection. He is my shield, the power that saves me, and my place of safety."
Let us never hold back from seeking others to help us bear our burdens or from "getting our hands dirty" bearing another's burden with them. This partnership is necessary to growth and freedom in the body of Christ and is crucial to our spiritual health as individuals within that body.
No comments:
Post a Comment